Helpful Transition to School: Keep a Nature Journal

As we're heading back to school, many parents begin thinking about academics for the fall and transitioning from summer adventures to a school schedule.  

One way to help with this is to build on children's interests to get them started with some drawing, writing and researching.  Nature journals can be a great way to combine art, science and literacy skills with a sense of fun and adventure.

This is a great opportunity to use drawing skills to record what you see. What are the shapes of leaves and patterns of stems of favorite flowers or plants?  What is in bloom? What has gone to seed?  What signs do you see that summer is winding down and we are headed for the seasonal transition into fall?  

Children are careful observers.  Encourage them to draw favorite plants and label parts and changes they see. Seed pods can be a great opportunity for drawing the inside and outside.  What is the shape of the pod? How do the seeds look inside?  

Children can form hypotheses or educated guesses about why seeds are certain shapes.  Do they fly on the wind or scatter easily?  What about this plant is unique?  Encourage kids to use reference books to look up plants they may not be familiar with to record those names.

A nature journal can include animal sightings too.  Keep a list of birds, insects and small mammals you notice in your yard.  Catch a quick snapshot or do a drawing of the animal and label it with where and when you spotted the animal.  

Children can learn about animal behavior and notice what times of day animals are out.  Early morning and late evening are often good times to see animals out and about and this can match a good routine of kids drawing and writing first thing in the morning or in the evening before dinner.

The opportunity to share journals is a great motivator for kids too. Look for friends or neighbors to share your sketches and findings. Ask family members to be on the lookout for unique species to record or take your journal along on a day trip, hike, or even just to a friends' yard to see what different species you may encounter.