2025 Nature Journaling Educators Workshop
Video Courses and Live Online Practicum
Join John John Muir Laws—award-winning author, educator, scientist, leading innovator in the global nature journaling movement, and co-author of How to Teach Nature Journaling—along with Roseann Hanson, Alex Boon, Kate Rutter, Yvea Moore, Billie Jo Reid, and other experienced educators for a fun, informative, and empowering online workshop for nature journaling educators. You will come away from this workshop inspired with best practices and practical tools for teaching nature journaling, and you will be prepared to put them into practice with your students.
NEW WORKSHOP FORMAT! Your workshop pass includes 15+ hours of video courses you can start learning from TODAY, plus engaging assignments, and a live online interactive practicum from 8am-7pm Pacific time on one of the following dates: January 25, 2025, May 31, 2025, or October 4, 2025. You can also sign up for the optional Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Educator Certificate. Note that practicum is 100% live, there will be no video recordings. If you live in a time zone that makes it difficult to attend part of the live program, contact us at registration and we will work with you on an alternate interactive experience for part of the practicum.
See below for event details, course descriptions, schedule, teacher photos and bios, and more.
“I found this program to be very remarkable—as I do every single thing that John Muir Laws and the Wild Wonder Foundation does. You all are kind, inspiring, and your endless energy and hard work in creating programs like this is beyond inspirational. I can't say enough about how brilliant all of the presenters are—I learned so much about nature journaling. This workshop took everything to the next level.”
—April 2024 Participant
Workshop Goals
The goals of this workshop are to help you:
Understand the fundamental principles and practices of nature journaling and be able to communicate its value to students;
Understand how nature journaling reinforces language arts, visual arts, math, science, social-emotional learning, and more;
Feel empowered with the tools and confidence to teach nature journaling in your own setting, whether that’s adult education, a traditional classroom, homeschool, or online learning;
Learn how to give appropriate feedback that reinforces a growth mindset;
Experience nature journaling activities specifically adapted for online teaching;
Learn how to develop a nature journaling business, including pro tips on things like insurance and marketing; and
Connect with and learn from other nature journaling educators.
“This program really reinvigorated me and pushed me to revisit my ‘Why.’ The educators that you have attracted to this mission are by far the most generous and genuine people I have ever met. I have spent more than 20 years in the environmental field, and I am honored to be part of this group.” —April 2024 Participant
This workshop is for anyone who is teaching in any form. This includes formal classroom educators, but also homeschool parents, park rangers, adult education instructors, nature center staff, scout leaders, environmental educators, and more. Beginners are welcome. Even if you haven’t taught yet, but you love nature journaling and would like to teach, we would love to have you join us!
Who Should Attend?
Our workshop has a new format! You will receive access to a suite of 15-18 hours of video courses taught by experienced educators on the fundamentals of nature journaling education. The main educators featured in the videos are Roseann Hanson, John Muir Laws, Yvea Moore, and Billie Joe Reid; videos also include additional content from Alex Boon, Andrea Dingledein, Kate Rutter, Lynn Seddon, and Rob Wade. You will have access to these videos through 12/1/25.
With these videos, you will receive several engaging assignments to complete before our live practicum. Live Practicum dates are: January 25, 2025, May 31, 2025, and October 4, 2025.
Please click here to see a detailed description of the video courses included with your Pass.
NEW Format & Schedule
Certification and Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)
This workshop is a key component of our new Nature Journaling Educator Certificate. See this page for details.
We are also offering Continuing Education Credits, or CEUs, as part of this event. Please email us if you are interested in earning CEUs.
“One of the best Continuing Education courses I’ve taken.” —April 2024 Participant
Our community is built on trust and love, and we want to make this event as accessible as possible. We invite you to register for the price you can afford. When you choose to register at the Pay It Forward price, you are enabling someone else to attend who is passionate about teaching nature journaling but may not have the financial means to attend. NOTE: All passes include full access to all the video courses, assignments, as well as a live practicum for one person until December 1, 2025.
REGULAR PASS:
Pay-It-Forward Pass—$80 to $125: These are special tickets with a built-in tax-deductible donation to help support scholarships to the event. This pass includes full access to the video courses as well as a live online practicum.
Regular Pass—$70: This pass includes full access to the video courses as well as a live online practicum.
Scholarship Pass. Partial scholarships are available to those who apply and receive a scholarship award. SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION HERE. This pass includes full access to the video courses as well as a live online practicum.
REGULAR PASS PLUS CERTIFICATE: This pass also includes the Nature Journaling Educator Certificate. Learn more here.
Pay-It-Forward Pass Plus Certificate—$125-$170: These are special tickets with a built-in tax-deductible donation to help support scholarships to the event. This pass includes full access to the video courses as well as a live online practicum.
Regular Pass Plus Certificate—$115: This pass includes full access to the video courses as well as a live online practicum.
Scholarship Pass—Partial scholarships are only available to those who apply and receive a scholarship award. SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION HERE. This Scholarship Pass includes full access to the video courses as well as a live online practicum.
GROUP PASS:
If you have a club or homeschool or other group of 10 or fewer people that would like to all watch together (meaning you register and log in with one email address and watch on one computer), you can purchase a Group Pass. During the Live Practicum, your group can log in and participate through one screen, you can do the activities with your group, and you can participate in conversations with one spokesperson.
NOTE: We are not able to offer refunds.
ACCESSING THE EVENT:
After you purchase your Pass, you will receive an invitation from Sched with additional details for accessing the event (this invitation will arrive within 2-3 business days). Sched is also where you will join the live practicum (date of your choice: January 25, 2025, May 31, 2025, October 4, 2025).
Please allow 2-3 days from the time you purchase your pass to receive your access invitation. Your access invitation will sent to and tied to the same email address you use to purchase your pass.
You will have access to the course videos until December 1, 2025.
Pricing
Meet Your Workshop Leaders
John Muir Laws (aka Jack) is a principal leader and innovator of the worldwide nature journaling movement. As a scientist, educator, and author, Jack helps people forge a deeper and more personal connection with nature through keeping illustrated nature journals and understanding science. Jack has kept nature journals since he was a child. As a dyslexic, Jack struggled in school. He found his place and delight in learning through spending time in nature and keeping notebooks of his observations, discoveries, and adventures. Trained as a wildlife biologist and scientific illustrator, he now observed the world with rigorous attention and awe. He looks for mysteries, plays with ideas, and seeks connection in all he sees. He has found that attention, observation, curiosity, and creative thinking are not gifts, but instead are skills that grow with training and deliberate practice. As an educator and author, Jack shares ways to make these skills a part of everyday life. He is the author and illustrator of several books including The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling (also available in Spanish), The Laws Sketchbook, The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, Sierra Birds: a Hiker’s Guide, Sierra Wildflowers: A Hiker’s Guide, and The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada. He is co-author with Emilie Lygren of How to Teach Nature Journaling. More info.
Roseann Hanson is one of the organizers of the Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference and has taught more than 150 online and in-person nature journaling, writing, and field arts classes. Her books Nature Journaling for a Wild Life and Master of Field Arts debuted during COVID and have become popular for their format as eight-week “workshops in a book.” She is a professional naturalist, author, and expedition leader who has been keeping science-based nature and field notes journals for 40 years. She studied journalism and ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, and has worked in the American Southwest, Mexico, and East Africa as a conservationist, naturalist, and writer. Roseann enjoys integrating conservation, science, outdoor skills, and cultural awareness into her work. She was named a Fellow of both the Explorers Club in the U.S. and the Royal Geographical Society for her conservation and expedition work. You can find her at http://www.exploringoverland.com/fieldarts and on social media at https://www.facebook.com/roseannhansonexplore & https://www.instagram.com/roseannhanson
Rob Wade is a place-based educator who has worked in the Upper Feather River region of California’s northern Sierra Nevada. As the Outdoor Education and Science Coordinator for the Plumas County Office of Education (PCOE) since 1995, he has designed, developed and implemented successful and sustainable K-12 programs in the region, built upon strategic partnership with over 32 agencies and organizations. These partnerships also allowed the 2016 launch of an NGSS K-12 strategy that took outdoor education and stewardship mainstream. Outdoor Core Mountain Kid is a K-12 collaborative that supports every teacher to integrate authentic weekly outdoor learning adventures for every student as part of a year long local theme centered on inquiry and stewardship. Field journaling is a foundational skill and activity for every student and every grade level. Rob has a BS from the University of California-Berkeley in Conservation & Resource Studies and an MA from the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. In addition to his regional work in California, Rob is a national facilitator and consultant supporting K-12 program development. Rob is the 2017 recipient of the Excellence in Environmental Education Award, presented by the California Environmental Education Foundation and a 2020 recipient of the Environmental Law Institute’s National Wetland Award. More info.
Workshop Instructors
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Alex Boon
Alex Boon is an artist and nature journaling educator from East Devon, UK. He earned a PhD in environmental science before working in postdoctoral research and scientific communication roles. Alex left academia, moved to the rural south-west of the UK, and started his first nature journal in 2016. He now teaches both online and in-person workshops and courses and is active on YouTube and Instagram. His style is inspired by the British tradition of artists recording nature, particularly Edith Holden, Beatrix Potter, and Charles Tunnicliffe. His mission is to promote the wider uptake of nature journaling in the UK.
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Andrea Dingeldein
Andrea Dingeldein specializes in visual depictions of the maritime environment. She illustrates everything from flora and fauna of the ocean realm, to vessels and lighthouses. She explores California’s tide pools, redwood forests, and coastal prairies to document the wonders and oddities of the natural world. Back in the studio, she transforms her field studies into polished science illustrations for researchers, parks, and local environmental organizations that fight to protect the ecosystems she loves. Andrea is also an instructor for the Science Illustration Program at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). She teaches Field Sketching, Design of Graphics for Motion, Print, and Web, and Botanical Illustration.
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Jean Mackay
Artist and educator Jean Mackay has been exploring and sketching nature for more than 25 years. Working in all kinds of settings, from tide pools to farm fields to her own backyard in Upstate New York, Jean’s journals reflect a keen eye for detail and profound sense of wonder. She is the author/illustrator of The Nature Explorer’s Sketchbook (2020). Jean teaches online and in-person classes and offers immersive workshops through Winslow Arts Center in Bainbridge in Washington, and the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine. Discover the ordinary, yet extraordinary things that she encounters close to home and farther afield on her blog, Drawn In or on Instagram @jeanmackayart.
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Yvea Moore
Yvea Moore is a coordinator and educator within the nature journaling community, as well as a habitat restoration volunteer. You can find her cohosting John Muir Laws' weekly Zoom classes, leading the online social gathering "Pencil Miles & Chill,” teaching plant classes, editing videos, and doing other behind-the-scenes work. Yvea is also a leader in combining nature journaling with stewardship work, using nature journaling as a powerful tool to document her field work (including habitat restoration and trash pickups) and inspire others to take action.
Instagram: @yveaeaton
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Billie Jo Reid
Born in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, Billie Jo has a passion for the environment and education, and she has spent much of her career outdoors. A graduate of the Parks and Forest Recreation and Adventure Tourism Management programs at Sir Sandford Fleming College, she began her career as a wilderness canoe guide and instructor. She has been fortunate to work for many Outdoor Education Centres, helping her develop her skills and experience in environmental education. During COVID, she found nature journaling, and it has become a huge part of her life, both professionally and personally. Nature journaling has led to her work teaching students and adults, and facilitating workshops with John Muir Laws and the Wild Wonder Foundation. This practice has also led to many adventures, including co-leading a safari to Tanzania with John Muir Laws in 2023 and 2024.
Instagram: @billiejooutdoors
Twitter: @canoegirl16 -
Kate Rutter
Kate Rutter is an avid nature journaler, urban naturalist, educator, and native plant enthusiast who enlivens nature-human connection through sketching, observation, and curiosity. A lifelong sketcher with an experimental and rambunctious visual practice, Kate’s education work spans online teaching, corporate and nonprofit workshops, conferences and events, nature journal workshops at public gardens, private gardens and nurseries, and serving as adjunct professor at the California College of the Arts. Kate holds a B.A. in Studio Art from Wellesley College.
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Lynn Seddon
Lynn Seddon is a writer, speaker, and home educator whose passion is to encourage families to deepen their connections with the natural world around them. Her work focuses on the philosophy of the 19th century educator Charlotte Mason, who saw nature study as fundamental to each child’s education. For more than fifteen years, Lynn has shared her own journey of nature study with families around the world, and has built an encouraging and supportive online community for parents and families. The author of Exploring Nature with Children, Lynn lives in Lancashire, England with her husband and two children aged 17 and 20 years old.
Web: raisinglittleshoots.com
Instagram: @raisinglittleshoots