Educator Support
These resources will help you get oriented and confident in teaching nature journaling. Each topic addresses specific issues that often arise when including nature journaling in your curriculum and when leading nature journaling sessions. Many of the resources below come from the book, How to Teach Nature Journaling, co-authored by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren. You may also want to explore our other Nature Journaling Resouces here.
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Nature journaling is a powerful, flexible learning tool that builds critical thinking skills and nurtures a connection to the outdoors.
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We use these strategies to support student success and engagement when we introduce a journaling activity.
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This free series of 40 short videos created by John Muir Laws and the Children’s Creativity Museum is an excellent course for beginning nature journalers of all ages, from 8 up. It is a great way to teach yourself, or share with your classroom or homeschool students.
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We use these strategies to support participation and engagement while students are journaling.
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Journaling activities take concentration and focus. We want to set students up for success by taking care of their basic needs and journaling at a time when they’ll be engaged.
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All activities on this site are appropriate for students in fourth grade and up. Here, we offer suggestions for scaffolding the activities to support younger students’ participation.
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What to journal about? Here are suggestions for finding things in the outdoors to focus your journaling activities as well as tips on how to choose phenomena to support your learning goals.
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See our approaches for offering feedback on student journals that affirm their existing skills and encourages further growth and development.
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This simple rubric can be used to qualitatively and quantitatively assess student work and offer suggestions for growth.
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Some of the richest rewards of nature journaling can emerge when the practice is a springboard into further inquiry and learning.
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Print these pages and encourage students to cut and paste them to the back cover or back pages of their journals. They offer tools, scaffolds, and strategies students can use in their journaling.
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Students need journals to nature journal! Check out this list of affordable options and resources on custom-designing journals that will suit the specifics of your program or situation.
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You don’t need fancy drawing equipment to journal. We recommend using the following drawing and writing tools with students:
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These simple tools for studying nature can enhance students’ journaling experiences and offer varied ways to make observations.
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FREE HANDOUT DOWNLOAD!
Download or order printed copies of our new zine: Your Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling. This is a helpful handout for new nature journaling students age 6 and up. Now available in several other languages, too!
APRIL 28, 2024. Join John Muir Laws and other experienced educators for an empowering online workshop for nature journal educators. We also have a new optional Nature Journaling Educators Certificate.
