Nature Journal Club Map

No clubs in your area? Start your own!

Do you wish there was a Nature Journal Club in your area? Why not start one? Journal clubs are a fun, family-friendly way to develop a closer connection with nature, build community and a support system around sketching outdoors, introduce people to natural areas, inspire sharing of ideas and resources, and promote stewardship.

All you have to do is create a Facebook group or webpage to organize meetings, share the URL with us and we’ll post it here. If you build it, they will come. You do not need to be an expert at identifying plants and animals or a professional artist to start a group. You can draw upon the resources of group members, learning birds from the birders, flowers from the botanists, and sketching techniques from the artists.

Here’s an article in Bay Nature about the early days of John Muir Laws’ Nature Journal Club.

Here are some lessons shared by John Muir Laws about his experience leading the Bay Area Nature Journal Club:

• Try to keep events on a regular schedule. If people can count on a field trip every second Saturday of the month, they will put it on their calendar and show up. It makes a huge difference if people can reconnect on a regular basis and build on developing skills.

• Create a webpage to post and coordinate group events and communication. Once you do, share the URL with the Wild Wonder Foundation and we will add you to the interactive map. Facebook and meetup groups are excellent ways to announce group events and to connect people in the group to each other. They also are a great way for people to share photos, sketches, and discuss ideas outside of group meetings. Group members can also organize additional field trips or carpools.

• Decide how often will you meet. Once a month is good. Twice a month may be better if your schedule allows. If you try it weekly, let me know how it goes. Keep it manageable for you and your schedule. If you try to do too much it will not be fun for you.

• Mix it up. A little nature study, a little sketching, a little hiking, a little technique demonstration, a little poetry, a big potluck, a little more sketching….add variety to your day.

• Intergenerational programs are best. Parents are looking for things to do with their families. Encourage parents to bring children who express genuine interest in nature drawing and to monitor their behavior. When kids see adults journaling too, it gives the activity credibility. When adults see kids journaling, they think, “if she can do it, so can I” and give themselves permission to try. There is something really lovely about seeing elders and youth exploring nature together.

• Cost. People take a free program for granted. A small fee will help participants value what you offer. Alternatively, you can offer a way for people to donate to support the club. Do not be shy about passing the basket, but do not pressure people to contribute.

• Ask for help. You do not need to do this alone. The more you involve group members in organizing group activities and share ownership of the group, the more people will be invested and regularly take part. What can you delegate? Look for nature centers, zoos, museums, and other venues with which to partner and organize the group. Many sites will be delighted to support this kind of programming.

• Potlucks. People connect through sharing food. If participants bring their own sack lunches, they will eat separately. If you tell them to bring a portable potluck item to share and their own plate and spoon and throw out a ground cloth at lunch time, a feast will magically appear. You do not need to tell people what to bring, it will work out (perhaps with too much hummus, but that is OK!). People will gather around the food, meet each other, laugh, and connect.

• Technique workshops. Mini “how-to” workshops in the field a great addition to the flow of a day. They can give people a way to start. If the group gets too big, you can also try more extensive journaling classes that are separate from the field trips in a venue that would allow everyone to see. This has the added benefit of reserving more time in the field for people to observe and sketch instead of learning how to do it while they are outside. You can use any of my videos to get ideas for your own workshops and classes. Everything I teach is open source art instruction. Make it your own and have fun.

• Sharing. This is a big one. Give participants time to see the work of other journal keepers. Before lunch and before wrapping up for the day, lay the journals out on a flat rock or table and explore how other people have documented the same experience. Encourage participants to point out and try techniques that interest them. You will not stunt your own creativity by copying other people’s journal ideas, using their ideas gives you a jumping off place for new discoveries. Do not look at this sharing as an art contest, it is a place to share observations and journaling ideas. Encourage people to take away ideas and techniques, not just to look at pretty pictures.

The big thing is: you can do this. All it takes is an organizer with gumption to get things off the ground. The experience and the community that grows from the club will be your reward. We’re here to help!

Nature journal clubs are fun and create community!