Most great scientists, artists, writers, and great thinkers kept notebooks. They observed, labeled, and recorded their observations. Studying nature and keeping a nature notebook are also wonderful family activities and a natural place to start.
The British educator, Charlotte Mason, taught the concept of nature studies and the keeping of nature notebooks or journals. Nature studies and nature notebooks are the perfect media for project-based and interest-led learning. The nature notebooks combine four traditional kinds of record keeping all in one place. This makes nature notebooks a wonderful place to begin learning, thinking, and record keeping.
Four Traditional Methods of Learning and Record-keeping Found in Nature Notebooks...
1. The Science Lab Book
Nature study is a great foundation for natural science. The nature notebook serves as an outdoor science lab book. Great scientists were great observers, pattern identifiers, and data collectors. Many started drawing and diagraming what they observed! Scientists also sought to identify, diagram, and label their observations. This can be done with observations under a microscope, observations through a telescope, observations with a magnifying glass, and observations made with the naked eye.
2. The Artist Sketchbook
The stuudy of nature and keeping of nature notebooks are a wonderful segue into Art! Great artists were great observers. Artists kept sketchbooks of their observations and learning. They often studied the natural world, experimented, and drew what they saw.
3. The Writer's Journal
Both nature studies and nature notebooks are a great segue into literature. Writers are great observers. They often keep detailed notes and descriptions of things they have observed in the natural world. They craft words, and descriptive poems, and include these in their writings, and moving passages about the natural world. Also, many people who keep a nature journal, weave quotes from great literature and poetry in their nature notebooks. So, Nature Notebooks can include inspiring literature, or they can inspire great literature.
4. The Commonplace Book
Finally, nature studies and nature notebooks are a great segue into great thinking. The great thinkers were observers. They often kept their observations and thoughts in a commonplace book. The book was filled with quotes, thoughts from observations of life, and observations from reading. Commonplace books are almost a personal encyclopedia of learning and thoughts or one's brain in a book.
The Nature Notebook Combines All Four
A nature notebook has renderings of the world observed by the nature journaler. Plants, insects, birds, nests, animals, rivers, lakes, cells under a microscope, dissections, nighttime constellations, clouds, rock formations, and natural things, in their natural habitat, are rendered through the perception of the nature journaler. Sometimes, things observed and rendered are re-observed in different seasons as they go through changes. Then the objects of observation are identified and labeled with their common and Latin name. Nature notebooks may include a scripture, poem, or quote from the literature that mentions that very thing. The Nature Journaler can even include a poem that they have written about their observations. Also, nature notebooks can also include thoughts and responses to observations and connections to other observations. Thus, a nature journal combines all four kinds of journals.
Below I have added blog posts I have written that might be helpful to you in starting a Nature Notebook and including science, art, and literature:
Nature Studies, Nature Notebooks: A Parent Child Journey
https://mentoringourown.com/nature-studies-nature-notebooks-a-parent-child-journey/
Nature Notebooks
https://mentoringourown.com/nature-notebooks/
How to Create your Own Nature Notebook
https://mentoringourown.com/how-to-create-your-own-nature-notebook/
Science the Natural Way: Studying God's First Classic
https://mentoringourown.com/science-the-natural-way-studying-gods-first-classic/
I invite your to experience where science, art, literature, and thinking meet in nature journaling. Start your own adventure of discovery and create a nature notebook. Lead out and keep your own nature journal. Don't worry if at first, you feel you can't draw, draw anyway. Drawings improve over time as you begin to observe more. If you are really concerned, look for drawing classes on Youtube. Check out drawing books from the library. You can also search the internet for Nature Notebook blogs. Just jump in and get started, even if you only trace leaves at first. Then branch out. Invite your children to join you.
Enjoy your Journey!
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