Early years (age 0-4) - Nature journaling at this young age will likely take the form of simple mark making and observations made with a caregiver. Sit with your child and discuss what you see, hear and notice around you. Children are never too young to start this activity. Early language development is enhanced by talking with grown ups and nature awareness in these early years will foster a life-long love of the natural world.

When talking about flora and fauna you can be specific “Look there is a magpie-lark!” It is amazing how early young children can begin to identify different plant and animal species.

Introduce simple art materials and talk about the colours you notice in nature. Can you match the colour of a leaf with the colours in your palette? Your child might end up painting her own body or the grass or a stone and that is perfectly fine. The aim is to simply create space and time together outdoors that is enjoyable, engaging and fun.

Primary years (age 5-12) - Children in this age group can start to make more detailed nature observations and add pictures, words and numbers to their journal pages. Caregives and teachers can act as nature mentors. By modelling curiosity and wonder, you will guide and support children in the development of their own curiosity and help them follow the trail of questions towards amazing discoveries. Wonder aloud about things you see in nature…"Hey, I can see a caterpillar upside down on this piece of grass. I wonder why he's positioned like that." Children will start to do the same, and more questions will follow. You may have answers, or you may not. That's not important. The process itself will deepen their curiosity and connection.

There are different ways to begin a nature journal page. It can help to follow some simple prompts. Talking about the things children experience through their five senses and writing this down can be fun and informative. Sensory observations will also deepen a child’s connection and awareness of their own bodies and sensitivity to their surroundings. John Muir Laws encourages journalers to finish three simple statements: “I notice…; I wonder…; It reminds me of…” Another prompt (by artist Alex Boon), that can used when observing nature with children, is to ask the question “What else is here?” Sit quietly in nature and take a moment to connect, inwardly and outwardly. Ask the question “What else is here?” Record what you notice on your journal page. Ask this question again and again and see what you discover!

Teenage years (13-18) - Children in their teenage years can start to develop deep connections with nature through scientific investigation, mathematics and creative writing. Older children can also become mentors for younger ones, encouraging, supporting and developing nature awareness in others.

Counts, measurements and charts can all be a good ways to stretch the journaling practice further and incorporate maths and science into nature journaling. You could, for example, collect data on one species of plant across two different areas (for example in a forest reserve and a forest fragment). Is your data comparable? What are the possible mechanisms for the differences you observe? The possibilities for investigation are endless!

Poetry and descriptive prose can be used to develop language skills and articulate a child’s experiences in nature. Reflecting on personal thoughts and feelings will also help children develop emotional intelligence and allow them to grow into adults who care deeply about the world.

This video with Emilie Lygren will give you a little snapshot into what nature journaling is all about and how you might begin journaling with the children in your life. Emilie is the co-author of the book How to Teach Nature Journaling.

A website where you can find a wealth of original educational resources for nature journaling and nature study (as well as any other subject) is Teachers pay Teachers. The site offers more than 3 million free and paid resources, created by educators who understand what works in the classroom.