A Sit Spot is a special place in nature that you can return to, again and again, for insight, connection, and solace. Learn how to find your own sit spot to visit over time. From this place, you can see the changes in the world and in your heart. Read More
Category: Nature Education
Teaching techniques that are useful for outdoor educators and parents exposing children to nature.
NJC, Episode 19: Getting Closer- Using Binoculars
Binoculars are amazing tools that allow you to see wildlife and other phenomena up close and personal. Learn these pro-tips and become a binocular master: maintaining and caring for your binoculars properly, adjusting the lenses for your eyes, spotting targets in an instant, and even mastering the best posture for drawing through binoculars. Read More
Quantification- Adding Numbers in your Nature Journal
Join John Muir Laws and the Nature Journal Educators Forum as we discuss the importance of adding numbers to our nature journal observations and ways to help find the numbers in what we see. Numbers are everywhere and a great asset to observation and thinking. By incorporating numbers into nature journaling exercises students begin to Read More
Nature Journal Mindset
Join John Muir Laws and the Nature Journal Educators Forum as we discuss the impact of mindset on students and our own journaling practice. What hore ideas can we reinforce to enables students to be successful nature journalers. Read More
Teaching Nature Journaling Online
Join the Nature Journal Educators Forum as we discuss online learning. What is working and what is not? In this workshop, we share challenges and ideas about how to best teach journaling in our online classrooms. Read More
Prompts and Heuristics
Join the Nature Journal Educator’s Forum for a discussion of our favorite prompts and heuristics to help students observe, ask, explore, and journal. Read More
NJC, Episode 17: Comparison
Make a comparison between two similar objects, such as two kinds of seed pods or cones from different species of pines. The differences between the two objects will highlight the important characteristics of each. Comparisons are a great way to supercharge your observation! Read More
Charlotte Mason and Nature Journaling
The Charlotte Mason homeschooling system is a profound and effective framework for teaching. It is widely adopted across the world. Many of Mason’s principles parallel current best practices in education. Keeping a nature journal is a part of Mason education. In this workshop, we were joined by Art Middlekauff, a leading thinker in Mason education Read More
Building a bigger, better, bird brain
Why is it hard to remember the plumage, songs, and details of the lives of birds? What if there were simple tricks you could use to help you observe more deeply and remember your experiences more vividly. Join John Muir Laws for an investigation into neuroscience and birding skills. How can you get more out Read More
Using Words in your Nature Journal
Learn strategies to help your students use words more dynamically on their nature journal pages. Edited paragraphs, drop caps, bullets, labels, popcorn words, fonts and styles, color, and more… The Nature Journal Educator’s Forum is a weekly online discussion between parents, home school educators, classroom teaches, program developers, outdoor educators, and informal educators where we Read More