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glinNC
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| Posted: May 17 2007 at 6:11pm | IP Logged
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Hi!
I've seen SO many types of nature journals and have even tried a variety in the past with my older two children. Some have been big and awkward; others, too small to include more than just a drawing.
I would like to hear (and maybe see via web photos?) some of your formats, if possible. Have you found that having a 3-ring-binder allows more room for the children because you can add pages, or would a bound book be best?
I am planning on getting my youngest going with this and am trying to determine what is best ... need some inspiration! (They are almost 5 and 7 yrs. old.)
Thanks in advance!
Blessings,
Ginny
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gracie4309
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| Posted: May 17 2007 at 8:47pm | IP Logged
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We've just started our nature notebooks this year, but the kids seem to like drawing pictures of flowers and other "nature" that they find. Then we try to find the proper name and they label the drawing (the littles copy what I write). After the page is finished, they put them in sheet protectors in the binder. It's pretty simple the way we've done it so far. I let them pick out scrapbook paper with an animal theme to make the cover. We started it by drawing seeds that they planted, then drawing the plants at different stages(the ones that actually sprouted  )
Since the flowers in our nearby park have come up, we've been labeling parts of flowers. We've also at times added coloring pages, which is great if your kids don't like to draw. I haven't had the nerve to have them find bugs to put in their notebooks yet, but I'm sure they'll think of it eventually!
Have fun! 
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Grace (wife to Jim, mom of Nick-16, Mary-13, Sam-8, Paul-5, and Patrick-5)
How Sweet The Sound
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glinNC
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| Posted: May 17 2007 at 8:53pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for sharing, Grace! Are you finding that a binder and page protectors work better for your younger ones than a bound "journal?"
Do you use several pages at one "outing?" There's so much to capture when outside ... guess I should just let *them* take hold of the activity and see where it goes! (I can then determine how many pages they'd need per outing.)
They love to use a clipboard ... if they go out with some paper on their clipboard and draw whatever they want, then we can store them at home in a binder with a page protector. That might be easier than toting a binder around. 
Thinking out loud here ...
Blessings,
Ginny
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missionfamily
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| Posted: May 17 2007 at 9:01pm | IP Logged
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We have beautiful leather-bound nature journals that I ordered on clearance from Dick Blick art supply (sorry don't have time to link this), but we carry clip boards that open and can store things inside and I give the kids extra paper there in case the journal doesn't allow room for something or the pages are in the way at a moment...it saves nature study from being ruined by a metdown!
Colleen
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 17 2007 at 11:56pm | IP Logged
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I use a small, bound book, ds(11) uses a large wire-bound journal, and for dd(5) she uses several different things which I collect into a binder for her. You can see samples at my blog under the tab "Our Nature Journals."
I like the idea of a clip board for my dd. She would like that.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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gracie4309
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 11:57am | IP Logged
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My kids do seem to like putting pages in the 3-ring binder, and they thought it was cool that they could make the cover. I envision adding ziplock pouches where they can put items from nature walks, pressed flowers, etc.(Whether we actually do it is another question!  ) Also, if we do rubbings, it might not work with a bound book. I also bought each child a clipboard and tied a pencil on to take on nature outings.
I loved seeing your kids' nature journals, Theresa. Yours put ours to shame!
Thanks for the inspiration!
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Grace (wife to Jim, mom of Nick-16, Mary-13, Sam-8, Paul-5, and Patrick-5)
How Sweet The Sound
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AndreaG
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| Posted: May 22 2007 at 5:28pm | IP Logged
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We use the clipboard and looseleaf paper here also. This saves frustration for my little ones when a drawing doesn't come out the way they hoped. Also I think a blank book of pages to be filled can be intimidating, this way they add as they go. I have one child that would just scribble on each page just to finish the book! And I can usually remember to bring paper, not sure I would do as well with 3 + books. Perhaps as they get older we will try the bound book approach.
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Andrea
GrayFamilyCircus
Read Through the Catechism in a Year- For Moms!
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saintanneshs
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| Posted: May 24 2007 at 1:27pm | IP Logged
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Our nature journals are thick, spiral-bound art notebooks already filled with plenty of unlined heavy-weight paper. The larger-than-normal-size notebooks came with a plastic front and back cover (which I love) and I paid a little more than I would have liked when I bought them from Office Depot, but they're lovely and durable and will last several years with my boys, so I thought they were totally worth it. I hope I can find some more this year for my soon-to-be kindergartener!
We go for nature walks once a week and only take our digital camera with us and some baggies or nets and a bug box. The notebooks stay at home. We gather anything we're interested in, the children take photos of anything we can't take home, and we spend our whole time on the nature walk just exploring. I know this is a bit unorthodox (not taking the time to notebook while we're out in the field) but there's just so much I can manage on my own with so many littles...this is what works for us.
When we come home we print out the photos and use scrapbooking photo tape to attach the photos to our journals. Each entry is usually a two page spread with photos on the left side of the spiral binding and narrations, diagrams, etc. glued in on the right. We keep anything collection-wise on our science shelf until the kids are ready to replace older items with newer ones, and the kids also have photos of their "treasures" within the nature journals to make it easier to part with past nature walk finds.
Hope this helps!
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Kristine
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 24 2007 at 1:44pm | IP Logged
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saintanneshs wrote:
We go for nature walks once a week and only take our digital camera with us and some baggies or nets and a bug box. The notebooks stay at home. We gather anything we're interested in, the children take photos of anything we can't take home, and we spend our whole time on the nature walk just exploring. I know this is a bit unorthodox (not taking the time to notebook while we're out in the field) but there's just so much I can manage on my own with so many littles...this is what works for us. |
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We do this a lot, too. Sometimes we just want to explore and enjoy and not worry about dragging along the journals. Other times we take them and do more sitting and observing. I think both ways are very useful.
saintanneshs wrote:
When we come home we print out the photos and use scrapbooking photo tape to attach the photos to our journals. Each entry is usually a two page spread with photos on the left side of the spiral binding and narrations, diagrams, etc. glued in on the right.
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Many of our journal pages are the same thing. Photos of things we've seen taped in with captions written beside or under.
I also love the nice bound journals. DS and I both have these (though different types) and love them. The fact that they are such nice books makes them more of a treasure, and we tend to put more effort into making them look nice. I actually regret that for my dd I am currently using a 3-ring binder for her nature journal. Although it is convenient to stick in her odd assortment of drawings, coloring pages, etc, it just doesn't have that quality about it that makes the other journals special.It feels disposable, some how.
Next year she will definitely be getting her own bound book.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Anne
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| Posted: May 25 2007 at 10:16am | IP Logged
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In the past when the kids were very little, we took thick cardboard from a box and cut it to fit our construction paper. We used scissors to poke 3 holes in the paper and cardboard. Finally we found a stick and bound the pages together using string around the stick. No cover needed. the pages folded around nicely. It was very rustic looking but the children really enjoyed creating their own book. Very inexpensive!!! My favorite thing!!! 
Anne in TN
Mom to dd 10y, twin dds 8y, ds 7y
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: NATURE JOURNALS
