Ever since Fio watched this Nature Cat video, where they teach how to make a Nature Journal, she had been longing to do this. It was Winter then and there was not so much material to work with. With Spring finally here, we adventured on a neighborhood walk looking for some nature elements we could use. We collected some leaves, petals, stems, clovers... And had lots of fun while making this together.
This is a great activity because:
It encourages physical activity while walking and collecting nature elements.
It incentivizes love and appreciation for the nature.
It awakens curiosity and interest in learning about nature.
It boosts creativity and artistic skills.
You´ll need:
Cardboard
Construction paper/printer paper
Scissors
Hole punch
Yarn
Glue, clear tape
Crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint
Nature items: leaves, petals, grasses, flowers, etc.
Step by step:
Cut several squares out of the construction or printer paper to make the pages of your journal. Try to cut the squares of about the same size. You should have enough space to draw and write on them. Cutting a letter size sheet in halves could make a good size.
Cut two squares out of the cardboard. These should be the same size as your pages, to make the cover of your journal. You might need the help of a grownup to cut the cardboard, since it can be hard.
Stack and line up your paper squares. You’ll need to make at least two holes on one border of your paper squares: one hole towards the top and one towards the bottom. If your paper squares are large, make another hole in the middle. You can use a pencil to mark where you’ll punch your squares, and then proceed to use your hole punch on it. If you have a lot of pages, you’ll have to punch them in batches. So, once you have punched one batch, put one of those pages on top of your next batch, line up all the pages and use your pencil to make a mark in the center of each hole on the top page of the next batch.
Following the last step, line up your pages and cardboard covers. Then, with you pencil, mark where the holes should be. Use your hole punch to make the holes on the cardboard.
Cut two or three pieces of yarn, between 8 – 10 inches long, and thread them through the holes of your journal pages and covers to tie them up.
Decorate the cover of your journal however you like. Write a title for your journal or your name.
Go out and collect some nature materials with the help and supervision of a grownup and start adding entries to your journal.
Some prompts you can use to fill in your journal:
Write down or draw how is the weather: warm, cold, sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy. Also, register the date and season, so you can remember and see how nature changes over the year.
Trace the outline of some leaves with different shapes.
Draw a thing that has drawn your attention: a bird, a flower, a caterpillar, a tree, a pond.
Use some of your nature materials to create something new to decorate one of your journal pages. For example, you can try to create a face, a tree or a house, using your collected materials.
Use your nature materials to create borders and frames for your journal pages.
Happy nature journaling. Enjoy this beautiful season!
Comments