The idea of nature journals has always appealed to me.  I purchased one in the form of a weekly calendar a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely. Despite homeschooling for 10 years, I have only recently purchased The Charlotte Mason Companion. Oh if only I had structured our grammar school years during science like she did, around nature walks and journaling.  My children have never been much for toys.  But they have always enjoyed being outdoors collecting various assortments of seeds and seed pods, opening them and scattering them to the wind.  They enjoy collecting my flowers, and enjoying their colors and scents.  They even have enjoyed moving my rocks from the dry creek bed I made under the dripping roofline to various corners of the yard!  They thrill to find a colorful bird and try to imitate its song.  However, the idea of sitting down with a sketch pad and pencil in the great out of doors has never been an enthusiastic prospect for my children. 

Finally the day came to nudge them in the right direction.  lol  We have been studying the Renaissance and they will be doing research reports on Leonardo da Vinci, who as a boy, made nature journals.  To their quiet dismay, I decided that their major art project for this history unit should be nature journaling.  And today was the day!  Gloomily, yet without complaining, they listened to me exult the virtues of the art!  I showed them beautiful examples from my old desk calendar, which also includes a bit of writing.  This appeals to me greatly.  They were not inspired.

(Edited Note:  I've been asked about this book.  This is my 2005 Weekly Planner I purchased from Hallmark.  I'm not sure anymore, but they used to carry "Nature's Sketches" by Marjolein Bastin, who is from Holland.  I have some of her art work in our downstairs bathroom. Here is her website: 

www.marjoleinbastin.nl/?act=1&lg=uk

Then I showed them children's and mothers' work in Charlotte Mason Companion, and at a few blogs, JillNovak and BChsMamaof3  where I recalled seeing some nature journaling. 

If I have missed anyone, please let me know and we'll run over to look at your nature journals!

After seeing some of the children's and mothers' pictures, my children were getting, dare I say it, interested and were a bit more impressed. 

In preparation, we finally got around to putting out bird seed that I bought about a month ago.  My son told me it was too late in the season.  He is probably right...but I have hope!  We ate lunch and there were no birds.  We brainstormed other possibilities. And they asked me to do a journal too.  I am extremely busy right now making Elizabethan costumes for our next history unit celebration.  However, I have always wanted to do this, and if this encourages them to pursue art and journaling...so be it! 

After lunch I told them to choose what they'd like to do.  14yod wanted to do the pointsettia dh gave to me a month ago. I decided to do that as well.  12yos decided to sit outside and sketch the plum bushes in front of the shed.  

Our cat was fascinated to find us in unusual places, dd and I at the kitchen table, the pointsettia on the floor and ds outside at the porch table.  She kept looking out the window in perplexity.  Hmmmmm, I should have had my camera handy! 

While sketching the pointsettia, dd noticed I did a few unique things.  Now I am no artist...and although I dream of being able to draw, I can't.  So I don't.  But now I have to.  So I gave it my best attempt.  She draws 2 dimensionally.  And I have to laugh.  We just got finished watching the Back to the Future Trilogy this past weekend and I love how doc keeps telling Marty, "You've got to think fourth dimensionally!" Anyway, dd is learning how to think three dimensionally!  lol 

She learned how to make a 3D pot, why I shaded (light and shadow,) and how to combine colors. (Disclaimer:  I know my technique needs lots of practice.  But from what I understand in the Charlotte Mason book, that comes from the doing, right?) We also talked about perspective and texture.  When she first started sketching the flower, it was right in front of her on the table, where the bracts were parallel with her eyes and she really couldn't see anything.  So I put it on the floor so we could see the tops of the bracts.  

Here is 14yod picture...

Here is my picture...

Meanwhile she commented that she either heard a bird or her brother.  I didn't hear a thing, but I do have a bit of hearing loss.  Finally ds quietly opened the door to tell us he had been watching a cardinal fly from one of our trees to the other.  DD and I just missed it.  In all, he saw 2 cardinals and 1 goldfinch.  

This was a peaceful time that seemed to be quite positive.  DS is finishing some final details on his scketch now.  I just asked him if he had a good time sketching today.  "Oh yes!" he exclaimed.  I smiled and said he didn't seem so excited when he started and he smiled and said, "Oh no."  Here is his page. I am flabbergasted!  He has always been quite the artist and it's a shame that it's difficult to see the soft colors.  But they are lovely and have an impressionistic touch.  But the words get me.  I have never seen him attempt poetry before. I didn't even ask him to do the poetry.  All the writng is his idea.  See the cardinal in the tree?  He darkened it for the photo.

Close up of the latticework in front of the shed..

Close up of the poetry...

I asked dd and she smiled and said she really enjoyed the nature journaling too!  I think some new nature journalists were created today!