How to Teach Nature Journaling (free PDF download)

By John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren; Foreword by Amy Tan

31 hands-on field activities to connect art, science, math, and critical thinking, while encouraging students and mentors alike to recognize and record the wonder and beauty in the natural world.

Expanding on the philosophy and methods of his last book, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, John teamed up with experienced curriculum developer and educator, Emilie Lygren, to develop this unparalleled and comprehensive guide to using nature journaling as a tool to engage young people with the outdoors. This teacher-friendly book combines curriculum plans, practical advice, and in-the-field experience so that educators of all stripes can bring journaling to their students or families. Full-color illustrations and sample journal pages from notable naturalists and novices show how to put each lesson into practice.

Best of all, it encourages the things we need most at this moment: routines and rituals, creative expression, observation and concentration, engagement with nature, and connection with each other (even if from a distance!).

Are green spaces near you closed or inaccessible? Nature journaling can happen anywhere, from a kitchen window to a neighborhood stroll. With the right tools and ways of observing, you can document the bird sitting on a telephone wire, the beans in your pantry, the flower blooming in your neighbor’s front yard, the weed pushing through the cracks in the sidewalk, or the vine creeping up the side of your apartment building.

Learn How to:

• give students step-by-step strategies for effective nature journaling
• manage student groups in the outdoors
• encourage participation from all learners
• modify instructions to meet your students’ needs
• teach drawing, math, writing, and scientific thinking
• connect journaling to educational standards
• incorporate journaling into longer lessons

Can be used with:

• 5E Instructional Model
• Charlotte Mason-Inspired Education
• Common Core State Standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
• Waldorf Education, Forest Schools, Outdoor Education, and more

A great way to get started is to watch this video workshop from a class I gave on how to teach Nature Journaling.

Free download! You can download the book today. If you like the book, consider also buying the full version and making a donation to directly support Heyday, Law’s amazing non-profit publisher.  You may download the book for use in your home, classroom, or at your institution. You may not reproduce any part of the book for sale. The version with double-page spreads is best for viewing on a screen or device. If you plan to print the book at home, download the single-page version but be aware that for close to the cost of printing you can get the bound full-color book. Home printing is a good option if shipping the book is too expensive.

The Nature Playbook is a strategy to connect young people with Nature in Canada. It is meant to guide and inspire actions that all Canadians can take to connect a new generation with Nature.

Pick up the Playbook. Plan your Plays. Make a difference.

https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/pc/R62-465-2016-eng.pdf

Free educational resources from the World’s leading experts on sustainable development.

We are all born with rights that help ensure we are treated fairly. We all have these human rights and the responsibilities that come with them. Indigenous people have the right as individuals and as communities to protection for their languages, cultures — the ways of life that have been attacked and are still under threat. In Mino-pimatisiwin: Living the Good Life, students will learn about these rights and responsibilities, as well as about Indigenous role models. This special publication for Truth and Reconciliation Week 2024 will encourage readers to walk the good path as allies, inspired by artistic and community efforts that are fostering respectful relations.

To guide teachers in their own learning and to help bring truth and reconciliation into their classrooms, this magazine will be accompanied by supplementary educational resources available in English and French. The magazine, intended for students in grades 5–12, is offered in print and digital formats in both English and French.

Order your digital copy here:

https://www.canadashistory.ca/education/classroom-resources/living-the-good-life

Teaching About Invasive Species is designed as a tool kit. You will find profiles of 12 different education programs associated with invasive species. Youth educators, whether they work inside or outside schools, will find innovative perspectives, program ideas, games and a total of 21 activities to engage young people from 6-19 years of age in this challenging topic. In the preparation of this book, we spent considerable time scouring North America for innovative programs and learning activities. The result is that we have contributors from Maine to California and Ontario to British Columbia, as well as contributions from 3 other countries.

Check out the book here:

Teaching about Invasive Species (Print)

Created in collaboration with Indigenous educators and partners, the Natural Curiosity Program addresses a critical link between environmental and Indigenous education, supporting all educators to authentically respond to the calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

This second edition of Natural Curiosity supports a stronger basic awareness of Indigenous perspectives and their importance to environmental education. The driving motivation for a second edition was the burning need, in the wake of strong and unequivocal recommendations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to situate Indigenous perspectives into the heart of Canadian educational settings and curricula, most notably in connection with environmental issues.

Project Learning Tree Canada has activity guides and books for Educators on the theme of trees and forest stewardship. They also have online courses and free worksheets (some resources available in English only).

Let’s Talk Science’s virtual resources include ready-to-use, curriculum-aligned STEM resources. STEM learning activities and 30-minute workshops.

Disponible en français!

Les ressources virtuelles de Let’s Talk Science comprennent des ressources STEM prêtes à l’emploi et conformes au programme scolaire, des activités d’apprentissage STEM et des ateliers de 30 minutes.

Browse the collection of credible, engaging, and unbiased climate resources. Search by themes such as oceans, human impact, and biodiversity. You can also search by language, region, resource type, and grade.

Subject to Climate is a United States-based organisation with both a national and a global focus.

Click here to search the database.

A common way invasive species spread is through gardening activities such as when gardeners unknowingly purchase or transplant invasive plants that then “escape” into natural areas, or when insects “hitchhike” on plants or in soil and compost.

Plant Wise is a national program that helps gardeners and the (ornamental) horticulture industry to understand which plants are invasive and harmful to our communities and to make ‘Plant Wise’ choices.

Gardens and yards are extensions of our local ecosystems and they represent incredible opportunities to help restore an area’s biodiversity. What we plant in them has an impact on the surrounding natural areas; in fact, many of today’s most damaging invasive plants were first brought to North America for ornamental purposes.

Grow Me Instead is a component of the Plant Wise program that focuses on increasing awareness about invasive horticultural plants and providing native alternatives.

The Healthy Design City site provides information, resources, and interactive map tools on five key areas of climate resilience and impact: Parks and Recreation, Heat Islands, Community Amenities, Policy and Practice, and Air and Noise Pollution. Also listed is an interactive tool to explore a number of parameters of equity and climate impact in Canadian cities.

These educational tools were developed by Dr. Laelia Benoit, child psychiatrist and researcher at Yale University, to help parents and teachers discuss climate change with children and adolescents. These resources offer concrete means for young people to learn and understand the issues surrounding the climate crisis, to accept crisis-related emotions and better regulate them, to act for the climate, to discover the power of collective action, and to overcome climate-related feelings to transform any anxieties into hopeful climate actions.

A guide for anyone who wants to connect and care for the forest.
Like the land, this guidebook follows the four seasons. Each chapter includes information about the flora and fauna with which you share the forest, the influence of natural disturbances and climate change, and actions you can take to have a positive impact on the landscape. Like an ecosystem, this guide is a collection of the big and small: it considers the landscape, watershed, and distinct stands in your forest as well as the soil, plants, and animals. Whether you own forestland or are simply passionate about spending time in nature, the Wabanaki Forest Care Guide will invite you to listen, observe, and connect in different ways with the land you call home.

The EcoSchools program is both a framework and a toolbox for taking action and engaging in environmental education. For students, the program provides opportunities for leadership, connection with classmates in different grade levels via peer-to-peer mentorship, and a way to learn about sustainability while having fun. For teachers, the EcoSchools program integrates seamlessly with curricula across Canada and offers unique opportunities for learning.

Each year, schools apply for certification by undertaking environmental actions, campaigns, and projects, and then recording them in the online EcoSchools Certification Application (ECA) to earn points. At the end of the year, school applications are assessed based on a standard established over 10 years of benchmarking and are awarded a final certification level.

The Drawdown Labs Job Function Action Guides are practical and shareable resources that highlight specific, high-impact climate actions employees in common corporate professions can take at work. Each guide includes why your role and skills are needed in addressing climate change, tangible actions you can take to make your job a climate job, and key considerations and resources to help you get started. Each guide is also accompanied by a simplified Climate Action Checklist—something you can print and keep at your desk to keep you motivated and organized as you implement climate action at work.

This international project includes seven case study research sites, or collaboratories, in Canada, England, Australia, and the United States. The purpose of this project is to advance our understanding of children’s relations with their environment in order to synthesize knowledge at local, national, and global levels regarding children’s creative responses to the impacts of climate change. At the time of posting, this blog contains case studies on water, food, microplastics, energy, watersheds, and mental health in young learners.

Resources for educators, caregivers, camp leaders, and after-school program leaders who want to deliver physical literacy instruction to children. Active for Life is a national initiative created to help parents give their children the right start in life through the development of physical literacy.

Countryside Classroom helps teachers to find resources, places to visit and school support relating to the themes of food, farming and the natural environment. Our site contains a range of quality assured educational content from hundreds of contributors.

We aim to inspire and enable teachers to use food, farming and the natural environment more often, in and out of the classroom, because we want all children to have the opportunity to learn about and experience these essential topics.

Countryside Classroom is a managed by a partnership of organisations that represent the very best in food, farming and environment education. We are committed to working together to increase the quality of our services and reduce duplication in the sector.

Children who spend time in nature are also healthier and more likely to care for nature as adults.

Teachers across Canada agree! They’ve downloaded more than 10,000 copies of our educational guides. From coast to coast to coast, educators are taking their students outside. And they’re reporting that it’s good for students and those who teach them!

All resources are available to download:

• The Nature as a Classroom guide answers common questions about how to make outdoor learning fun and accessible.
• The Connecting With Nature guides include comprehensive classroom and outdoor lesson plans for kindergarten through Grade 8. The Connecting With Nature guides were created and written by David Suzuki Foundation staff, Toronto District School Board educators and staff, and students from Nipissing University’s Schulich School of Education.