All the new birds we have been seeing in our yard lately gave us
the urge to record our observations. We grabbed some paper and
colored pencils, and drew all the birds that we have listed. It
was great fun and started an interest in developing a more
formal nature journal. Although I am a scientist, I also love
art and writing. Making a nature journal is a wonderful way to
combine all three. First I took a look at this book: Drawn to
Nature Through the Journals of Clare Walker Leslie by Clare
Walker Leslie (see details below). The book starts out with some
simple and lovely ways to record the weather each day. This
would be an easy and age-appropriate way for young children to
get started creating a nature journal. Note: Weather
observations would also tie in nicely with the upcoming book-
based movie, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” Then I found
this video about natural journals from my alma mater, SUNY
College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry. Hey, I remember
having dendrology labs in that cemeter