Evelyn

Wonderful idea and I am going to suggest ît in my nature journaling group. Thank you for sharing.

As an offshoot of my local Pollinator Pathway group,  I have been organizing a small group of youngsters and leading them in Nature Journaling. I am trying to keep it quite open and varied,  to accommodate different ages,  interest and skills.  It meets ever other week, for sharing and questions. I currently have a middle school girl who gives little talks about insects and such, and I hope to draw other "guest speakers" in the future with different info to share.  I give a couple of suggested prompts each week for anyone looking for a bit of focus. I also have them leave with a Question of the Week. I follow up the meeting with an emailed summary of sorts.  They can write (even poems), draw,  paint,  collage from printed matter,  take photographs, whatever they are drawn to. I don't want it to feel like school,  but rather a adventure that we then discuss collectively. The idea is to go out in nature,  relax and see what you can find and would like to report about. That is why I am taking this course,  which has been quite helpful  and all this individual input .... I have noted down so many ideas and am quite excited about this project. Thank you!

Yes, good luck! It's a worthwhile goal,  even if unattainable!

Sitting in my back yard my husband and i enjoying watching the birds,  squirrels and chipmunks. And butterflies. Even the flying insects can be interesting. Some birds get braver than others and quietly seek us out for nuts! We do have feeders,  but I also try to garden and plant with them all in mind! I would so love to know what any one of these critters would want to discuss with me,  were, that possible. Besides letting me know they are hungary!

I lived close enough to walk to beaches (Long Island Sound), had unimproved lots to play in,  and grandparents to visit in rural upstate NY. Didn't realize how lucky I was to have these outdoor playgrounds every single day, but knew i wanted to be outside all the time, in it, as did most kids I knew.  I am sure this gave me a real comfort level for being out in nature - from water to high weeds, getting dirty,  seasonal berry picking and lots of bugs! And a respect for the awesome power of water and wind.