Glen

1.  I started journaling when I was taking my master's degree in Outdoor Education from Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN.  There was a class in the progam specifically on nature journaling.  Then elements of journaling were incorporated into several other classes.  One class was a week long canoe trip in the Boundary Waters National Park up in Minnesota.  One of the requirements on this trip was to have a daily journal. All through my life, I have always drawn from pictures or things in nature.  Since then I have started to put my drawings into a journal format.  As a high school science teacher, I'm using journals in my classes.  In the classroom setting the focus is on class content, not so much on outside observation due to the climate of the classroom.  The students journal every week.  The format is to divide a full page spread into five sections.  Each section is labeled as D1, for day 1, D2, D3, D4, and D5.  D1 is Monday and D5 ends up as Friday.  Then specific things are required in each day.  D1 is the title and statement for that week's topic of study. This information is given by an electronic newsletter from the science dept.  D2 is a picture, D3 is 4 bullets of information, D4 is another picture or chart, and D5 is the question and answer.  The question is again listed in the electronic newsletter (aka: Science Zone).  Throughout the week from demonstrations, class lecture, text book reading, and visual materials, the students are to get the information to complete each day of their journals.  The students are given guidelines about colors, outlining and use of space.  This is my first year doing it and so far it has promising results. In looking at this first section, I have found this class to be thought inspiring and look forward to completing it as I look for new ways to add to my nature journal and as a tool for the science classroom. 2.  In seeing another nature journal on the internet (Amazon.com) which I ordered a copy, I've started using the format that they used.  This was before I started this class.  Now from this first section, I see the value of dates, locations, and weather.  These different details, provide valued information for what is put down in each page of the journal.  I haven't done weather but now I plan to add it to my pages. At this time, I'm planning to experiment some with watercolors in my journaling process.  I've done watercolor paintings in the past but at this time I have been using colored pencils with black outlines, which is the format from the journal copy I purchased.    In my own journal I have also been using common names and scientific names. I'm seeing there are some common points to journaling but yet there are differences in styles which I can use to improve my own skills. 3.  My ideas have been mixed in with the above response.  1) journaling in the classroom and 2) copying the style of another journal that involved colored pencils, black outlines, and bit of information and facts.