Little Nature Journals
Little Nature Journals
At this time I’m “mostly” in charge of the schooling for my two youngest siblings. Since they’re both rambunctious boys, it’s oftentimes a challenge. Mama tells me that it’s good practice for me. I have to agree; though, to be honest, I am not always thrilled!
Last Monday was our first school day after a long and much-needed Christmas vacation. One of things I wanted to start implementing in their daily school schedules (besides a game of Secret Square; folk dancing [the Syvspring]; and new nursery rhymes and children’s hymns) was nature journaling.
After their “necessary” school (reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic), I take them outside to search for “three new things” to add to their nature journal. We examine leaves, flowers, rocks, and pieces of wood. After we’ve selected and brought in our specimens, we look up the flowers in our signed copy of Roger Hammer’s Everglades Wildflowers. We often find their names as well as intriguing botanical and historical information.
Treasures from Monday:
The sepals of the hibiscus flower pictured below can be used to make a tart, cranberry-flavored tea rich in vitamin C and minerals. We have a whole hedge of them stretching behind our backyard; maybe we’ll try making tea sometime. The blooms are also very attractive to the iguanas. (Papa tells the boys that iguanas love hibiscus like little boys love ice cream.)
Littlest Brother found this rock covered in fern-like growth. Everyone was amazed at how many plants were able to find nourishment on a rock!
Here is Littlest Brother busily drawing the likeness of the rock...
...And Third Brother searching for a crayon of the perfect hue to illustrate his sprig of rouge berries.
Little hands trace out the shape of a rouge plant leaf. The Indians used the leaves to prepare a medicinal tea.
Oops! While copying the rouge berries we accidentally smeared its juice on our page. No matter! We’ll just label it...
“Indians squirt rouge berries on their faces so they can have red skin.” I can attest to its effectiveness: I got some of the juice on my arm and it was stained for two days!
Third Brother’s finished masterpiece with its painstakingly-written notation. He can’t write himself yet; he tells me what he wants to say, I write it on another paper, and he copies it down.
Littlest Brother’s finished page, which we proudly displayed on the refrigerator. He drew and colored the “oriental false hawksbeard” all by his very little self!
Treasures from Thursday: purple basil, bougainvillea, an empty snail shell, a piece of stump wood, a brilliantly colored leaf, another rock, and an interesting weed, complete with its roots.
Basil from a brother’s “basil plantation” (so called because of the number of plants). The basil is blooming now and the tall spikes of purple flowers are stunning! Though blooming reduces the potency of the leaves, we tried the leaves and decided they still taste good. We like them in our tomato sauces and our fresh salads. They also make good breath fresheners.
The bougainvillea generally bloom year-round here, and ours has just begun blooming again. What everyone finds interesting is that the brilliantly colored “flowers” are not flowers, but bracts. The true flowers (which haven’t actually bloomed yet) are inconspicuous and white. (The buds are those darker purple things you see inside the bracts.)
Third Brother marvels at the complexity of a simple snail’s shell.
Usually my brothers ask me to hold their hand and help them while they draw, so I was so surprised and pleased to find Third Brother had, all by himself, drawn a marvelous likeness of a plantain flower he had picked up.
We have several plantain trees in the backyard, and one has a great load of ripening plantains. Everyone is looking forward to Next Sister’s tostones!
Third Brother’s assessment: “The plantain looks the best because of the colors.”
Finding something to admire in an ignoble weed: “Look at those jagged leaves! They’re so cool!”
Nature journaling is a wonderful tool for people of all ages to cultivate their observational and artistic skills, as well as an appreciation of the natural world in their own “corner.” I would encourage you to keep your own journal, or help any little ones in your life to start their own.
And now I have to go, because my brothers are waiting for me to start another expedition into the backyard.
Photographs: Various. © Handmaidens of the Shepherd, January 2009.
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OLD TIMER said...
I love to nature journal! Although I admit I have not been doing it of late; it does help you to become more observant.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 08:09 PM
Friday, January 9, 2009