Starting Nature Study with a Teen

Would she enjoy photography? Both of my older girls (now graduated) loved photography as teens. (They still do, actually.) Taking photos of nature might feel less “babyish” than drawing. If you both have cameras, you could make it an outing, taking photos in whatever setting you’re in then sharing your photos with each other afterwards. As my girls got older, I think it helped for them to feel like we were doing nature study together, rather than feeling like it was something I was assigning them. Though I used to draw with them, too, being photographers felt more mature and edgy (in a good way) somehow. One of my daughters used to have her favorite nature photos printed and make them into notecards, and eventually she even used these as a fundraiser at an arts and crafts show.