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Journaling a Year in Nature
$18.95 – $25.95
A beautiful and sturdy nature journal with gentle prompts to give you ideas of what to look for in nature study throughout each of the four seasons. Inspiring quotes, helpful nature tips, and heavy paper with plenty of room for drawing, painting, and writing about your nature finds. A lovely weekly guide to hours in the out-of-doors! (Grades 1–12) See full description
Product Description
A nature-diary is a source of delight!
If you find yourself wanting to love nature study but not quite sure how to go about it, Journaling a Year in Nature is for you. This guided nature journal will take you by the hand and walk you through the seasons of the year, giving you gentle prompts and timely encouragement every week.
Inside Journaling a Year in Nature, you will find
- Simple seasonal prompts to give you ideas of what you might look for in nature around you. Thirteen prompts for each of the four seasons of the year (one per week). Complete the prompts in any order within each season.
- Inspiring quotes to spark a naturalist’s enthusiasm in your own heart.
- Helpful tips to encourage you to feel at home in nature.
- Lovely, heavy paper for drawing or painting and plenty of room to record your observations.
- A durable laminated cover that can stand up to weekly treks in the out-of-doors.
- A spiral binding so your notebook will conveniently lay flat as you record your nature finds.
Order one for each child and one for yourself. Make it a habit to complete this beautiful journal every year, and you may discover that nature is not the only thing that grows!
Additional Information
| Weight | 1.3 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11 × 9.25 × .75 in |
| Author | |
| Pages | 116 |
| Binding | E-book, Spiral |
| Grade | Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 1, Grade 12, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 |
| Lesson Plan | Enrichment Studies, Volume 1, Enrichment Studies, Volume 2, Individual Studies, Grade 1, Individual Studies, Grade 2, Individual Studies, Grade 3, Individual Studies, Grade 4, Individual Studies, Grade 5, Individual Studies, Grade 6 |
| Charter-Friendly |
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Angie –
Not a review, but a question if I may. If I buy the ebook version of this title, what kind of paper should I print it on? What type of “heavy paper” is the printed book printed on, and are all the pages printed on that paper, or just the ones for journaling on? Thanks for making this available! 🙂
Sonya Shafer –
Good question, Angie. One of the big advantages of this journal is the nice heavy paper it is printed on. Every page is printed on durable #67 vellum Bristol paper. (Those are the official specs from our printer and detail the weight, texture, and finish of the paper. It’s a bit of a foreign language!) In everyday terms, you might compare the paper to a reply card inside a magazine; not as thick as a business card, but similar to five sheets of regular paper in thickness.
I would recommend you print the whole book on the heavy paper. Only two sheets are not intended for journaling: the title page/How to Use sheet in the front and the field guide recommendations/copyright in the back.
Lara –
Looks great! Question: What are the dimensions of the book? Wondering if it will fit into the bags my kids take outside on their nature studies. Thank you!
Jordan Smith –
The book is about 9.25 inches wide by 11 inches tall.
Heather –
Does this journal provide ideas of nature study activities as well as the pages for recording observations?
Jordan Smith –
Yes, there are weekly nature study prompts that you can use in any order you like.
Ann-Marie –
This looks lovely! I have a question too. I am guessing that it is divided by season and has a section in each season for each thing observed (tree, sun, moon, insects, etc)?
Jordan Smith –
Yes, the journal is divided into four seasons, and prompts you or the child to observe the same things each season so you can see how they change.
tedjulie1 –
I’m wondering if this journal will hold up well getting tossed in a backpack. The description says it’s sturdy. But does that mean it’s a hardcover?
Sonya Shafer –
The cover is laminated cardstock. We’ve tried to tear it but haven’t been able to so far.
Kerry –
Hello! I’m interested in purchasing “Jack’s Insects” and the companion book “Jack’s Insects Narration & Nature Study Book” for my (first time homeschooling) 5th-grade son. I also had “Journaling a Year in Nature” on my shopping list as well. But as I’m reading through the descriptions of each I’m wondering if this would be redundant? Or would they complement each other? Thanks in advance for your guidance!
Sonya Shafer –
Good question, Kerry. As you probably noticed, the Jack’s Insects Narration & Nature Study Book has much more than just the nature study pages; it contains narration questions, a geographical component, and extra recommended reading and websites to learn more about each insect that Jack meets throughout the chapters. If we compare just the nature study components, Jack’s has pages in the back for drawing and recording bugs, insects, and spiders, as well as a master list to record those you have seen. Journaling a Year in Nature has pages for a wider variety of nature; e.g., plants, animals, weather, stars, etc.
A few ways to approach this come to mind:
You could focus only on bugs, insects, and spiders for your nature study all year, using the Jack’s Insects books. Then expand your focus next year with Journaling a Year in Nature.
You could get both and do nature study twice a week—one day focused on insects using the Jack’s notebook, the other day using the nature study prompt in Journaling.
You could get both and make Journaling your primary nature study prompter. On the weeks that it prompts you to look at insects, you could record your findings in the Jack’s notebook in more detail. Of course, as you see insects incidentally throughout the weeks, you could add those to your Jack’s notebook without waiting for the specified prompted week too.
I hope these ideas help some with your decision. Whichever option you choose, I hope you and your son enjoy Jack’s and enjoy nature!
Valerie –
Hi, I was wondering how useable this journal would be in a different climate? We live in a place where we enjoy hot season, rainy season, and cool season rather than the seasons experienced in North America. Would this journal still be useful? Thank you!
Jordan Smith –
Journaling a Year in Nature intentionally doesn’t require a certain climate for its prompts to work. No matter what your weather or climate is like, you will be observing what happens during different times of year in your area as you follow the prompts.
sophie –
Hi, I was just wondering how many pages are in this book?
Jordan Smith –
The book has 116 pages.
Sarah –
Hi, I’m interested in this journal, however, I have a hard time buying something when I can’t see inside and get some examples! Would you be able to pick out a few of these “prompts” and share them so I have a better idea of what to expect? Thanks!
Doug Smith –
There’s a free sample you can download to get a feel for the content.
Sarah –
My children have loved this book, very good quality and makes nature study happen more in our family!
Chasah Copenhaver –
I have a question:
Do you feel that this Nature Journal is appropriate for a special needs child? My son will be turning 7, and he’s on the Autism spectrum. He LOVES the outdoors and we take lots of walks outside, exploring and collecting pieces of nature. I’m just curious if I may need to wait until he’s just a little older before introducing him to this Nature Journal?
Sonya Shafer –
I’m so glad your son loves nature! My autistic daughter does too. You probably don’t need to get him a copy of this nature journal right now, especially if his reading isn’t well established yet. But you might want to get a copy for yourself, so you can gain ideas of nature friends and details that you could point out the next time you’re outdoors exploring with him. You could draw or write your observations in your copy to model what he will eventually be doing.
Charity –
For what ages/levels would you recommend this book? Thanks!
Tamara Bell –
Hi Charity,
We recommend Journaling a Year in Nature for students in grades 1-12.
Emily –
I love this journal and am buying it again this year. Last year I also bought one for myself I loved it so much. The paper is a perfect heavy thickness and the journal is very durable. It has prompts by season. It is a wonderful product.
Kristen Christy –
We live in the West and don’t have all the same mushrooms, bushes, creeks, etc. you’d find in the East or Midwest, and on the other hand, we have different things we’d like to explore – like animal tracks, cactus, arroyos and other landforms. Does this journal include plenty of blank pages throughout for original entries (aside from the pages for pictures, watercolors, etc. that follow the main entries)? Thank you.
Tamara Bell –
Hi Kristen! Journaling a Year in Nature is able to be used just about anywhere. We do not include information or entries for specific plants, animals, trees, etc. Instead, the entries are broad. We also include pages that direct families to go out at a “Different Time of Day” (followed by 2 pages for drawing/adding to the journal), “Different Location”, “Moon & Stars”, etc.
Angela –
Hi , can you tell me if printing these on card stock would be as thick as what is used in the printed book and are the pages in the printed book textured in any way. Thanks so much. Lovely book.
Jordan Smith –
Hi Angela! Journaling a Year in Nature is printed on 67# Vellum Bristol paper. That paper is not quite as heavy as a typical 80# card stock. The paper also has a texture on it for watercolor painting.
HeidiZ –
This is such a lovely journal and the paper is sturdy enough to even do watercolor if you wish. I bought one for each of my 2 kids and I’m thinking I need one now for myself as well! I love everything I have purchased (even the freebies!) from Sonya and the SCM site. Thank you for everything you do!!
Heidi –
We love this book so much I decided to get a 3rd one for myself so I can journal along with the children. I was especially excited to start watercolor entries into the journal as well. The pages are so nice and sturdy! Thank you for another well-planned high-quality product! I am so in love with SCM products that I am replacing AO scheduled reads with SCM
Rozelyn –
I purchased the e-book and I printed on 28 lb paper and it was great for water colour, pastels and colored pencils. I would have bought the hard copy but the cost of shipping to Canada doesn’t make it practical.
Tara –
This looks awesome! Question – are there blank pages not associated with a specific prompt that can be used if we want to nature journal something unrelated?
valerierohde –
The pages shown in this sample on pages 3, 4, 6, and 8 give an idea of how the book gives prompts and the nature topics observed during that season. Another section that has a bit more prompting that is not shown in the sample is with the weather section that prompts studying and recording the weather conditions for a week and it gives specifics to record such as the temperature, precipitation, direction of the wind, whether it is sunny or cloudy, and to compare these findings with other seasons you have recorded the weather. With this prompt there are small sections for each day to write the recordings for that week.
The prompts throughout the journal are a few sentences long for each topic so you and your children can explore and use the heavier weight paper for drawing, watercolor, or sketching your observations. Some children need just a bit of prompting to get them thinking and going versus a completely blank notebook so our goal with this resource is to still provide plenty of open space for creativity and thoughtful observation while giving some guidance to get started.
Here is a bit more about how this journal gently guides and offers a nature expert’s inquisitive eye to help you also ask similar questions about the world around you:
https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/journaling-a-year-in-nature-a-new-nature-notebook-2/
lng –
This journal has exceeded my expectations. This is more than just a nature journal. The prompts throughout each season are simple, yet very thought provoking. The depth of the prompts encourage a deep sense of observation and thoroughness. This is a wonderful tool for learning how to study. I cannot wait to get the whole family started with their journals. There is plenty of space to draw and take notes. I purchased the ebook version with the idea that we will create our own covers by collecting and pressing items from nature and laminating them on cardstock. However, the spiral bind on the printed book does look appealing.
Annietins –
Thank you for taking time to review the e-book version! The spiral binding on the printed edition is for ease-of-use and practicality. It makes it very easy to lay the journal flat or to fold back the pages so that they are out of the way when adding notes to your journal.