Let them once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight and habit through life
Charlotte Mason
Category: Charlotte Mason
Never Be Within Doors…
Never be within doors when you can rightly be without ~ Charlotte Mason
Vol 1: Home Education Part II Out of Door Life For The Children
Whatever The Natural Gifts Of The Child…
It is impossible to overstate the importance of this habit of attention. It is…”within the reach of everyone and should be made the primary object of all mental discipline”; for whatever the natural gifts of the child, it is only so far as the habit of attention is cultivated in him that he is able to make use of them.
Charlotte Mason, Home Education
We All Have Need…
“We all have need to be trained to see and to have our eyes opened before we can take in the joy that is meant for us in this beautiful life.”
Charlotte Mason ~ Volume 4: Ourselves
How Much Does He Care?
“The question is not, “how much does the youth know?” when he has finished his education, but “how much does he care?” and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”
Charlotte Mason
School Education: Developing a Curriculum
An Observant Child
An observant child should be put in the way of things worth observing
Charlotte Mason
A Themed Nature Journal
I have enjoyed dabbling with journals for many years, and way back when I was a newly-wed, I read a lovely book which suggested giving your journal a theme. The idea behind it was that exploring a theme would give your journal a strong focus to explore deeply.
I think this would be a lovely idea to explore a focused nature journal. Imagine how rewarding it would be to have a dedicated journal, whether it has been kept for a single month, or over several years.
I have been mulling over various ideas for themed nature journals, here are some I came up with. Please do let me know if you have any other ideas:
- Your special nature place: Whilst it is interesting to visit as many different wildlife spots as possible, having a regular place for your nature study, enables you to really get to know this place and you will quickly become an expert on your own little corner of the world. Creating your own field guide would be treasure and an invaluable study.
- A garden journal: Keep notes on the arrangement of your garden, what is planted and where, plus make space to record ideas and plans for future layouts. Record bloom times, fruiting times, harvest times, and general observations of your plants. Research the folklore associated with each plant, its traditional and medicinal uses. Explore non-synthetic pest control, keeping track of your success (or lack thereof!) in your journal. Keep notes on garden visitors; birds, insects, foxes, rabbits, and other mammals. Keep receipts and pertinent information of the provenance of your plants.
- Tree Journal: You could choose to study one tree or several. Firstly establish the species. Is it a native tree? What lives in, on, and around your tree? Record when your tree blooms and fruits. When do the leaves change colour? What colours does it turn? What chemicals are the cause of these colours? Why is the folklore of your tree? What are the traditional uses for your tree? How tall is it? Measure its trunk circumference, take bark and leaf rubbings.
- Weather Journal: Record the weather each day; measure and describe precipitation, temperature, wind direction and speed, cloud formations. Learn how to forecast the weather. Learn about weather folklore.
- A bird journal: Sock your feeder well and record the visitors. Make notes or sketches of any birds you are unable to identify, then you can research later. Include times and dates, notes on the weather and also the food that attracted each bird. Record the bird’s behaviour and specifics such as size, colour and pattern, descriptions of the bill and feet / legs, the call it makes. Note also the courting and mating behaviour, nesting activity, winter residents, summer migrants, nesting behaviour, and how many broods are produced.
- Rocks and minerals journal: Rocks are composed of minerals and are grouped into three categories:Igneous (volcanic) rocks Sedimentary (layered) rocks Metamorphic rocks (rocks that have changed over time.)
Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids, with definite chemical compositions.
What rocks and minerals are you able to find in your own locality? Create sketches in your journal, record textures and colours, make maps of the locations of what you find. Draw thumbnails of sketches viewed through a lens or microscope. Investigate the history of your nature spot; was it once a mining area? How does this now affect the locality? Research the uses of the rocks and minerals you find.
- Wild flower journal: This could be arranged by month of the year, or flower type, or by colour. Whatever appeals to your way of thinking. Record which are native flowers, which flowers that are classed as weeds (often the most lovely!) Research the folklore and Latin name (Officinalis denotes plants traditionally used in medicine and herbalism.) Make many sketches, take measurements, record colours and textures, include photographs and pressings.
- A Calendar of Firsts:
It is a capital plan for the children to keep a calendar–the first oak-leaf, the first tadpole, the first cowslip, the first catkin, the first ripe blackberries, where seen, and when. The next year they will know when and where to look out for their favourites, and will, every year, be in a condition to add new observations. Think of the zest and interest the object, which such a practice will give to daily walks and little excursions.
Charlotte Mason
I hope this is helpful & gives you some food for thought. Happy exploring!
On Being Perfect…
I get a lot of feedback from readers via emails, comments on the blog, and via the Facebook group about how inspired they are to keep nature journals, not only for their children, but also for themselves. This makes me so very happy!
I really do believe that keeping a nature journal enriches our lives in so many different ways. For me personally keeping a nature journal brings me so much closer to the natural world around me; I notice things in both a macro and micro sense. I am much more aware of the seasonal changes, of changes in the sky, both day and night. I see the tiny details of whatever I happen to be sketching, details that would have ordinarily passed me by. Details that I do not see when I photograph a subject, or look at it just for pleasure. Nature study brings me closer to my Creator, and for that, I am forever thankful.
I also, unfortunately, sometimes receive messages or comments from people who feel that they cannot keep a nature journal because they “cannot draw”, or their drawings are “not good enough”
This makes me feel so sad, and so frustrated! There seems to be a myth that people can either draw or they cannot. This is so wrong! Would we tell a child who was struggling to read, “well, some people are born readers, others aren’t” No! We would teach them the rules, insist they practice by reading many, many books. It is the same with drawing.
I am not saying that some people don’t have a natural talent, but they still have to work at it, spending many many hours, months, and years perfecting their work, learning new skills.
Nature study is so much more than creating beautiful images. It really is in the journey, not the end product (though of course, we all enjoy the satisfaction of producing a lovely end piece!) But as we learn to draw (and of course, the only way to learn to draw is to actually draw!) we can still be learning about our subject, even if our finished piece is not what we would like, or bears no resemblance to what we have been sketching!
As we sketch, we observe each and every little detail. This is in fact the key to sketching success; learning to see. Sketching what you actually see, not what you think you see.
I have also been told that my work is too ‘arty’ for a nature journal. There are not enough notes, or that my work isn’t precise enough. I think that we must create our journals for ourselves. Comparison really is the thief of joy. I do not have the skill to paint photo realistic work. Nor do I have the time! But I have come to a place of peace, knowing that the journal pages I create each bring me closer to a subject I want to learn about and a Creator whom I love.
Some pages I am pleased with, such as this page of trees:
Others not so much! But I learn a lot from these ‘mistakes’.
We must keep trying. We must be prepared to invest time and be prepared to fail.
Recent landscapes:
Let’s stop comparing our work, encourage one another in our endeavours, and keep learning.
“It is only what we have truly seen that we can truly reproduce; hence, observation is enormously trained by art-teaching.”
Charlotte Mason
A Calendar of Firsts Along?
It is a capital plan for the children to keep a calendar––the first oak-leaf, the first tadpole, the first cowslip, the first catkin, the first ripe blackberries, where seen, and when. The next year they will know when and where to look out for their favourites, and will, every year, be in a condition to add new observations. Think of the zest and interest, the object, which such a practice will give to daily walks and little excursions.
Charlotte Mason, Vol. 1 p. 54
This year, inspired by Miss Mason, I have been keeping a Calendar of Firsts; a place to record recurring seasonal events, such as the first snowdrops, the first apple on our tree in the garden, and when our apple tree loses it’s leaves.
Miss Mason had her students keep a list in the back of their Nature journals; this was their Calendar. I decided to add a little twist to mine, and illustrated my entries directly into a diary.
Many of you have contacted me about my Calendar of Firsts, and said that you would like to keep your own. I thought it would be fun to have a ‘Calendar of Firsts ~ along’. We can share what we are recording from the natural world, and encourage one another to be consistent.
If you are interested, you can read about the diary I have been using, and how I set it up. This is just what I did, of course you are free to use any diary that you wish.
I will start a thread in the Charlotte Mason Nature Journaling Group on Facebook, were we can discuss the ins and outs. Please do pop over to join the conversation! I would also like to feature other Calendar of Firsts right here on the blog. I think it would be lovely to see a wide range of Calendars. There is no need for illustrations, if you are keeping one in the traditional list form, that would be smashing, as would any illustrated versions. Would you be willing to share yours? If you are interested, please drop me a line at: lynnseddonhs at gmail dot com
We can also keep in touch on social media using the hashtags #calendaroffirsts #raisinglittleshoots #exploringnaturewithchildren
Roll on 2017!
Let Them Once Get In Touch With Nature
“Let them once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight and habit through life.”
Charlotte Mason