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 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
“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 should be put in the way of things worth observing
Charlotte Mason
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:
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.
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!
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
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 and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight and habit through life.”
Charlotte Mason
“We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”
Charlotte Mason
Home Education Vol 1. Ch2: Out-Of-Door Life For The Children p.61
“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
You can now follow Raising Little Shoots on Instagram. There is a button on the right-hand side bar; click through to follow me there. I look forward to seeing you 🙂
Happy exploring!
