Field Journal Activity

Making and Keeping a Field Journal

by Christina Nelson

Here we will learn about creating and up keeping a nature journal. Durign the COVID-19 pandemic we are spending all of our time indoors. Go ahead and open those windows, put out a bird feeder, and take some time to look closely at the spring flowers as you walk your dog. Take time to stop, listen, and reflect on the natural world around you every day!

First we will start by learning

how to set up a field journal

and some exercise in nature

immersion and sketching.

Step 1: Make your Field Journal

Find a journal, or make your own!

What you will need:

- Printer paper or draft paper 8.5"x11"

- A piece of card stock or paper that is a different color from the others

- stapler or rubber band

First, get a stack of 5-10 pieces of printer paper and put the colored card stock paper on top. Fold this hamburger style with the colored paper on the outside. If you have a stapler, staple the stack on folded side so it holds the papers in place. If you do not have a stapler, put your rubberband along the inside folded piece and around the cover so it rests along the "spine" of the journal. This should hold the papers in place

Step 2: First Journal entry

Name

Date 0/00/0000

Start your journal by noting the weather, season, and where you are observing. Are you on a nature hike or sitting by the window looking outside? Are you on a long road trip, and if so, where are you going?

Next, use all of your senses. What do you hear? What do you smell? What does the ground feel like? What do you see?

Spend 5 minutes and sit still, and focus on one of these senses. After you finish, write down everything you felt, heard etc.

Now, time to find your sketching topic! What experience was most meaningful to you during this mindfulness exercise?

If you focused on the sky, try to draw the clouds.

If you heard an animal, like a bird, see if

you can find it and draw it. Don't worry

if it moved to fast to see details,

draw the general shape or even

use scribbles to show how it

was moving.

Field sketching is all about

writing and sketching, so if you