Nature Journaling

Nature Journaling:

• The power of nature journaling, lets brainstorm how to make this a more powerful tool
• Nature journaling is a way to use words, pictures, numbers to collect rand record nature observations
• Its a practice that helps you slow down and observe what’s actually happening and stay present in the moment
  • That can lead to sitting with flowers and fill my cup, and noticing maybe there are no plants around you because of redlining
  • It can look like graphs or a list of questions
    • I noticed there aren’t that many trees in my neighborhood, I wonder why that is
• Nature can be as scientific and observing all the details of flower or how it evolves over time, also how you can look at your community (the people, systems and relations around you)
• I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of: are great questions to start with
• If you are stuck, look around to see what captures your attention
• Why have I never see this plant before, why do I see it all the time
• The tools can be very personal or cheap as you need, You can use craft materials or just using pen and paper is fine
• You can use ruler to help with measurements
• You don’t have to go on trip to nature journal, you can look the plants in your house (the onion on your counter)
• There are some possible activities to do
• This journal has been translated into 7 languages and it looks great in grey scale
• Distributing this as widely as possible, this idea not necessarily this organization to encourage curiosity and engagement but also with limited resources and some guidance
• Folks are interested in spending more time in nature, making a point of doing makes folks feel better even if you don’t have an idea of what you are looking for when you go out
• Doom scrolling can not be supportive but going outside nature to ground yourself
• Yoga is spiritual technology is a way to expand time, when you ar sin the breath and in the moment, it will expand the time
  • Nature journaling is spiritual technology, its a way to access the long time
• Nature journaling has been coming up in multiple times so maybe I should lean into it
• I’m seeing a lot of things but I’m not paying attention, but stopping to draw them can help me pay more attention
  • Nature journaling can be a transformative tool so that I can be fully present and question things around me , rather than just going on a walk but not being present
• Information Analysis - epistemology (how do you know what you know) - nature journaling is away to teach people in an approachable way to create verifiable data, document what they are seeing
• Free educational resources - trying to connect this with educators in Louisiana
  • How do we give young people scientific, critical thinking skills to observe the things around me
• Wild Wonder foundation - it began as a nonprofit two years ago to professionalize promoting the nature observation work. webiste, community calendar and more folks
• This journaling approach could be an approach to mental health crisis with young folks
• There is a zine coming up for pairing nature journaling with mental health practices
• Being curious and in the moment gives you a break from thinking about other stressful things
• “Compassionate sustained attention is love”
• Having more ways to love is liberation
• Giving people opportunities to have awe that are easy to access
• The nature journal is a momento of the work you are doing, but this work is also within you
• There are so many metaphors in nature and you can observe things
• Its great to put yourself in journaling, (you don’t have to have a scientific objectivity to your journaling) I am part of nature, I am a part of nature
• You can leave a blank page so you can index your journal (you don’t have to)
• Some people have multiple books at once to have in different places where you observe
• Poem: Praying by Mary Oliver
• You can copy poems into your journal and it helps you remember