Written by Kristine Smith
The best summer of my childhood was spent living in a tent. I had just finished fifth grade, and my dad’s work took our family to the mountains near Challis, Idaho, for three months. For part of that time, we camped beside a stream. For the rest, we stayed by the river. I spent my days swimming, fishing, hiking, and playing outside with my brothers, cousins, and friends. The water was cold, but as a kid, that hardly mattered.
Being surrounded by trees still makes me so happy I cry. Add the sound of water flowing over rocks, and it’s simply wonderful. There is so much to notice when you open your eyes and your heart to it.
A nature journal gives each person a place to hold on to the details they want to remember, in their own words and pictures.
Everyone comes home with a different story
Ask a family what they remember about a day outside, and you may get a different answer from each person. One might talk about fishing. Another might recall a strange-looking bug, something their brother said, or how good lunch tasted after a long walk.
That’s why I like the idea of everyone having their own nature journal. You were there together, but each person experienced the day in their own way. Someday, it could be fun to look through the journals together and see what everyone chose to write or draw.
Start with where you are
A blank page can be hard to begin, so start with a few things you already know. Where did you go? Who came with you? What time of year was it, and what was the weather like?
Then think about getting there. Did the ride seem to take forever? Were you eager to get out and explore, or would you rather have stayed home? There’s room for an honest answer.
Draw a quick picture at the beginning of the adventure, or write a sentence about how you feel. Before you leave, try it again. You might have arrived feeling bored and ended the day tired, happy, and already talking about coming back. Or perhaps your feet hurt and you’re ready for dinner. That belongs in the journal, too.
Younger children can tell someone what they want written beside their drawing. Others might prefer to write privately or add a photograph later. Each person can decide how to tell their part of the story.
Bring a little of the day home
A photograph can help tell the part of a story that’s hard to draw. Leave space to add one later, along with a few words about what was happening. If someone said something funny just before the picture, write that down. Years later, you may be glad you kept the words as well as the photograph.
Small keepsakes can have a place, too. A fallen leaf or flower could be pressed and added once it’s dry, if collecting is welcome where you’re exploring. A special rock could go in a little box, with a note in the journal about where you found it.
When a find needs to stay where it is, a photograph or sketch can be a lovely way to remember it and leave it there for someone else to enjoy.
You can finish the page at home, with room to spread out your pencils and photographs. Add what you want to keep, and leave the rest of the space for another day.
A place to keep your own adventures
These are the thoughts that went into creating my printable Nature Adventure Journal. I wanted each person to have a place for the things they noticed, the moments that made them laugh, and the stories they would want to tell again.
If you’d like one for your family’s next outing, you can purchase the Nature Adventure Journal in my BrightSideWorks Etsy shop.
I still have so many stories from that summer. I would love to see what my brothers would have put in their journals and which moments they would have held on to.