Nature Journaling

My Writing Lab elective course spent thirty minutes outside this past Tuesday on a gorgeous late summer day.  Our goal was Nature Journaling--to take time to notice, draw, and describe what was going on around us in the school courtyard.  We took out our chairs and paid attention to the warm breezes, the ants, the trees, and the clouds.

After our time outside, we went back to the classroom to write a reflection on the experience.  Students wrote about how nice it was to take a break from the normal volume of their days to relax, think, and write for awhile.  We decided that we will definitely be going outside again soon and that we're going to make the courtyard our "place"!

Some direct feedback from the kids' reflections include:

•  "It was more enjoyable than just sitting in a congested classroom with no place to call your own."
• "I love to sit outside and observe everything...I hope we will do this again!"
• "Nature gave me some actual inspiration to start writing."
• "It was nice to take a break from all the talking and the noise."
• "My mind expanded even more from the calm rustling sounds of the trees and the nice cool temperatures."