Data. Drawing. Discovery.

Nature journaling is as old as human culture. From the beginning of recorded history, there are records of drawing from nature, writing notes about nature, collecting data about the natural world. In a time of growing disconnection from the natural world, the activity of journaling nature brings science alive for students in the classroom, lab, and field. Read more below about the benefits of nature journaling, and contact me at sciencecandance@gmail.com to set up a remote nature journaling workshop for your students.

Excerpt from Cabo Blanco journal, studying coastal geology on Costa Rica’s Pacific shoreline.

Not Just for Kids:
Serious Tools for Science Success

There is a growing body of evidence that nature journaling is beneficial for biology students — not just for kids, but for biology students at the secondary and post-secondary levels:

Student drawing in the field in nature journaling workshop, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL.
Above table from Bollich, Jennifer: “Nature Journaling in the High School Classroom,” in The American Biology Teacher, 2023, 85(4): 187-191.
Two excerpts from my Seeds journal. Combination lab notebook and nature journal, this handmade book documented seed anatomy, seed germination, and sprouting.

OK, so maybe you recognize the value of nature journaling for your students. But what if you don’t have any drawing experience of your own? You trained as a scientist — how can you help your students succeed at their nature journal activities?

I have the tools you need to bring these effective nature journaling tools into your biology, ecology, or environmental science curriculum.

  • Remote workshops to get your students off to a great start. Workshops can be scheduled as:
    • a single one-hour workshop at the beginning of the semester
    • a two-three hour block during a lab section
    • multiple workshops throughout the semester
    • or whatever schedule works for you and your students
  • Materials lists — what you need and what you don’t need
  • Hundreds of activities, prompts, and other ideas to engage your students
  • Grading rubrics that evaluate science learning, attention to detail, and depth of observations
“Green Day” color mixing exercise, Scientific Illustration Workshop, Highlands Biological Station, 2011

Workshops are tailored for

  • College-level Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB)
  • Organismic & Evolutionary Biology (OEB)
  • Integrative Biology (IB)
  • College level Environmental Science
  • College level Environmental Studies
  • High School Biology
  • High School Environmental Science

Activities, learning goals, and outcomes are aligned with

  • Ecology Education 4DEE
  • Vision & Change for Undergraduate Biology
  • Next Generation Science Standards for High School Life Science

Let’s talk about about art for science engagement.
Contact me at sciencecandance@gmail.com.

Nancy Lowe
Undergraduate students sketching bird behavior in a nature journal workshop I taught as part of an Animal Behavior Class, Shoals Marine Lab, Appledore Island, ME. Students explored gesture drawing as a useful tool for capturing animal movement. (Photo thanks to Joe Klementovich)