Nature journaling?  Why am I writing about nature journaling when my son cannot yet do the traditional form of journaling? Or maybe you are simply asking-- what is nature journaling?  It is simply the act of writing and sketching observations from the natural world around you.  It can be an action to stave off writer's block, or a way to practice your artistic talents on new subjects.  Recently it has become more popular as a way to encourage scientific observation and insight in children. 

Although my child cannot yet write in words what he sees, he can still observe the natural world around him and put these thoughts to paper. Typically on a hike we take along a small backpack that Noah can carry on his own, which has things like snacks, diapers/ underpants and more fun things like his binoculars (an old pair that are broken, but he doesn't care) and an old Babar pencil case and a small notebook.  After a walk or a visit to the nature center Noah will grab this and color his versions of what we have just seen and done.

A few of my favorite articles on nature journaling:

Simple Homemade's recent article.

The Sierra Club has a template for a nature journal, but it is not necessary to print something-- any notebook or paper that you have on hand is perfectly fine.  Their article that accompanies this pdf is worth a read, however, and compares the practice to the historical figure John Muir's practice of observing the natural world.

The Handbook of Nature Study has many wonderful resources for parents looking to introduce the natural world to their kids, and nature journaling is a big part of this.