Mark Baldwin

Nature Journaling Tip #9: More Classroom Nature Center Ideas

Put bulbs for forcing such as narcissus, as well as plant seedlings of various kinds on display.

A thermometer that records maximums and minimums both indoors and outdoors, makes a good start for a classroom weather station.

Most importantly have a variety of places available where students can record what they are observing or inquiring about. Have two sheets of chart paper available at all times, one for recording observations, the other for recording questions. Get students used to asking good questions!

Your daily nature observation could include sections for recording:

  • temperature minimums and maximums, cloud cover, and precipitation
  • phase of the moon
  • bird sightings: time of day, species sighted and numbers of each species

Nature center time may consist either of a brief walking field trip (for example, to visit the class-adopted tree in the school yard) or a visit to the classroom nature center in small groups. Students may be assigned to make specific kinds of observations that are then shared with the class, or they may be allowed to make their own observations that are recorded in their nature journals.

Bamboo - Derrel Blain

Image by artist Derrel Blain. See more of Derrel's work. 

Next week's tip: Making Nature Journaling Interdisciplinary

Mark Baldwin is the Director of Education at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI), a proud partner in National Environmental Education Week. Each year RTPI offers online workshops for educators interested in bringing nature journaling into the classroom. For more information visit www.rtpi.org.

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Carol
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forcing bulbs.
Reply #1 on : Thu April 17, 2008, 11:37:25
Often times children don't even realize that many trees flower in the spring. Bring in a branch of a swamp maple tree or other hardwood that blossoms in the spring. This can open up a discussion that trees are actually angiosperms that have flowers and reproduce by seeds too.