I am so excited about all the guest posts I’ve had over the past couple weeks! I hope you have enjoyed them and got some new ideas. Today I am happy to share that I now have a regular guest post slot on the blog How 2 Art Journal! The 4th week of the month I will be sharing ideas and thoughts specifically on nature journaling on this new hands-on blog. (Can that be a thing? A hands-on blog? I think so if it’s purpose is to get the readers working with their hands, right?)
I am especially excited about this regular guest post spot because I truly believe that nature journals are a key element in strengthening connections with nature and place. They allow us to use our right brain to tap into the flow and express the feelings we have about the natural world around us while also giving us a place to record our observations for later investigation.
Fall brings bird of paradise flowers to my garden. This one decided to turn on its head!
If you have ever been to one of my workshops, you know that nature journaling is one of the main focuses. This is because it weaves perfectly into any scenario and is an approachable practical way to get humans connecting with nature no matter what their previous outdoor experience. From teachers using journals to weave outdoor time into classroom learning, to families journaling together as a way to bring nature into their quality family time, to individuals using nature as a form of healing, to gardeners journaling to learn the seasonal patterns of their garden, the practice of nature journaling creatively fits every time, place, and season of life. Documenting our feelings and observations of the nature around us in both pictures and words helps us to assimilate our experiences and internalize our relationship with nature. This is crucial for building deep and lasting connections in an ecological way, or a way in which we think of ourselves as part of the larger web of life here on Earth. 
The papaya fruits in my garden ripen up and get harvested around the end of November.
The nature journal practice gives us an excuse to slow down and be still in nature, to stare into the sky and trees without anyone giving us a hard time about doing “nothing.” The journal practice, over time, reveals so many of nature’s patterns and clarifies how various systems work together. In academic circles, this understanding is called ecological literacy, but you could also simply call it tuning in. 
Nature journal illustartions can be loose and fun like these fall leaves! No formal botanical illustrations here!
So this fall, as the world around you changes and begins going inward in preparation for winter, I invite you to do the same and begin a nature journal practice yourself and with the children in your life. Allow nature to enter your being and document that journey in a way that feels meaningful. You don’t have to be Monet to powerfully capture the feeling of nature! Follow the children’s lead and just let expression and connection flow into you and then out onto your paper. And remember to make time for journal sharing. Group sharing of experience helps deepen our connections and experiences even further. It weaves our webs a little tighter, bonding us with the rich biodiversity of which we are all part.
Share what in nature inspires your creativity most in the comments below.
(I love light shining through leaves, water, & flowers.)
Share pics from your new nature journals on Instagram #wingswormsandwonder
& I will post them to the new Pinterest board!
Seeds to Sprout:
Read my 1st How 2 Art Journal guest post here!
What is art journaling? Learn more here at How 2 Art Journal.
Check out this post I wrote on summer nature journaling with lots of links with journal ideas.
My Nature Journal Prompt Cards are an awesome tool for sparking observation and inspiration for nature journaling. Check them out and download a set for yourself!
I have a new Art and Nature journaling board on Pinterest! Check it out!
Formal drawing skills of any sort are in NO way needed to nature or art journal, but if you are interested in a book on drawing, check out Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain to get that left brain out of the way and creativity flowing!
And the echinacea makes its seeds..all in the fall!
I loved your presentation at the green conference in Palm beach!
Angela, Thank you so much! I am so glad you were there and found it useful! Please let me know if I can do anything else for you! 🙂 kelly