The nature notebook (or journal) is where you record your observations of your special study topic, or anything else you see on your nature walk. The purpose of nature notebooking  is to force the mind to slow down and notice — notice the shape, color, and details. The child  draws a picture and/or writes a narration of the subject. At first, children may not know what to say. Begin by asking the child what they noticed, what they wonder, and what it reminds them of. 

 I.e. I noticed this flower was growing by the pond. I notice it has 5 petals. I notice it is pink. I wonder if it’s edible. I wonder if it can grow away from the pond. It reminds me of the hibiscus flower we saw in Puerto Rico. 

As my child’s narrating muscles get stronger they usually use a two-page spread in their journal for each entry. One page they draw a picture of the whole specimen, then details, like zooming in on small  parts (antennae, stamens, pistils, etc), or where they found it. On the opposite page they write a narration about it. They may talk about the season and time of day, the location we found it, the story of how they found it or caught it, and describe its behavior. My boys begin naturally adding “I notice,” “I wonder,” and “it reminds of me of” into their written narration. 

Charlotte Mason has made it clear (and I wholeheartedly agree) that nature notebooks are to be the child’s own creation. They should be the ones to choose what to record, how to record it, and how much information to include. To be honest, this is very hard for me. I’m still learning how to practice masterly inactivity (the term for giving children space and freedom). I simply require that they make a weekly entry and that they make their entries accurate. It’s important to note that accurate and beautiful are not the same. Your child may choose to spend a lot of time and effort on his nature notebook, and he may choose to make a basic drawing. Either is acceptable. It helps to remember that the nature notebook is the child’s first science notebook. The important thing is that he is observing, noticing, and making an accurate representation of the specimen. The purpose is not to produce an artistic masterpiece, but to develop the skill of observation. My best advice is to keep a nature notebook yourself and record in it when your kids do. You have control over yours, you can make it as artistic and detailed as you desire, and you are setting an example for your children to follow, if they choose. You show them what is possible and give them ideas to use in their own.

Over time I’ve come across a few issues with notebooks and discovered solutions. The first is that Charlotte Mason strongly suggested using brush drawing to record in a nature notebook. However, my kids prefer colored pencils or simple sketches. When I say they prefer colored pencils, what I actually mean is they loathe watercolor. They loathe it despite (and maybe because of) the many, many lessons on watercolor and brush drawing I’ve given them (it is my favorite art medium). So, taking Charlotte’s advice I allow the notebook to be their own creation and they choose what medium to record it in as long as it’s an accurate representation.