As spring blossoms around us, young learners are naturally drawn to the wonders of the outdoors; budding flowers, buzzing insects, shifting skies. It’s a perfect season to tap into children’s curiosity, observation skills, and early scientific thinking. One of the most engaging and accessible ways to do this? Nature journaling!
Rooted in play-based learning and grounded in STEM exploration, spring nature journals invite children to become scientists, writers, and artists—right in their own backyards or outdoor classrooms. Journaling helps them capture what they see, hear, feel, and wonder, while strengthening early literacy and building foundational skills in science, math, and critical thinking.
What is a Nature Journal?
A nature journal is a child’s personal outdoor notebook—a place to record discoveries, observations, and reflections through drawings, symbols, or early writing. Whether it’s a single sheet, clipboard, or bound booklet, the key is encouraging open-ended exploration and documentation.
Nature journals allow children to:
- Observe like scientists
- Express ideas through emergent writing and drawing
- Ask questions and make connections
- Build vocabulary and descriptive language
- Collect data (how many petals, what colours, how tall?)
Why Use Nature Journals for STEM Learning?
Nature journals offer a meaningful entry point into STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through real-world observation, hands-on documentation, and child-led inquiry. They also support:
Scientific Thinking: Children practice noticing details, forming hypotheses, and recording information.
Math Concepts: Counting, measuring, comparing, sorting, and recognizing patterns in nature.
Critical Thinking: Journals become a space for wondering, reflecting, and problem-solving.
Early Literacy: Drawing and early mark-making are precursors to writing and reading.
When paired with nature-based play, journaling allows children to develop a deeper understanding of their world through a STEM lens, while still having fun!
How to Get Started with Spring Nature Journals
Create Simple Journals: Start with folded paper stapled into a booklet, clipboards with loose sheets, or pre-made printables with drawing prompts. Keep it child-friendly and adaptable.
Include STEM-Friendly Prompts
- “What plants or bugs did you find today?”
- “Can you draw and count the petals on a flower?”
- “How does the weather feel today? Draw or write what you notice.”
- “How many different animal tracks or textures did you see?”
Use Open-Ended Tools: Offer crayons, pencils, watercolours, and even natural tools like sticks for mark-making. Journals should reflect process over product—no “perfect” pages required!
Choose a Regular Spot: Have a “sit spot” where children return to journal each day or week. This builds routine and allows them to notice seasonal changes and patterns.
Encourage STEM Vocabulary: Introduce and use words like “observe,” “measure,” “compare,” and “record.” Children will begin to internalize the language of scientists and explorers.
STEM Journaling Ideas for Spring
Plant Growth Tracker: Pick a flower or tree and return to it regularly. Draw or measure changes over time—stem height, number of leaves, or colour shifts.
Weather Log: Each day, draw or write what the sky looks like. Is it cloudy, rainy, or sunny? Is it warm or cold? Add a simple thermometer reading if available.
Insect Investigation: Draw and label bugs you find—legs, wings, colours, or where you found them. How many bugs are in one area versus another?
Nature Collections: Tape or press small leaves, petals, or feathers into the journal (where appropriate) and describe them.
Sketch and Label: Draw natural objects and label their parts—leaf veins, flower petals, bird wings, etc. This supports early literacy and scientific observation.
Tips to Extend the Learning
Pair with Books: Read STEM-rich books like The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle or Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies to inspire journal entries.
Add Math Tools: Bring rulers, counters, or simple graphs to incorporate early math concepts into observations.
Create Group Journals: Collaborate on a classroom nature journal with shared entries, photos, and class drawings.
Celebrate Their Work: Host a “Nature Journal Gallery” where children can showcase their entries and share their discoveries.
Building a Foundation for Scientific Curiosity
Spring nature journaling is more than just a cute activity, it’s a powerful tool to nurture inquiry, build STEM foundations, and support early literacy. It empowers children to slow down, observe, reflect, and express their understanding of the world in developmentally appropriate ways.
By bringing clipboards into the forest, journals into the garden, and questions into everyday adventures, we support the next generation of critical thinkers, nature lovers, and storytellers.
So grab some paper, step outside, and watch your little learners grow into curious scientists; one mark, drawing, and observation at a time.
Make sure to tag us on social media if you try any of our ideas and follow us for more play based learning activites, process art and craft ideas on social media @ScholarsChoice on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
