Wild Words
Naturalists study nature, especially plants, animals and their habitats. They record what they see by writing about it, drawing or sketching it, or sometimes they write creatively--poems, prose and essays. Some naturalists of note include Edward Abbey, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, John Audubon, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman and Merriweather Lewis, of the the famous Midwestern explorers, Lewis and Clark. (Check out the Library for more authors.)
Several of these authors and artists were explorers or researchers, but many weren't. You don't have to be a scientist or researcher to be a naturalist. You just have to enjoy being outside, quietly watching birds, animals, insects and plants. That sounds pretty easy doesn't it! Besides a love of the outdoors, the land, or animals, the only other thing a naturalist needs is a journal to record his or her observations, poetry, ideas and to draw sketches. You can create your own journal, too!
For the journal, you'll need:
- construction or heavy-duty cardstock
- unlined writing or computer paper
- crayons, pens, markers (to take into the field)
- stapler and staples
- natural inspiration
1. Stack several sheets of the unlined white paper on top of one sheet of the construction paper or cardstock.
2. Fold the stack in half widthwise, so it's about the size of a small paperback book.
3. Staple along the fold.
4. Now you'll need a quiet natural place to sit back and gather inspiration. Your backyard, a park, or a trail might be good places.
5. Close your eyes and hear the wind in the trees. Feel sunlight on your face, and the cool ground under you. Open your eyes, but don't focus on any object in particular. Try to see the whole scene.
6. Write about what you see, what you feel, what you smell. Sketch trees, grasses and animals, too. If you have your identification books along, try to identify what you're seeing and drawing.
7. If you can, visit the same place through the year and see how it and its different inhabitants change.
If you're going to a wet place (pond, wetland, river or a grass field very early in the morning), take along a resealable plastic bag to put your journal in, so it doesn't get wet.
If you'd like, you can also press flowers (get permission first from the property owner, park attendent, or other adult), and put those into your journal, too. Fall leaves are also good to press. Fallen, dry leaves, though, aren't good for journals. They turn into dust. Try picking some colorful leaves that are still attached to a live tree and are flexible, not brittle. These will press well and be flat for your journal.
A variation: You can decorate a piece of construction paper with pressed flowers and leaves, crayons and markers. Then take it, another sheet of construction paper/ paperboard (the side of a large cereal box will do), and the unlined paper to a copy shop. There you can have the cover laminated, so it will last longer. Finally, have the pages bound to your lovely, created cover (like a notebook cover is bound to the lined pages inside).