Nature journals are a tool to help kids slow down and connect to their environment. Here is how you can make your very own using paper bags and string. It’s an easy craft for kids that will inspire a greater love for the outdoors!
There are no rules when it comes to nature journals.
Nature journals are a tool to help us slow down and connect to our environment. They become a home for our observations and the bits of inspiration we gain from our time outdoors.
Journal outside or journal when you return home. Fill your journal with texture rubbings, bits of poetry, sketches, pressed flowers, observation notes, or quotes. Again, no rules here!
Here is how you and your child can make your very own nature journals out of paper bags and string.
Supplies:
- 4-5 paper lunch bags
- 2 feet of string or yarn
- Hole punch
- Scissors
- Markers, crayons, or stickers to decorate the outside of the journal
- Rubber band
Directions:
- Make a stack of your paper lunch bags.
- Keeping the bags as lined up as possible, fold your stack in half the “hamburger way.”
- Use your hole punch to punch two holes on the center-fold line that you created.
- Thread the yarn through the two holes to bind the paper bags together. Tie a knot in your string. Then use your scissors to trim any extra length of string.
- Use your markers, crayons, or stickers to decorate the outside cover of your journal.
- Stretch a rubber band over the end of your journal to keep the pages shut when the book is not in use.
Looking for another way to record your adventures in nature? Check out this blog post on creating a Travel Easel for kids.
Needing some drawing prompts for your nature journal time? Then you might love the Earth Day Every Day Art Tic-Tac-Toe Game. This fun and simple art game will give children a chance to share their favorite aspects of nature and advocate ways we can take care of our planet. The drawing prompts provided in the activity allow elementary students differentiated options for artistic expressions. You can meet everyone where they are at while fostering a connection to nature!
