The supplies you need to make a bug collection are readily available: a butterfly net, a ball jar with lid, cotton balls, fingernail polish remover, and a place to store the preserved specimens. Our bug collection is stored in an antique jewelry display case with slatted drawers and velvet-lined bottoms. Over the years, the jewelry has given way to an ever-increasing supply of cherished bugs. You can use any kind of divided box or printer’s drawer—even a plastic tackle box will do. And if your kids run in the house with a new specimen, don’t scream, "Take that thing outside!" Instead seize the opportunity to study and draw that bug.
Two years ago, we experienced a shortage of monarch butterflies in the Midwest. A combination of a cold snap in Mexico and a very wet and cool summer season in the north caused fewer monarchs to migrate. Later that summer as we looked out over the motionless fields we realized how much we had taken their presence for granted. We were thankful for the specimens we had preserved the year before.
Drawing from Life
Nature journaling is a valuable way to teach your child to see the way an artist sees. An artist feels the line and form of an object as he puts it on paper. Once the outline is to his satisfaction, he then fills in the details. Encourage your child to take his time and enjoy the process of nature journaling and not worry about the end product.
Be sure to provide good quality art supplies. Our basic supply list contains clipboards, 110-pound white cardstock, plastic sleeves, three-ring binders, Mirado black warrior pencils (no. 2 available in packs from Wal-Mart), Staedtler plastic erasers (also available at Wal-Mart), Prang 12-count watercolors, and the Portfolio drawing pencil series (available at Office Max). Also purchase a few fine-quality paintbrushes of different sizes. Good paintbrushes will give your child control of the paint.
Writing from Life
One of the most enjoyable parts of journaling is recording the life story behind the experience. This aspect of nature journaling brings the heart into view as you include your child’s personal notes. How did your child find the bug, or did the bug find your child? Encourage him to write about his experience. If your child is little, he can narrate his story to you. If he’s older, let him journal about it himself. Maybe your child will want to compose a poem about a beloved insect friend. Don’t miss the opportunity to write from life!
Read Living "Insect" Books
Last of all, read living books about insects. Living "insect" books present dry scientific facts in such appealing ways that your child doesn’t even know he’s learning. One of my favorite living insect books is Agnes McClelland Daulton’s Wings and Stings. We have reprinted this 1902 nature narrative with the author’s original illustrations. You can find it on our website.
I hope you’re inspired to include nature journaling in your homeschool routine. It’s more than just making pretty pictures. It’s a learning lifestyle that will plant a love in your children’s hearts for the wonder of God’s creation—including bugs!
Jill Novak and her husband Robert have been blessed with five children. Together their family has produced The Pebbly Brook Farm Series; The Girlhood Home Companion, The Gift of Family Writing; and The Art of Nature Journaling: Spring and Summer (on DVD). Jill is an inspiring workshop teacher and conference speaker who loves teaching families how to write and draw from life. You can contact her at jillnovak@dls.net or visit her website at www.giftoffamilywriting.com or her blog at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/jillnovak.
Copyright 2006. Originally appeared in Spring 2006. Used with permission. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Right now, 19 free gifts when you subscribe. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
