Narration

Materials:

Nature journal, drawing utensils of choice, a nature outing with a view, and a blindfold.

Activity:

Go to a nature study location with a great view (if that’s not possible any place will work). Blindfold mom (or teacher) and ask the kids to take turns describing in detail what they see to her. Then write those descriptions in their nature journals.

Younger:

Let the young kids take a turn blindfolded. Give them a poor description of what you see then a great description and ask which they liked better. Turn it into a game by turning them in different directions, describing what you are looking at, then taking their blindfold off and asking them to find what you were describing.

Older:

Have older kids use descriptive language in their entry. Encourage them to use the best word, even if you need to spell it for them, or their entry is just one really great sentence. Read a passage from great literature that describes nature in vivid detail.

Take it Further:

Do a mini-lesson on sight or descriptive language. Animal vision is fascinating! Check out the book “They all saw a cat” as a great introduction to this concept and talk about the different ways animals “see”.

Details are important to scientists and the more details the better the data. Additionally, descriptive language is what makes literature so delectable. Sitting in nature with beautiful literature is a real treat and helps drive home the power of the written word. There are countless books that fit the bill for this but if you are for nature-inspired descriptions I’d recommend reading the way John Muir describes Yellowstone National Park in his Wilderness Essays.

For more nature journaling card activities click here