Try a Nature Journaling Activity

Mary Lyn Ray and Felicita Sala’s When You Find the Right Rock is a quiet celebration of attention and belonging—of the small, ordinary things that feel extraordinary when noticed with care. Through poetic language and luminous illustrations, Ray and Sala capture the simple act of finding a rock and transform it into something magical: a story about connection, grounding, and discovery. I think one of my favorite parts of this book when reading it to our little one was pausing on lines like,

“Still, there might be times when rocks don’t seem like much to look at. But then one will surprise you—like when you notice something special about you that surprises you. Just when you were maybe feeling sort of ordinary, there it is.”

For writers and journalers, this book is a meditation on presence. It reminds us that meaning often hides in small moments—holding a smooth rock, feeling its weight, noticing its color or warmth. When You Find the Right Rock invites us to pause, look closer, and find joy in what fits just right in our hands and hearts.

In this post, you can find…

• Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

• Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

• Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

• One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Nell Cross Beckerman’s Forests, illustrated by Kalen Chock, is a quietly powerful picture book that invites readers to slow down and look closely at the living systems all around them. Some of my favorite go-tos for mentor texts right now are nonfiction picture books that combine informational facts with storytelling in some kind of capacity. Told through a sequence of observational poems, the book explores forests across seasons, climates, and viewpoints—revealing them not as static backdrops, but as dynamic, breathing communities. Each spread highlights how forests are shaped by time, weather, animals, and human interaction, encouraging readers to consider how many stories exist within a single place.

Forests shifts perspective and place again and again. We move from underwater to an urban forest, from the woods to the jungle, from past to present. The result is a deep sense of interconnection: no organism exists alone, and no forest is ever just one thing. For writers, students, and journalers, Forests offers an invitation to observe, reflect, and write with curiosity about the systems we belong to.

In this post, you can find…

• Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

• Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

• Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

• One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Emmy Kastner’s So Tortoise Dug is a gentle, inspiring story about a tortoise who does what tortoises do best—dig! But as Tortoise digs, she discovers more than dirt and tunnels. She uncovers wonder, quiet courage, and the joy of moving at her own pace. Through Kastner’s warm language and playful illustrations, readers are invited to celebrate curiosity, self-trust, and the slow beauty of discovery. I also really love the nonfiction connections here as we encourage (as both teachers and parents) kids to be aware of the world around them. The book is based off of the real relationship of how two species coexist in the wild: the gopher tortoise and the Florida mouse. In the Author’s Note, Emmy goes on to explain that the book is a “pourquoi tale (“pourquoi” is the french word for “why”) This type of story is a fictional explanation of why something is the way that it is.” I love the idea of writers being able to explain real-world concepts through made up stories.

For writers and journalers alike, So Tortoise Dug reminds us that every creative journey takes time. It encourages us to keep going, keep digging, and find joy in uncovering what’s beneath the surface of our thoughts, stories, and dreams.

In this post, you can find…

• Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

• Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

• Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

• One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Joyce Sidman and Melissa Sweet’s Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) is a gentle and poetic exploration of connection, patience, and transformation. Told through a series of tender letters from an old oak tree to a newly fallen acorn, this picture book beautifully captures the rhythm of life cycles—growth, waiting, change, and renewal. Through Sidman’s lyrical language and Sweet’s rich mixed-media illustrations, readers are invited to consider how all things in nature are intertwined. On the blog, I have been a huge fan of the illustrations from Melissa Sweet. How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander and How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander are two of the first picture books I recommend to teachers to lead conversations about reading and writing in their classrooms at any level.

For writers and journalers alike, Dear Acorn is an invitation to reflect on relationships, resilience, and the quiet passage of time. It reminds us that even the smallest beginnings hold the promise of something enduring and strong. In Dear Acorn the lost art of letter writing can help writers tap into new ideas and people working in a journal to access different parts of the world around them.

In this post, you can find…

• Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

• Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

• Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

• One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Julie Morstad’s picture book A Face is a Poem offers readers a playful and poetic way of seeing something familiar—our own faces. Instead of describing features literally, Morstad leans on metaphor: freckles as sprinkles, flowery faces, faces that you find in the clouds. Each page invites readers to view the ordinary as extraordinary. I actually paused in the bookstore when I saw the cover of this book because the colors and imagery were so beautiful.

For writers, this text is a gift. It reminds us that description doesn’t have to be technical—it can be imaginative, metaphorical, and deeply personal. For journalers, it opens the door to self-reflection and self-expression through the lens of poetry. This post serves as a how-to guide for using this text in multiple ways: in the classroom, at home, or within your own notebook.

In this post, you can find…

• Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

• Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

• Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

• One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

When most people think of nature journaling, they imagine sketching a bird on a branch, noting the colors of a flower, or recording the changing weather. But nature journaling isn't only about what you see. One of the most important—and often overlooked—ways to connect with the natural world is by tuning in to its sounds.

Sounds have a way of pulling us outside. I often find that while I enjoy sound, I struggle to bring it to the forefront of my senses. What I mean by this is that when I’m walking outdoors, I don’t always notice the birdsong, the wind, or even the ambient noises like cars or people talking. I tend to tune them out. Yet I know some sounds can shift how I feel when I’m in nature.

So what happens when we allow sound to come to the forefront of our awareness?

This post is all about tuning into sound using a tool called a soundscape or sound map. I also tried out the Merlin app, which identifies bird calls and displays information about the birds on your screen. Birds seemed like a natural place to start when talking about sounds in relationship to journaling. Why? Because birds are everywhere. You don’t have to have a forest or green area in order to access their music. You can be in the busiest of cities, and you can still work with the sound of birds in your journal. Think of this post as a guide to help you start noticing sounds more intentionally—and using a simple outdoor walk as inspiration for what you might hear.

Maps and the act of getting directions are some of the most literal ways people connect from one place to another. There’s something deeply grounding about drawing a map—especially one that doesn’t follow traditional geography. In My Map Book, author-illustrator Sara Fanelli reimagines what mapping can be: not just a way to track location, but a playful and reflective tool for understanding ourselves, our experiences, and our world. Inspired by her work, this blog post offers 25 creative mapping activities perfect for outdoor journaling. These prompts are flexible for individuals, students, or groups, and each one encourages cross-curricular connections—blending literacy, science, art, and social-emotional learning. If you’re a teacher without easy access to green space, outdoor mapping is also a great way to introduce nature journaling to your students.