A great thing to do when you are traveling is to have a nature journal to take note of the things that you see around you in the world and to remember your trip and your travels in a very personal ways, so here some tips on how to start a nature journal. Now, being in nature and allowing ourselves to absorb both its gentle beauty and fears power is a healing acts. We do not have to travel far to open ourselves to this gifts. So, what you decide to put on your journal is a personal choice. Nature journals run the gamet from field notes, to fully develop the poems, stories, or essays in which the landscape is a major character. Now, you maybe called to draw or paint in your journal as well as write in it, or fill its pages with photographs or press flowers. No matter how you decide to keep your journal, the following ideas can help you begin.

Focus on concrete censoring images. Nature writing is writing from the senses, writing from the body rather than the mind. Attend to and record sights, sounds, textures, smells, and taste. Make metaphors. The cycles and events of nature are mirrored in our daily lives and human interactions. What are the things you observe on your nature walk remind you off? You are willing to learn, ultimately, nature journal keepers learn not only about the world around them but their internal world as well. As you write, ask yourself what life lessons can you carry away from your observations. Whether you are tracking into the wilderness for days at the time or pack a peanut butter sandwich and hike to your neighborhood park. You want to select a journal that is both sturdy and compact. Hard covers come in handy since you may balance your journal on your knees, you draw and write and it.

Artist hard covers sketch books work well as to simple and inexpensive bound journals. The five by seven sizes fits neatly along with pencils and pens and do a zippered plastic freezers bag to protect it from the elements. Most importantly, you want to think about what kind of binding you choose. I recommend the looped binding. Observations of weather seasonal changes, animal behavior, animal tracks, birds at the feeder, the shapes of leaves or twigs, insects on the windowsill, flowers, grasses, mosses, bark, even soil. Be sure to include the date and time and if you do not know the name of an animal or plant, try looking it up in the field guide when you get back home.

Poetry and essays about the things you observe in nature are an important thing to include in your nature journal. And as you work on your nature journal overtime, you may notice that you are developing skills that you can use in all aspects of your life, such as, a greater awareness of what is around you, your own feelings and reactions, as well as, the ability to sit and observe.

So have a good time when you create your nature journal and good luck. Have a nice trip.