Nature Lesson Plans

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Fall Lesson Plans

Exploring Nature Through Journaling

Lesson Plan:  ​

Exploring Nature Through Journaling

Age Group:

Preschool

Objectives:

Children will:

• observe elements of nature using their senses.
• ​practice early writing, drawing, and fine motor skills.
• develop curiosity and appreciation for the natural world.

​CDA Competency Standard:

II.5.3a

• Candidate's interactions promote children's thinking and problem solving.

a) Facilitates children's thinking and creative problem-solving skills

II.6.2b

• Activities promote language development.

​b) Activities advance the development of language acquisition and writing skills

Materials:

• ​Blank notebooks, stapled paper booklets, or clipboards with paper
• Crayons, colored pencils, washable markers
• Glue sticks or tape
• ​Nature items for collection (leaves, small flowers, twigs, seeds—remind children not to pick living plants without permission)
• Magnifying glasses (optional)

Introduction:

1. Gather children in a circle.
2. Show a sample nature journal (teacher-made example).
3. Explain: “A nature journal is a special book where we draw and write about the things we see outside in nature.”
4. Ask children: “What kinds of things can we find outside?” (trees, flowers, bugs, clouds, etc.).

Procedure:

Outdoor Exploration

• Take children on a short nature walk or visit the playground.
• Encourage them to look closely, listen, touch (safely), and smell nature.
• Let them collect safe, non-living items (fallen leaves, petals, rocks).

​Journaling Time

• Children return with their items and use crayons to draw what they saw.
• Teacher scribes or helps children label their drawings with simple words (e.g., leaf, bug, tree).
• Older preschoolers can attempt to copy letters or write their own words.

Sharing

• Gather back in a circle.
• Invite a few children to show and tell their journal page.

Closing

• Reinforce idea: “Nature journals help us remember the beautiful things we see outside.”
• Sing a short nature song or read a quick nature-themed book (like The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle).

Extension Ideas:

• Make it a weekly activity (add pages to journals over time).
  
• Use journals to track seasons (fall leaves, winter snow, spring flowers, summer bugs).
  
• Add photos, nature rubbings, or pressed flowers.

Assessment:

• Record for each child what senses they used in their exploration.
• Observe the progression of fine motor skills.
• Was curiosity inspired in the child for the things of nature?

Note:  Please provide appropriate supervision to the children in your care when completing all activities. You will need to decide what types of activities are safe for the children in your care.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when providing art and sensory experiences for children.  Toddlers require special caution, only use non-toxic materials, and do not allow toddlers to put things in their mouths that are a choking hazard. ​

​Online Early Childhood Education
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Using Nature to Spark Scientific Inquiry

Nature is not a supplement to learning—it is the source code of scientific and mathematical understanding. In its rhythms, patterns, and cycles lie opportunities for learners to test theories, gather data, make predictions, and engage in real-time problem-solving. It invites not passive observation, but embodied discovery.
When children collect dew samples, build bug hotels, or map the shadow movement of trees throughout the day, they are not just interacting with content—they are generating it. These experiences position learners as field researchers and data storytellers, harnessing authentic contexts to internalize concepts like systems, cause and effect, temporal change, and spatial relationships.
 Scientific inquiry in the natural world emerges from children's own questions:

• “Why do mushrooms grow in circles?”
• “What makes some trees lose their leaves sooner?”
• “How long does it take for snow to melt in the sun versus the shade?”

These questions evolve into investigations using tools like thermometers, stopwatches, rulers, and field guides. Children form hypotheses, document observations in nature journals, and adjust their thinking based on patterns they see emerge—modeling real scientific practices with joy and purpose.