All of these years of gardening and I have never stopped to take the time to start a garden/nature journal. Last week I had the privilege of attending a workshop sponsored by REAL School Gardens on nature journaling by the renowned author and naturalist Clare Walker Leslie and came away truly inspired. What a wonderful way to teach children to be aware of their surroundings.

We gardeners are by nature aware of the world around us. Weather dictates when we can plant, so we look to the sky and watch the sun, the clouds, the rain. We dig in our soil to plant, so we learn what kind of soils are in our area. We learn to know the trees that grow here to provide much needed shade. We plant to attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife and marvel when we seek them. We garden organically, so we do no harm to our environment.

I encourage you and your children to start a journal, writing and drawing about the world around you. And Claire was adamant that everyone can draw. I am going to find out!