Five for Five: Engaging the senses with Nature Journaling—Published in Piedmont Post

Anybody, at any age, can be a scientist or an expert observer! Scientists make keen observations to help them understand why things are, the way they are. This leads them to form, and test educated guesses, paving the way for discoveries. It all starts with observation!

Observation is a skill that we all can practice in our everyday lives, and believe it or not, it's easy and fun to do!

One way to enjoy practicing observations is through nature journaling. It's like keeping a journal, but instead of writing about your day, you use your senses to notice the amazing things around you.

All you need is paper and something to write or draw with!

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Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you. Can you hear cars honking or the wind blowing? Jot down or sketch what you heard.

Next, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and experience the scents around you, like trees or flowers. Then, write down your smell observations.

Taste is closely tied to our sense of smell. Take a moment to notice any lingering tastes in your mouth, like breakfast or toothpaste. It's worth journaling about.

For touch, feel free to stand up and move around, exploring objects gently with your hands. Note the differences and use your nature journal to document your observations through writing or drawing.

Finally, what can you see with your eyes? Humans depend greatly on our sense of sight, so this last section may bring you many things to journal about!

When you've finished, you will have a page of observations that paint a picture across all senses. When you try nature journaling again, you can look back, compare how each day looks different, and notice how each time you practice observations, you get better at it, bit by bit.

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