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Metadata

ByKate Righter

A great way to start every nature journal page is with metadata, so you can look back on your journal pages and remember both where you were, and when you were there. This information can help you find patterns in nature, help you understand behaviors of animals, and learn the cycles of the plants and trees.

Writing down the metadata is also helpful to get you started, so you’re not just staring down a blank page! Once you write down the metadata, you might as well keep going with more drawing and writing and observations, right?

  1. Metadata (done together as a group, with the teacher providing information and students sharing ideas)
    1. I start by saying that we need to “keep it on the Down-Low.” This is a way to remember the two most important parts of metadata: the Date & Location, or the when and where.
    2. Tell students they can include this on the top, bottom, or side of their page, leaving the middle free for their nature journaling.
    3. For date (or the “when”) part, we include the date and time of day, and the moon phase if you know it or can see it.
    4. For location (the “where”), include the common name of the place and the indigenous name if you know it (very relevant here in Hawai’i). This post about the Ahupua’a system has links to help you find the traditional name for your area.
    5. I also use the location prompt to consider the weather where we are – how much cloud cover/sun, the temperature (can be as simple as how it feels), the wind direction/speed (can be a general approximation). Small cartoons to describe the weather are encouraged. Checking on the weather before starting your journal page is also practical — you don’t want to be surprised by a storm when you could’ve seen it coming! You can also learn and use the Hawaiian words for the weather.
    6. Many people also enjoy making a note of their internal weather — how they are feeling as they begin their nature journal practice. This can be a short note or small emoji face.

Inspiration and information from other journalers

Roseann Hanson has a detailed approach to metadata you can learn about here: https://www.exploringoverland.com/constantapprentice/2021/12/21/mnemonic-for-metadata-reminders 

John Muir Laws explains it in a video here:

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