Welcome! We’re so excited to have more people across Hawaii interested in teaching nature journaling.

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Teaching Resources

How to start teaching nature journaling

You can begin with how to nature journal in five easy steps.

The Beginner Nature Journaling Template is great for field trips, as it walks participants through all the steps of nature journaling.

There are two printable zines (mini booklets) you can download for free:
Your Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling from Wild Wonder
Planting and Nature Journaling Guide from Hawaii Nature Journal Club (link goes to a post which also includes resources for learning what plants to choose and how to care for them)

Learn about the different ways you can approach nature journaling at different ages from the wonderful Bethan Burton.

Get inspired by images of nature journaling in action, both by adults and kids, compiled by Wild Wonder Foundation.

Websites

The Teaching Resources on the Hawaii Nature Journal “Learn” page were created to support you! The categories, tags, and search function can help you find specific resources. For example, if you’re looking for quality references to help with identifying and learning about our unique native species in Hawaii, check out the field guides tag on this site, which will link you on to other quality resources.

Wild Wonder Foundation is an international nature journaling non-profit. Scroll down at the link to discover lots of detailed lesson plans for activities you can do with all ages. There are even videos explaining the lessons! Another option is to join their online weekly zoom educator forums to talk about nature journaling education (recordings available on Jack’s website, search for “NJEF” to find the educator videos). Wild Wonder also runs a Nature Journal Educator Program, which is a great way to build confidence (and earn CEUs).

Wai Huihia Kumu Network provides online and in person workshops, videos, resources, and other support to aina educators. They are also developing an ʻĀina-Based Education Certification program, very exciting!

Hua ‘Ike is a hub for native plant education, with a diverse array of resources, from scientific papers to crafts and games to permitting information.

Core Skills for Teaching
Slideshows

How to Teach Nature Journaling/Kilo Journaling — creating in January 2026 for the Wai Huihia Kumu Network

Request a visit

Would you like a nature journal teacher to come to your school for a presentation or workshop? Are you interested in including nature journaling in your class curriculum? Email me (info@katerighter.com) or fill out the form below to schedule a visit. An honorarium is welcomed to help pay for travel and other expenses, but not required.

School Request Form

Supplies

Below are notes about pros and cons of using different types of supplies with a group. If you want more thoughts on this topic, check out the supplies post.

Extras:

Small and Practical items to carry

  • Bandaids are always good to have on hand
  • A whistle allows you to quickly call students back
  • An umbrella keeps the sun and rain off of you and makes you more visible
  • A stopwatch or timer can help keep track of time but also help you measure how often or for how long nature phenomenon happens
  • Make sure you carry your own teacher sketchbook or clipboard outdoors to be able to demonstrate an idea either one-on-one or in small groups. You can also write down notes or fun quotes that students say while journaling!
  • Having some sort of field guide or online resource for students to reference when they get back to the classroom

Sketchbook/Notebook/Journals

Photo credit: Anna F with Healthy Climate Communities

A low-cost, easy way to get started with nature journaling in a large group is to use a clipboard and paper. For example, you can use mini 6″x9″ clipboards with 5.5″x8.5″ blank notecards, or with a sheet of cardstock folded in half. I have found that regular paper flaps a lot and rips in the wind. You can also use large binder clips or the large produce rubber bands to hold the paper in place.

You can make your own sketchbooks by stapling paper with chipboard cut out from cereal boxes, or with a simple folding method. This website has step by step instructions to make your journals — just click through the slideshow images.

The cheapest notebooks I’ve found that you can buy in bulk are these simple ones (note that they dont’ work well with markers or watercolors): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJ6979K9?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

These are the cheapest mixed media notebooks that I’ve found for sale (that work with watercolors and heavy markers): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D27C6QFS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

There are a lot of benefits to using some sort of bound journal instead of starting with a blank page each time.

  1. A sketchbook is sequential, and tells a story over time. Not just of your experiences and what you’ve learned, but how you’ve grown in your skills as a nature journaler.
  2. It’s easier to save, and feels more valuable to keep than a messy collection of loose papers. This gives you memories from year to year to look back on.
  3. It shows a commitment to the work, and encourages ongoing engagement. You begin to feel that you must go nature journal again to work to continue to fill up your book.
  4. A bound book is much easier to carry with you everywhere. The papers wont’ blow away in the wind, and you can just pick it up and put in your backpack to take with you on adventures.

Writing/Drawing tools

Pencil

+ erasable, variation in tone (light and dark marks)
– smudges, erasing can be distracting or tear holes in paper

Pen

+ permanent, teaches you to accept imperfection
– can be frustrating.

Colors

Colored pencils

+Usually on school supply lists already
+You can take just a few colors outdoors — yellow, green, red, blue, and brown — and share with a small group
+Easy to use to add details
-Easy to get lost outdoors
-Need to sit down while using them or it’s hard to hold
-Have to use a pencil sharpener

Watercolors (with water brush outside, or with a brush and cup indoors)

+Easy to add a wash of color at one time
+Fun and beautiful to use
-Steep learning curve (colors that touch while wet will bleed into each other, have to learn to manage how much water and how much paint to use)
-Can be hard to bring outside, you have let them dry before moving them (but you can draw outside and add color inside)
-Need to use more expensive paper

Brands of waterbrushes: Mr. Pen (you can buy a set of 12 on Amazon for cheap, which is good for six students, so each one can have one large and one small brush)

Watercolor pencils

+Easier to learn and control than watercolors, as most students know how to color with pencils already
+Can draw outside, then add water indoors to blend colors together
-More expensive
-Colors can look different when you add color versus when they’re dry
-Can often still see the pencil lines
-Same challenges as a watercolors

Markers and crayons

+Affordable, usually easy to find
+Bright and bold colors
+Easy to add a lot of color at once
-Cheap markers and crayons are hard to layer or mix
-Can be hard to get the exact shade or add detail
-(Markers) It’s easy to lose caps while outside
-(Crayons) Break in half when coloring too hard