Nature Journaling can be anything you want it to be, ranging from personal to scientific, from facts & realistic images to scenes and stories you’ve imagined or dreamed.  Journaling should NEVER be a “chore”, or something you have to complete and that must be perfect.  You do not need to be an expert at identifying plants, animals, fungus or even be a professional artist. Remember that the goal is “observations,” not a pretty picture. This is a practice that you will build upon and, in time, your ability to observe, draw and write will improve. Your attention to detail and appreciation of the world around you will also increase as you journal.  

In this workshop we will explore nature and our power of observation. We will investigate using our senses, practicing awareness and understand how to take that information and put it into a nature journal. We will use words & sketches. ***You do not have to have any artistic skills.*** This is not about creating pretty pictures, it’s about observing and recording data and observations.  We will start indoors for an introduction and then head outside to nature journal with prompts that we’ll give to you and work beside you on!

Rebekah Lowell is an award-winning author, illustrator, surface pattern designer, and educator who helps others connect with nature through art. A homeschooling mother of two and survivor of domestic abuse, she is passionate about resiliency, freedom, and hope. Inspired by the wonder of the natural world, she writes books for kids, and is now a certified nature journal educator through the Wild Wonder Foundation. She serves on the Board of York County Audubon, transports birds for Avian Haven, and rescues monarchs from local hayfields. Learn more at www.rebekahlowell.com

Lindsay Strout is a high school biology and wildlife science teacher in southern Maine.  She has been nature journaling for a few years and, in her free time, she’s outdoors with her journal taking little adventures.  She was the winner of YCA’s 2022 June Ficker Hog Island Scholarship for Educators.  Lindsay is very passionate about the outdoors and excited to share this opportunity with you! 

This workshop will be held in the Mather Auditorium at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm.  Advance registration is required.  To register, please click on this event in the What’s Coming Up column on the right hand side at the top of this page, then scroll down to the registration form. The price is $20/person ($25/person for non-members), payable by cash or check at the workshop.