THE JUNIOR JOURNALER NATURE MAGAZINE June 2021
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03 Welcome 04 What is Nature Journaling? 05 Finding the perfect sit spot. 06 A new skill for your journal. 07 Tool of the month. 08 Let’s talk about hummingbirds!
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1 09 How to attract hummingbirds. 12 How to draw a hummingbird. 14 Meet the Junior Journaler of the month! 15 Journal pages from kids like you!
WILLOW AGE2
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Welcome to the first issue of Junior Journalers Nature Magazine! I wanted to introduce myself. My name is
W Amaya! I am 15 years old.
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I spend most of my time
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nature journaling,
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reading, hiking, and
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exploring God’s wonderful world.
M I wanted to create this
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magazine to help inspire young people to nature journal. I hope you will see how many amazing people just like you nature journal. Happy journaling!
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What is Nature journaling? Nature journaling is a really cool way to explore the world. Using words, pictures, and numbers we write down our thoughts and observations. When we do that we become a really cool scientist called a Naturalist. Nature journaling can be hard at first but overtime it will be easier. Practicing daily will make you better. In the nature journaling community we call this pencil miles. When we journal it’s also important not to worry about making our drawings and paintings all about being pretty. It’s more important that we put our thoughts and observations into our journals.
Happy journaling!
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FINDING THE PERFECT SIT-SPOT
What is a sit spot? A sit spot is a place all of your own. It can be quiet or can be loud. A sit spot is a place where you can go daily to journal or just to play. You can go there weekly or daily. You don’t have to journal every time you go to your sit spot. The cool thing about a sit spot is you can watch things grow and see the wonders all around you. You can even get to know the creatures around you. I have a sit spot that is a place all to my own. My sit spot is a tree with a swing. It’s calm and quiet but not always. My favorite thing about my sit spot is it helps me slow down relax and enjoy God’s wonderful creations. The cool thing about a sit spot is the longer you keep going out to your sit spot the more you notice. I noticed around 8pm there is a barn owl that flys to the left of me and lands in a farther tree. What is it doing? Searching for mice to eat it breakfast? I also notice many other things. Like the bat that lives around my tree who often times fly right up above me. How cool is that! I wonder if it is eating the mosquitos? I encourage you to find a sit spot. Ask your parents to help you find a good one. If you do find a sit spot what do you see? What likes to come around at night? What likes to come in the morning? What sounds do you hear? Look for these things and recorded them in your journal.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR SIT-SPOTS! EMAIL ME VIDEOS AND PICTURES OF THEM TO: JJNATUREMAG@GMAIL.COM
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A NEW SKILL FOR YOUR JOURNAL. I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of. These three prompts can helps us become better Nature Journalers. What are these prompts? These prompts were created by my friend John Muir Laws also known as “Jack”. He created these prompts to help us grow our journaling skills. I notice: I notice helps us to see the world close and personal through our journals. Next time you’re journaling ask yourself what do you notice around you. Record it in your Journal using words, pictures, and numbers. I wonder I wonder is a prompt that will take us on new discoveries! What questions do you have when you are journaling? Write your questions down in your journal. See if you can answer your questions by noticing things. It reminds me It reminds me of is one of my favorite prompts! Using this prompts is super easy. All you have to do is ask yourself what does this remind me of and record it in your journal.
If you start using these three simple prompts while nature journaling you will improve! I can’t wait to see what discoveries you will make. Send me your journal pages that include these prompts! You can email me your pictures to jjnaturemag@gmail.com
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Tool of the month....Journals! Picking the right journal for you can be confusing when you are first starting out. Here are two helpful things to keep in mind when picking out your journal. First. Art supplies! When you pick your journal it’s good to keep in mind what art supplies you are using. If you are using watercolor it might be a good idea to get a journal with thicker watercolor paper. So the pages won’t bend.
Are you using crayons or color pencils? If this is what you use the most you can go with a thinner paper. You might want to think about using toned paper (paper that isn’t white but brown or grey). The crayons and color pencils will show up better on the toned paper. Take a look at your art supplies first and see what you have. Then figure out what journal goes best with them. The second thing you want to keep in mind is the size of your journal. How big do you want your journal? Do you want one small enough to put in your backpack or do you want one small enough to fit in your pocket? My favorite journal as of right now is the 8.5x11 Straphmore toned paper journal. I like to get the ones with thick paper so my watercolor can go nicely on my pages. Now you can even get creative and make your own journal! It is important to use a journal rather than paper because loose pieces of paper tend to get lost and they can be harder to organize. One thing I love about a journal is that you have all your pages bound together. This makes it super easy to look back at your past pages and see how much you have improved and all the places you have been. What’s your favorite journal? Which one do you prefer? Here are some videos that walk you through making your own nature journals.
https://youtu.be/1vtzaMD955I https://youtu.be/4EnmiuKqBXI
LETS TALK ABOUT HUMMINGBIRDS
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Let’s talk about Hummingbirds! Have you ever seen a hummingbird? They are these fast flying tiny little birds that are always eating.....nectar? Meet the hummingbird! This species of bird is know for being colorful. Hummingbirds are such a cool thing to journal! Not only for their color but also for their size. The average size of a hummingbird is 3.9 inches. That’s probably smaller than your hand. I’m 66 inches tall so that means...I’m about a total of 16 hummingbirds stacked on top of each other! How many hummingbirds tall are you? Record this in your journal. If you haven’t seen a hummingbird that’s probably because you don’t live in the northern hemisphere. Hummingbirds are native to North America and the tropics. I love hummingbirds! They remind me of my grandmother who always had a feeder filled for them. What do hummingbirds remind you of? Hummingbirds may be small but they sure do eat a LOT! On average hummingbirds eat half of their weight in nectar a day! Talk about a sugar rush and no wonder they fly so fast! Hummingbirds are tiny and full of sugar. They are the perfect target for...the praying mantis!! That’s right praying mantises and orbWeber spiders love to chow down on hummingbirds. Hummingbirds not only have to look out for bugs but also for birds of prey and cats. So if you have hummingbird feeders make sure to keep you pets away from there. Now take your journals outside and see if you can find a hummingbird! Record what they are doing. What area do they like to hang out at the most. If you don’t have hummingbirds near you check out some live videos of them on YouTube! Share with me your journal pages when you do! Happy journaling! Email me your journal pages to: jjnaturemag@gmail.com
https://youtu.be/pXe8MpU7uzk
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HOW TO ATTRACT HUMMINGBIRDS. WRITEN BY ANDREW S. GERVASE
These birds are found almost throughout the entire United States as well as in certain other places in the world. They preform acrobatic stunts and fly at speeds of 20-40 mph in everyday flight. Nearly everyone has seen these birds on at least one occasion. You may have guessed what birds I’m talking about: hummingbirds.
Surprisingly, hummingbirds have a diverse diet. They drink nectar, which is highly sought after by these birds. Other foods include small insects, sap, fruit, and pollen. Plants for hummingbirds. The best way to attract hummingbirds is to have food available to them. Providing food for hummingbirds could include growing certain plants that are high in nectar, pollen and also are appealing to the birds. There are plants that are high in nectar such as honeysuckles, lupines and bee balms. As a rule of thumb, birds generally like native plants. Useing plants from your area will most likely attract more hummingbirds.
Hummingbird Feeders. Another means of providing food is to make it yourself. Making hummingbird food is quite easy and common. People often fill hummingbird feeders with food they make and hang it somewhere the birds can get to it. Feeders provide a consistent source of food ( if you fill it regularly) compared to flowers. Hummingbird feeders should be filled with a clean sugar; i.e. four cups of water mixed with one cup of sugar. you should only use pure white table sugar. When a feeder gets low on food, you simply have to fill it again
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NOAH , AGE 14
Elements for a hummingbird’s habitat. The hummingbirds will come for the food sources, but they might leave after they have their fill. If you want the hummingbird to stay around, you must provide the right habitat for them to live in. A hummingbird’s habitat would include elements of food sources, like mentioned above, water, vegetation, and a mixture of sun and shade. I. Like all birds hummingbirds need water for drinking and bathing. A bird bath would provide water for booth needs. Hummingbirds also will drink dew drops from leaves. ii. The next element on our list is vegetation. Vegetation would include trees, shrubs, and flowers. Some of the vegetation will provide food or shade. Other vegetation ( like trees or tall bushes) will allow the birds
to perch on its branches. iii. The last element is a mixture of sun and shade. If you have trees, this will be accomplished. Hummingbirds like to perch in the shade after they eat, yet the plants and flowers that will be growing need sun. An even mixture of sun and shade will finish off a hummingbird’s habitat. Now that you know how to attract hummingbirds, and sustain them, I hope that you’ll give it a try. With the food source, habitat, and any luck you will have hummingbirds in no time. Have fun watching their acrobatic stunts and highspeed flights. Hopefully, you’ll see them on more than one occasion.
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How to draw a.. Step, One Draw the beak.
Step, Two Draw the head along with the neck
Step, Three Draw the lower body with some feathers
Step, Four
Draw some tail feathers
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Step, Five Draw the wings
Step, Six
Add the eyes
Step, Seven Then draw the feet
Great job! Now you have a hummingbird!
THE JJ NATURE MAGAZINE
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Meet the Junior Journaler of the month: Benjamin Fallow! Benjamin Fallow Age: 7 Lives in: Sussex, UK What do you want to be when you grow up: A Nature scientist, artist and gardener
THEJJ NATURE MAGAZINE
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What is the nature like around you : Woodlands, lanes, and. Farmland
What is your favorite animal: Reindeer
What is the coolest thing you’ve seen in nature : TOO MANY TO SAY...BUT I LOVE THIS BUTTERFLY. DID YOU KNOW BUTTERF HAVE HEARTS IN THEIR WINGS TO PUMP BLOOD AND CONTROL THEIR TEMPERTUARE!
What are your favorite nature journaling supplies : Pens, Pencils, small box of watercolors, paintbrush from the flowers of lesser celandine.
What is your least favorite animal : Elephant seal.
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JOURNAL SHARE! What is a journal share? A journal share is when we all come together and say one nice thing about someone else’s journal page. What do you like about these pages? Journal sharing is a good way to gather ideas for your own journal.
Carolyn
Amelia
Lives in California Age: 9
“Look at the legend Amelia used to document the sea creatures. How could you use this in your journal ? “ Amaya
“ Look at all of Carolyn’s questions! What do you think she was journaling? Why did it spark her curiosity? Great job adding questions to your journal! It makes me wonder more about your creature.” Amaya
Age: 8 Lives in California
PAGE 16 ”Great job using all three of Jacks prompts! Do you think including observations is an Important thing to do when nature journaling? “ -Amaya
Katelynn Age: 9
Lives in Central California
” Those are some cool facts on purple sea urchins! Have you ever Age: 8 seen one in real life?” Lives in California Amaya
Shelby
Email me your favorite journal pages: jjnaturemag@email.com