my nature bag

Last spring the mom who ran the nature club in our homeschool group became too busy to continue it. So, late one night another mom and I (both quite sleep deprived) somehow got roped into volunteering to co-ordinate nature club.

In the interest of making things easy for everyone, we decided to keep things simple. I'm hoping to duplicate the Charlotte Mason inspired nature study that my girls and I do after our weekly library visit. We enjoy some time being outside. Instead of simply being with friends or exercising our muscles (although we do both), we focus our attention on the world around us. We let the natural world around us direct our conversations and drive our pencils.

Enjoying nature requires no equipment but eyes, ears, nose, hands, etc. However, a few props make the experience more memorable, more enjoyable, and more educational. Since you are out in the field, you need a bag to carry said props, so for our nature club, I requested that everyone provide their own nature bag.

"Ah," asks one of the moms, "but what to put in the nature bag?" Then she started to dissect the contents of my bag. Then she took some pictures of the bag, told me she would label them, and told me to write this blog post.

If you have nothing else in your nature bag, I think having paper and something to write or draw with is essential. If your paper is loose (instead of in a bound journal), you also need a clipboard, as nature doesn't often provide a table. Recording your experience helps focus your attention and provides a tangible reminder of the experience.

Anything else in the bag is highly personal, depending on what you happen to have on hand, your budget for new items, how much you want to carry, the age of the user, and how scientific you want to be. That said, here's what is currently in my nature bag. (The contents change from time to time as I discover new things or realize that I never use other things.)

The bag is an old green canvas bag that I scavenged from Wander. It has multiple pockets for storing smaller items, and a large pocket for dumping the majority of the stuff.

The heart of the bag is the paper/clipboard and colored pencils.

I chose a 6"x9" clipboard. It perfectly fits a piece of paper cut in half. I chose the smaller size because it is easy for little hands to manage. I also prefer loose paper to a pre-bound journal. Whatever happens in the field, any previously drawn entries are safe at home. On the back of the clipboard I taped little paper rulers to make it easy to measure things on the spot. I also include a reminder of essentials to include on the paper (name/date/location/etc.) and suggestions for what to drawn and label.

My colored pencil caddy is a homemade affair. I used to use a simple plastic pencil box, but I am now trying out this new stand, as it makes it easier for the kids to find individual colors. I also include regular erasable pencils for labeling. I find I prefer colored pencils to crayons or markers, as they are better for detailed work and provide a wide range of colors.

Here's some other stuff in my nature bag.

The bug jar is simply an empty peanut butter jar. The jar has no air holes on purpose; I want the girls to release the bugs. The magnifying glasses are fun for the kids and help focus their attention on whatever they are viewing. The binoculars do the same. The monocular was a splurge purchase for its small size. The measuring tape and folding ruler are for measuring objects that are larger than can be measured by the clipboard.

Not pictured is my field book. It is a homemade field book of sorts. It contains things like names of types of clouds, the a diagram of the life cycle of a frog, a diagram of an insect, a list of different leaf shapes, etc. When we came across tadpoles in a pond, I was able to show the girls the diagram of the frog's lifecycle. When we look at a flower, a diagram reminds us to count the number of petals and to look for stamens and pistils.

Finally, I also carry some items in my purse which are also nature bag items. I like to carry a small first aid kit, which consists mostly of bandaids. I also carry plastic bags in various sizes. These are good for taking home small samples. I have a small compass, (even though I haven't figured out how to use it). A camera is also one of my personal everyday carry items.

My nature bag has evolved and grown over the past year since we first started doing nature study. It started with a small notepad of paper and a few colored pencils thrown in a box. I expect that it will continue to change as the months and years go on. If you are starting a nature bag, hopefully you can get some hints from here. But don't let the lack of anything prevent you from simply getting out there!