Celebrate the Freedom of July with the My Year Nature Journal
The FULL and expanded My Year Nature Journal is Now Available!!!
To celebrate the release of my third picture book, A Year With Mama Earth, I’m creating a nature journal inspired by Rebecca Green’s illustrations and the book’s lyrical text. Be sure to follow my Nature Education Pinterest board for even more resources!
If you haven’t yet started My Year Nature Journal, I strongly recommend card stock for the cover and something heavier than standard copy paper for the internal pages (28lb minimum). Either three-hole-punch and place in a binder or hole punch and hold together with rings. You’ll be adding more pages each month, so be sure your binder has plenty of room! 2” should suffice.
Be sure to add your Month Sticker! Download the printable file at the end of this post.
July Nature Journal
July brings fireflies and bonfires! I love s’mores and anything else I can cook over an open fire. I also love watching the mysterious dance of fireflies and the silhouettes of bats against the darkening night sky. Part of the fun of summer is enjoying long days and warm nights. I hope you can get outside, explore, observe, and enjoy nature this month!
A Walk Through July’s Lessons:
This month we look more closely at nighttime fun, fireflies and bugs, and thermal energy. In fact, this playlist gives you pretty much everything you need to know about thermal energy.
Step-by-step Firefly Art
A Firefly Lullaby for Toddlers
All About Thermal Energy:
Along with your Nature Journal pages, you might enjoy these activities and printables.
Thermal Pigment
Did you know you can melt crayons with the sun?
One of my favorite school activities growing up involved making a solar cooker. Here are instructions to make your own, or watch the videos below.
While this does require purchased supplies, color changing ooblek is sort of amazing. Worth it? I think so.
Plus, learn more about using solar power to cook—and why it’s literally saving lives.
Make a solar cooker
Why are solar ovens important?
Fireflies:
Not everyone enjoys catching fireflies, but most of us love watching them. If you’d like to catch this summer, this video on catching fireflies gives great advice.
Few fireflies in your area? You can make you own jar of fireflies.
A great lesson plan on studying fireflies using observation and the scientific method.
All about Fireflies
A Firefly Read-Aloud
Nature at Night:
Explore nature … at night (without staying up past your bedtime!).
Enjoy exploring with the recommendations below (affiliate links).
Flameless cooking.
Writer’s Corner:
“What If?” is a writer’s most powerful question. Check out the What If below, then try coming up with your own!
So that’s it. Sit back, download, print. Then *get outside* to enjoy the month while you can. On those yucky days, check out the videos above. And be sure to subscribe so you’ll be first to know when next month’s pages are available.
Subscribe below for all the upcoming Nature Journal printables!
To preview any of these items, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store. You’ll be able to see several pages of each download.
My Year Nature Journal gives you 12 full months of nature journal activity and free-creation pages to support your nature/outdoor education. The journal is perfect for fans of Charlotte Mason, Montessori, kinesthetic and hands-on learning, or to simply enhance your enjoyment of the outdoors.