Nature Notebook

Our world is filled with incredible living things. These Nature Notebook pages will help you learn about some of them. You might be curious about what it's like to go on a safari and search for wild animals in Africa. Maybe you think birds are interesting, or sea shells. Perhaps you wish you could identlfy certain tree leaves. You may find some surprises in a local park or in your own backyard. These pages will help you get started.

If you want to remember the things you see in nature, you might want to keep a list or make a Nature Notebook. There are some ideas for you at the bottom of this page.

Click on the bold headings below the banners to go to the different pages.

NEW! Who is that critter?
Join us for a short walk in a state park and meet a most interesting creature.

Go on Safari
Travel to South Africa to see 18 amazing animals in their natural habitats.
No walls. No fences. No cages. Just beautiful (and sometimes scary) creatures.

See Unique Australian Animals
Travel "down under" with the Pumpkin Pirates to find really unusual animals. See: Kookaburra, Koala, Penguin, Kangaroo, Echidna, Dingo, Platypus, and Tasmanian Devil.
Observe Awesome Aussie Birds
Kookaburras, Parrots, and Lorikeets can be surprisingly tame!

Discover the Deep Blue Sea
Snorkle over a coral reef with Tippity Witchet. Dive deeper with Weebit Cuckoo and Frogwart. Learn about sea creatures. Compare videos showing how different animals get around. Lots to see and do!

Learn about Sea Shells
Compare shells, sea urchins, sea stars, sand dollars, and crabs.
Learn about mollusks (the creatures who make the sea shells).
Look at Beach Pictures
See the beautiful birds of Sanibel Island, Seagrove Beach, and Destin, Florida.
Search for critters and treasures on the beach.
Look for kangaroos on the beach (no kidding).

Enjoy Spring's Beauty
Wander through Susan's garden. See simple buds open into glorious flowers.

Explore Fall Foliage
Compare distinctive shapes and bright colors of leaves. Enjoy the fall colors of Indiana's Brown County State Park. Have fun with leaf games.

NEW! Meet Creatures Great and Small
We put out bird seed and peanuts and expect birds to land for a meal. Now and then we have surprise visitors like the fox, the hawk, and this very tiny snail. If you look at your yard closely and often, you may be surprised to see who comes to visit.

How to make your own Nature Notebook by Tippity Witchet

I love to learn about nature, don't you? Plants and animals, rocks, clouds, and seashells are all so very interesting!

I often go on nature hikes with children to see what we can find. I always bring a notebook or a sketch pad and usually someone brings a camera. Sometimes we have binoculars or a telescope, too.

I think the best way to remember what we discover is to make notes in a nature notebook. I'll show you some pages from mine and I'll tell you how to make one for you to use.

I use my computer to print Nature Notebook pages which I put into a loose leaf binder. I glue photographs or drawings of what I saw onto the page and then I make my notes. Look at my Kookaburra page to see what a page looks like. If you don't have a binder, you can keep your pages in a folder or envelope or you can hold them together with a paper clip.

If your teacher or parents have a video camera you can use, ask them for a tape of your own so you can collect movies and sounds of your nature discoveries.

Make notes about everything you observe. If you want to know more, ask your parents or teacher to help you search for more information at your library, in an encyclopedia, or on the Internet.

Before long, your notebook will be filled with information and you will know a lot about about the world around you. Have fun!

Here are examples for you. Click on the miniature pages below to see them full size. Then print the ones you need. The simpler pages are for very young naturalists. These are pdf files and will take a few seconds to appear. The Animal, Plant and Other Things Pages will be blank so you can add your own pictures and notes.