Drawing With Children: Nature Journal Style with Printable Lesson Plans
Ranked #233 in Education, #5,100 overall
Now With Printable Lesson Plans!
This lens will help you gather the supplies needed to use this book with your children. I will also share some easy to use lessons to go along with the book that will help you and your children practice your skills in your nature journal. I have made all the lessons printable so see the end of each lesson for a button to print the information out to use with your children.
Even if you are not going to use the lessons for your nature journal, you will find lots of great ideas and videos to get you started drawing anything you want with this book's help. This book empowers the parent to help their own children be confident artists. Make sure to read the introductory pages and glean some fresh ideas and eliminate the myths about learning to draw.
If you are looking for more art related projects, you might want to check out my blog:
Harmony Art Mom
I also have homeschool art and music appreciation curriculum for grades 1-12. Click over to my website. Harmony Fine Arts Grade 4 plans feature Drawing With Children as one of the options.
Drawing With Children
She not only gives you the steps needed to help your child learn to draw more realistically, she will give you solid reasons to not believe the many myths most of us believe about learning to draw. I read this book every year to remind myself that we can all learn to draw.
Drawing With Children by Mona Brookes
Here's The Book You Need To Get Started
Drawing with Children
Amazon Price: $8.98 (as of 02/13/2012)
This book helps parents teach their children using simple step by step processes how to draw in a way that is gentle and easy. I have worked through this book with my own children multiple times and each time I glean more tips and ideas. It gives you the confidence to offer drawing, painting, and so much more to your own children.
My four children are all confident artists, the older two have gone on to take courses in graphic arts. My oldest son designs websites as part of his position at an internet company and my daughter designs art kits for children. Hearts and Trees Art, Nature, and Handicraft Kits
Lessons Available Here On Squidoo
Using this Book with Your Nature Journal
I have put together drawing lessons using this book that will help you with your nature journal.
Drawing With Children-Lesson 1 Draw A Bird
Lesson 1 Draw a Bird
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour Indoor Art Preparation Leson
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes of Outdoor Time
Lesson 1 Draw A Bird
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 1
- Sketching Supplies
- Drawing Paper
Instructions
I would complete "Choosing Your Starting Level", pages 40-52 without any changes.
Here's what I came up with for Lesson 1, pages 55-79.
Work through the lesson as outlined with the following adjustments:
1. As you learn the "5 Basic Elements of Shape", make sure to have some objects from your recent nature walk to look at. Use those objects to find the elements of shape.
2. Play the "Visual Games" from page 64 while on your next nature walk.
3. Draw the bird as outlined on pages 75-79. Finish the bird drawing by sketching an actual tree branch that you have seen on your nature walk.
4. Before you move on to lesson two, practice drawing different birds you have observed by using a field guide or a bird photo. Use the basic bird drawing technique and adapt it to birds you have seen on a nature walk or at your birdfeeder.
Markers for Your Artists
We use both Prismacolor markers and Crayola markers.
Prismacolor markers are expensive but this is one area that the up-front cost is worth it. You will buy these once. The tips on these markers are great and with the double-ended design you can pick a thick or a thin line to start with. One warning about these markers: They will bleed through most paper so you want to make sure you have a scratch piece of paper under your artwork.
I am giving you a link to a rather large set but you can purchase smaller sets at your local art supply store. I buy my Prismacolor markers at Michael's and you can purchase individual colors as you need to replace markers from the set.
I also have one son who actually prefers to use Crayola markers for his art work. I have given you links to the two sets we use the most in our house.
Drawing Supplies on Amazon.com
Basic drawing supplies to use with Drawing with Children
Drawing With Children-Lesson 2 Nature Journal Projects
Lesson 2 Nature Journal Projects
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour indoor art lesson preparation
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes OUtdoor Time
Lesson 2 Nature Journal Projects
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 2
- Sketching Supplies
- Sketching Paper
Instructions
Lesson 2, pages 80-115 Drawing from Graphics
Work through the lesson as outlined in the book. Make sure to use the proper level for your child.
Application for using in your nature journals:
1. Page 90 in the "Where to start" section: Make sure to point out that when you draw flowers you will normally start at the center, with plants start with the stem, and when drawing a living creature start drawing with the eyes.
2. Using Figure 2-10 on page 91, practice drawing leaves with your thick and thin markers. Make sure to follow the suggestions in the paragraph titled, "Using thick and thin line".
3. After working through the appropriate level in this lesson, go on to the section titled, "Choosing Other Projects" on page 112. Pay particular attention to the drawing sequence on page 114. Look for ideas for practicing the skills you learned in this lesson on your nature walk. If you can take a photograph of a scene or subject and then look at it on your computer or print it out, you will have a custom project to add to your nature journal. You could also use calendars, magazines, or field guides to help you with your project.
sketch 1
Challenge yourself to draw one object in each of the following categories:
1. Tree
2. Flower
3. Animal
4. Insect
5. Bird
Look through the colored illustrations in the middle of the book for some ideas of what other children have done for each of these categories.
Drawing With Children-Lesson 3 Still-Life
Lesson 3 Nature Journal Still Life Project
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour indoor art preparation
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes Outdoor Time
Lesson 2 Nature Journal Still Life Project
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 3
- Sketching Supplies
- Sketching Paper
Instructions
Lesson 3, pages 116-140 "Drawing from a Still Life"
Lesson 3 is really great for applying to your nature journal. I suggest working through the lesson as outlined to learn the concepts of drawing a still life. There are so many good points in this lesson that I want to emphasize the ideas that I really appreciated and hope that you can apply with your children.
* "Remember, as an artist you might not like many of the finished products, but they all serve as growing experiences toward the ones that give you a rush of satisfaction and appreciation." Page 139
* "Now you have a formula for choosing projects from graphics and inanimate objects and rendering them into realistic drawings. You have learned how to use a drawing process that involves training your eyes to see the edges of everything and to duplicate their shape on paper. You are now well on your way to handling any subject that you wish." Page 139
How to adapt this lesson to your nature journal
1. After working through the lesson, use the "Building Still Life Arrangements" section on pages 135-140 to arrange objects from your nature study for sketching into your nature journal.
Pay particular attention to page 137 where there is a list of possible items to include in your own custom still life. Many of these items are things that you could look for on your nature walks. Keep your eyes open to interesting textures and shapes and bring them home to arrange for your own drawing.
One additional suggestion I have is to place the still life in a spot where you can keep it up for a period of time. We sometimes work several different days on a single still life. Another idea is to have the still life in the middle of the table and then to draw it from different angles or sides of the table.
Drawing With Children-Lesson 4 Sketching Outdoors
Lesson 4 Sketching Outdoors
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour indoor art preparation
- Total Time: 30 minutes Outdoor Sketching Time
Lesson 4 Sketching Outdoors
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 4
- Sketching Supplies
- Sketching Paper
Instructions
How to apply to your nature journal.
Page 150 has a subheading for outdoor drawing and using natural lighting. She suggests sitting in such a way that the sun is over the back of either one of your shoulders. This gives your subject consistent lighting. Practice sketching and drawing outside.
Page 158 Choosing Other Projects
Follow the suggestions to use photographs or paintings as inspiration. You can take your own photographs or those out of magazines and have your children work them into their nature journals. Find subjects to draw that you have seen in real life. Have your children adapt the photos to match those conditions they have experienced. Mona Brookes also suggest working with your own three-dimensional environment for endless drawing possibilities.
I love the quote on the sixth page of color images in the middle of the book with the title "Environments".
"As students draw the creatures in our environment, they can also learn about the places they come from, draw maps and study geography, be involved in science lessons, and exposure to environmental awareness."
Plant yourself in this chapter for as long as you need to feel comfortable before moving on to Lesson 5. Lesson 5 widens our choices of mediums: conte crayon, chalk pastels, drawing pencils, colored pencils, oil pastels, and watercolors.
Still Life With Watercolors
Drawing With Children-Other Art Supplies
Drawing With Children-Lesson 5 Conte Crayons
Lesson 5 Drawing With Conte Crayons
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 Hour Indoor Art Preparation
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes Outdoors
Lesson 5 Drawing With Conte Crayons
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 5
- Conte Crayons
- Sketching Paper
Instructions
Now we are getting down to the real meat of this book. The basics have been covered and now we are given some instruction and direction on what to try after we have tired of markers.
The first medium mentioned is Conte Crayon....this I admit is not my favorite way to draw. It is messy and I don't have much control. I have done some work with the conte crayons and to me, they are as messy as charcoal. You smudge and smear and then when you are finished, the end product, even if you have used a fixative, needs to be stored carefully or they make a big mess. Now I know there must be artists that enjoy these crayons but I gave them a try and I have moved on.
If you use the kneaded eraser that they suggest, you will want to keep it for using exclusively with the conte crayons otherwise you will make a smudgy mess on your next pencil project.....yes, I am speaking from experience.
I would not use these crayons with little ones. They break easily and they will probably not like the results. I would save these for at least middle school age children, if not high school....or better yet, college. :)
I would not recommend conte crayons for your nature journal. About the only thing I like to use conte crayons or charcoal for is to make "gesture drawings". Drawing with Children talks a little bit about gesture drawing on pages 180-181. Basically it means a quick kind of drawing that you look quickly back and forth between the model and your drawing.
Drawing With Children-Lesson 5 Chalk Pastels
Lesson 5 Chalk Pastels
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour Indoor Art Preparation
Lesson Five using Chalk Pastels
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 5
- Chalk Pastels
- Kneaded Eraser
- Pastel Paper
- Fixative
Instructions
Drawing With Children by Mona Brookes talks about chalk pastels in chapter five.
The good news is that although these are just as messy as the conte crayons, your children will probably enjoy them more. They are colorful and you get lots of bright bold colors on your page. They are not as smooth on the page as an oil pastel but they give you more color than a watercolor pencil.
We have always enjoyed the way you can overlap the colors and you can see them blend on your page but they will break if you apply too much pressure.
You will need good paper, a kneaded eraser, and a fixative in order to use these in your nature drawings. I am still not convinced I would use them directly into my nature journal or carry chalk pastels in my backpack but if you are around the house and can use them on separate sheets of paper and then insert them into your journal, they are a nice change from colored pencils.
You can see how the leaf looks great but there is a mess on the page and the pastels broke when I was using them. You can still use them even when they get quite small though so just be prepared that your nice new box of pastels will soon be broken and messy.
I also tried the Pastels Pencils (Conte brand) and they were a little easier to use than the crayon sticks. They still have the same texture so they were a little scratchy on the paper and still made a little mess. If I had to choose, I would use the pencils but not in my nature notebook. The pencils were much easier to control and you could sharpen them to a point to get a nice sharp line.
Chalk Pastel Leaf
Chalk Pastel Beginners Video
My YouTube video to introduce chalk pastels.
Chalk Pastels Beginner's Video #2
Drawing With Children-Lesson 5 Drawing Pencils
Lesson 5 Drawing Pencils
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour Indoor Art Preparation Time
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes Outdoors
Lesson 5 Using Drawing Pencils
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 5
- Variety of Drawing Pencils
- Drawing Paper
Instructions
Pencils are easy to find and easy to use. They are small enough to fit in any backpack along with a nature journal. I always carry drawing pencils with me when we take our hikes and they are the "staple" of my nature drawing kit.
I have two ways of carrying them. If I am carrying my big backpack and have room to fit it in, I carry my Art Bin filled with various kinds of drawing pencils, a good metal sharpener, a few erasers, and a drawing tortillion.
If I am traveling light, I put a few pencils, my black ink pen, and a few old crayons in a Ziploc bag and carry them that way. Don't laugh, it works.
So what kind of pencils do you want to try? Most homeschoolers have a ready supply of the good old stand-by #2 pencils. This will do fine to start but for a variety of line you might want to try a different pencil that is harder or softer than the #2.
Mona Brookes suggests:
one #H (hard lead gives lighter line)
one #2B (the "B" is the softness)
one #5B or #6B
She also recommends starting a sketch with the #H, adding in some shading and detail with the #2B, and then going back and putting on the darkest shadings with the #5B or #6B.
Personally, I love to use the #4B and the #6B. When I am really into a sketch, I love to really make the darks dark and it is much easier to do with the #6B. If you really want to splurge, try a woodless pencil...it feels so good in your hand.
Pencils are relatively inexpensive so you can pick up a variety and add them into your art box. If you are on a budget and want to work on your drawing skills, then try just using pencil and eraser and you can get beautiful results.
Drawing With Children-Lesson 5 Colored Pencils
Lesson 5 Colored Pencils
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 Hour Indoor Art Preparation Time
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes Outdoor Observation Time
Lesson 5 Using Colored Pencils
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 5
- Set of Colored Pencils
- Drawing Paper
Instructions
Have I told you how much I love colored pencils? Until I started buying good quality colored pencils, I didn't realize their potential for making a really good drawing. Colored pencils come in different hardnesses just like drawing pencils. Harder pencils are more difficult to get a lot of color from and they don't blend very well. I prefer to use a softer lead. I know most of us start off with colored pencils from Crayola or some other popular reasonably priced company and that is okay. Just remember when you are moving up in the school years that your children might be ready to handle and get better results from a better quality colored pencil.
My favorite brand of colored pencils for older students is Prismacolor. My favorite brand of colored pencils for younger hands is Lyra.
I know these pencils are a little pricey but you can find smaller sets at art supply stores or places like Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I always use a 50% off coupon when I am purchasing them at Michael's. I also found them locally at the college bookstore and they had them at a *serious* discount. You just need to plan ahead and keep alert to sales.
Once you see how much color you get from these fantastic colored pencils, you will wonder why you wasted time with others. These are still the favorite colored pencils with my boys and they are 12 and 14.
So how do I use colored pencils in my nature journal? I try to carry a set with me when I have room in my backpack. I remove them from the cardboard container and put them in a more sturdy plastic tub. I also have a tin filled with watercolor colored pencils from Prismacolor. If you are going to splurge on an art supply for yourself, these are worth the price. You use them just like regular colored pencils but then you can use a brush and water to make the drawing into a painting.
To begin a sketch in your nature journal using colored pencils, I suggest first sketching the scene or item out with your favorite drawing pencil and then you can go back and use your colored pencils.
Mona Brookes in Drawing With Children.
Colored Pencils to Try
Drawing With Children-Lesson 5 Oil Pastels
Lesson 5 Oil Pastels
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 Hour Indoor Art Prepartion Time
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes Outdoor Observation Time
Lesson 5 Using Oil Pastels
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 5
- Set of Oil Pastels
- Pastel Paper
Instructions
The blending ability of oil pastels makes them an easy alternative to oil paints with far less mess.
You can use oil pastels in your nature journal but you need to be aware that if you don't apply a fixative, you will have a smudgy mess on facing pages. I don't mind the smudges but just make sure to always put them in the journal where they are not facing another entry.
From Drawing with Children, by Mona Brookes, page 166-167:
"Form the undersketch with a very light color and then build on top of it. Use the tips of your fingers to blend the shadings."
My boys have really enjoyed using oil pastels over the years and I highly recommend you give them a try with your children.
View the videos that go along with this lesson here on this Squidoo page.
Drawing With Children-Lesson 5 Watercolors
Lesson 5 Watercolors
- Serves: Family Activity
- Prep Time: 1 hour Art Preparation Time
- Total Time: 15-20 Minutes Outdoor Observation Time
Lesson 5 Using Watercolors
Ingredients
- Drawing With Children - Lesson 5
- 1 Set Watercolors
- Watercolor paper
Instructions
Watercoloring is the medium that I will share with you this time and show you how we use it in our personal nature journals. I know there are lots of ways to incorporate watercolors into your nature study but I will focus on how to do so in your journals while you are out and about.
Please note: Nature journals take many forms. What my journal looks like is different than what yours will look like. The idea of offering this series of Drawing with Children entries for nature journals has been to offer different ideas and ways to go about keeping a record for your personal enjoyment. I have shared before that we don't always make an entry with every hike or outing. I make lots of entries and my boys make a few entries.
So if you are reading Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes, you can follow along with her lessons for watercolors on pages 167-169. Here she gives you step by step instructions for offering watercolors to your children. I would suggest following the lesson and then letting your children practice on watercolor paper. After you feel comfortable with the medium, try using it in your nature journal.
Drawing with Children
More Advanced Supplies
Watercolor Crayon Demonstration
Other Nature and Art Related Lenses
Check Out These Lenses for More Info on Nature Journals.
About Me
I would love to hear your comments!
Thanks for visiting.
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Nora
Feb 1, 2012 @ 4:19 pm | delete
- So excited to have found your website. My kids and I are trying to get into nature journaling and art. Now I can have some instruction in combining the two, not to mention have some assistance in using this great book that I just could not seem to soak in. Thank you.
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earthybirthymama
Jan 29, 2012 @ 9:07 pm | delete
- This is one of my favorite lenses! Great job
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lravidlearner
Dec 30, 2011 @ 3:27 pm | delete
- Great lesson ideas - nature journals are a terrific way to combine science with the arts for kids to express themselves. Donna Young's resources are phenomenal as well.
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JoyfulReviewer
Dec 1, 2011 @ 12:49 pm | delete
- What a wonderful way to teach children to draw ... very nicely done! Congratulations on having one of the top 35 homeschooling lenses.
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waldenthree.net
Nov 14, 2011 @ 1:21 pm | delete
- Wonderful lens ! Your knowledge impressive for kids . I clicked "Like' for this one. Thanks.
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by HarmonyArtMom
Mom of four, fourteen years of homeschooling, passionate about art, music, and nature study. See Harmony Fine Arts and my Squidoo Bio for more about me... more »
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To Get Started With These Plans!
Drawing with Children
Amazon Price: $8.98 (as of 02/13/2012)
This book is the basic spine for all the lessons in this lens.
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