Nature Journaling with John Muir Laws: Cultivating Curiosity and Observation: Podcast

Join Getty Ellis and me on the The World We Want podcast with the North American Association for Environmental Education. June 17, 2026 What does it mean to truly notice the world around us? For naturalist, educator, and nature journaler John Muir Laws—known to many simply as Jack—careful observation is more than a skill. It's a way of building curiosity, deepening understanding, and strengthening our connection to the natural world.

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Painting Clouds in Gouache (Apr. 20, 2023)

John Muir Laws demonstrates how to paint clouds using gouache, watercolor, and toned paper. (Class session from 20 April 2023) How to make your own gouache palette:

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Gift Card

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Exploring Poetry with Bradley Earle Hoge (Jan. 4, 2024)

Join us for a rich discussion to inspire your nature journaling and own poetry practice. Class session from 4 Jan. 2024. Join John Muir Laws and Bradley Hoge as we examine his process for creating rich poems that incorporate nature, science, and personal experiences. Bradley Earle Hoge’s 2nd book of poetry: N = R* fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L…

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Making Papier Mâché Birds (Sep. 7, 2023)

John Muir Laws interviews Nancy Overton, an artist who makes incredible paper mache birds to inspire and increase awareness and care for the natural world. (Class session recording from 7 September 2023) Nancy shares step-by-step photos of how she makes a bird: tools and materials, collecting reference photos, making a silhouette drawing, making wire silhouettes, putting the silhouettes together and filling in the frame, covering the frame with strips of newspaper, covering the bird in colored papers, and applying the eyes. See how she breathes form and life into her birds! Check out Nancy's website!

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Exploring Naturehoods with Vicky Earle

John Muir Laws joins Vicky Earle to talk about community and exploring naturehoods! (Class session 7 December 2023) Nature sketchbook journaling is a powerful tool to connect with community on many levels. When we use our sketchbooks to connect with the world around us, we become part of the inspirational, worldwide community of nature journalers. Our sketchbooks also allow us to share our passion with others closer to home – family, friends, neighbors, students, even strangers passing by.

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Slow down and get curious- Full Expression Podcast

Join Dan Imhoff and me on an episode of the Full Espression Podcast. In this eppisode, host Dan Imhoff sits down with naturalist, artist, educator, and lifelong journaler John Muir Laws for a conversation about attention, creativity, and the transformative power of keeping a journal. They explore journaling as more than a record of experience, but as an essential tool for observation, reflection, and deeper engagement with the world.

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Getting Started with Nature Journaling with John Muir Laws & Billie Jo Reid

Join Billie Jo Reid and me as we explore the foundations of Nature Journaling and share our experiences from our recent Nature Journaling adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

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NJEF: Snorkel Journaling (

John Muir Laws shares his recent underwater adventures in the Sea of Cortez with the Nature Journal Educators Forum. Kate Righter shares her experiences snorkeling in Hawai'i and important takeaways to keep your participants safe. (Class recording from 30 Apr. 2025) June 9th is Coral Triangle Day! Ask your friends who snorkel about the importance and states of coral in the world's oceans, and look for ways to contribute in your daily life to the conservation of these important ecosystems.

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Underwater Nature Journaling! (Apr. 10, 2025)

Join Mandy Teernstra and John Muir Laws as we explore how to nature journal underwater, with simple and easily accessible equipment! This will change the way you snorkel forever. (Class recording 10 April 2025) Mandy Teernstra lives in the Netherlands. She has been diving for more than 30 years, including in caves and wrecks. She now nature journals while she snorkels!

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Nature Journaling: How to Reclaim Your Attention & Sense of Place with John Muir Laws

“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”  —Mary Oliver Join me and the Aldo Leopold Foundation for an exciting discussion on how to start your own nature journal, phenology, and the neuroscience behind journaling—plus, live demonstrations! For or author and naturalist John Muir Laws, attention is love. When constant headlines, advertisements, and social media posts leave us in a digital daze, the simple practice of nature journaling can help us reclaim our attention and refocus on the incredible world around us.

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10 Minuite Naturescapes

Naturalist David Lukas has created a series of 10-minute videos, holding a camera on a natural phenomenon so that nature journalists can observe, sketch, and journal. These videos give you the time to make careful observations. Unlike a still photograph, you can see the movement of wind and hear the natural soundscape around you. Practice using your words, pictures, and numbers to record your "I notice," "I wonder, "and "It" reminds me of" observations and thoughts.

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Artivism for African Penguins (Jan. 23, 2025)

Join John Muir Laws, Nature Journal South Africa (NJSA), and Dr. Katta Ludynia, Research Manager at SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) to learn about African Penguins and how to use our nature journals as tools for artivism for their conservation. Oh yes, there are penguins in Africa, now. But they are one step away from effective extinction in the wild – predicted by 2035 – if nothing is done to improve their situation!

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60-Second Bird Sketching

Learn how to draw birds with a few fast lines that capture the feeling and behavior of a live bird. Got a minute? Sketch a bird! Join me and the Wild Wonder Foundation for a fun class on quick bird sketching where I share my best tips and tricks learned through my 40 years of teaching and illustrating. This class is a great opportunity for you to learn how to draw birds and drawing birds is a great way to study them and learn about them.

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Beyond the Front Door with Josée Bergeron (Jan. 28, 2026)

John Muir Laws and the Nature Journal Educator's Forum talk to Josée Bergeron, author of "Beyond the Front Door: Embracing Nature for a Happier and Healthier Family". Calling families to return to nature, Josée offers simple solutions for how to increase outdoor time and, as a result, overall mental health. Forum session of 28 January 2026. The founder of Backwoods Mama, Josée Bergeron is a freelance writer, photographer, and influencer dedicated to helping parents get outdoors.

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Poetry in Nature with Emilie Lygren (Nov. 13, 2025)

April is National Poetry Month in the United States! Let's get out our words and connect with nature! “I love being in the room with just-born poems!” ~Emilie Lygren, 13 Nov. 2025 Join John Muir Laws and poet/author Emilie Lygren for a discussion of her new book of poetry. Let’s learn about her process and how to incorporate some of those ideas into our own nature journaling.

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Urban Beavers in Martinez: Art & Conservation (May 15, 2025)

Join John Muir Laws and Heidi Perryman as we explore beaver conservation, why beavers are important parts of ecosystems and how to draw these amazing creatures. (Class recording 15 May 2025) Heidi Perryman, Ph.D., is a child psychologist who became an accidental beaver advocate when beavers moved into her hometown in 2006. She served on the beaver subcommittee to help the city decide how to respond, then started the organization “Worth A Dam” to coordinate solutions and educate others about their value in the watershed.

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Loving the Natural World through Play, an interview

I had a wonderful conversation with Rachel Woodham. We explored the intersection of play, journaling, and learning. I think you will enjoy it. You can find the conversation here.

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NJEF: How to be a better listener as an educator (2025)

Are you truly hearing what the world is telling you? Join John Muir Laws, with a broad range of educators, as he reflects on, how to make yourself a better listener. Co-hosted with Star. Date of origional video: 2025 In this session, we explore: ✅ Practical techniques to improve your listening skills. ✅ How deep listening enhances our connection to nature and others.

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Billie Jo Reid: “My Journey as an Educator”

Join us for an inspiring session from John Muir Laws as we follow Outdoor Educator Billie Jo Reid on her journey, founder of Pine & Ponder Outdoors. Date of origional video: September 24th, 2025 In this video, Billie Jo reflects on her lifelong connection to nature, from her early days growing up in Canada to her extensive career in outdoor and environmental education.

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NJEF: Insect Investigations with Stephanie Dole (Jul. 3, 2024)

(Class recording from 3 July 2024) This week, the Nature Journal Educator's Forum welcomes Dr. Stephanie Dole, the Beetle Lady, for a conversation about leading insect investigations as educators. When we're doing insect investigations with kids, how do we ensure the safety of both the insects and the participants? What are some good beginning investigations we can do? What are some ideas for how to help kids who might have insect fears?

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NJEF: Book Club Strategies (Dec. 3rd, 2025)

How do we move beyond a standard lecture and create a vibrant, interactive community around a book? In this Nature Journal Educator Forum, Jack and the community "pick brains" to establish best practices for starting and sustaining an online book club. Whether you’re a naturalist, an educator, or a lifelong learner, these strategies help ensure every voice is heard and every chapter sparks a new observation.

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Final Payment to John Muir Laws for 2026 Galapagos Expedition

I am so excited and grateful that you will be joining us! Thank you for your support and participation. This will be an incredible experience and opportunity to learn together.

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A Bird a Day with Anne Chadwick (Dec. 18, 2025)

What would happen if you drew one bird each day for a year? Join John Muir Laws in conversation with nature journaler and conservation leader Anne Chadwick as she wraps up a full year of drawing a bird a day. Why set a goal like this? Lessons learned? Progress made? How can this help build community and advance conservation? What’s next?

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Understanding Birds Through Sculpture (Nov. 21, 2024)

Join John Muir Laws and Jack Revie as we explore the process of carving birds and how to think about birds three dimensionally. This process will improve your ability to draw birds from any angle. You may wish to bring some sculpy, or modeling clay to help you construct your own birds. (Class date: 21 Nov 2024).

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NJEF: Forest Bathing and Nature Journaling (Feb. 19, 2025)

Join Jack and Dan as we explore Forest Bathing and Nature Journaling. (Class recording from 19 Feb. 2025) We have co-led a program in Yosemite National Park and are particularly excited by how synergistic Forest Bathing and Nature Journaling are! Both offer pathways to mindfulness and connection to place and self. Both practices invite us to slow down, to use our senses, and to truly engage, with the natural world.

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Skullduggery! (Apr. 18, 2024)

Nasal turbinates, masseter muscles, zygomatic arches, sagittal crests, infraorbital foramina, AND sciuromorphs - oh my! Join John Muir Laws in this fun deep dive into reading skulls and what they can tell us about the animals they come from. Class recording from 18 April 2024. Cool link from the online Smithsonian Museum:

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NJEF: Journal Resources Page Insert (Apr. 30, 2021)

A class from the past! On 30 April 2021, John Muir Laws asked the Nature Journal Educators Forum for feedback on the resources inserts that later went into his blank sketchbooks, which hundreds of nature journalers now use and enjoy. You can find John Muir Laws's blank sketchbooks for sale here:

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Choose to be Curious Podcast: Ep. #307: Curiosity & Nature Journaling

"Slow down to the speed of wonder." ~ John Muir Laws Join Lynn Borton and me in this episode of the "Choose to be Curious" Podcast. This is an episode about nature journaling, but Jack would be the first to say: it isn't about the journal, it's about the journey. John has developed interdisciplinary programs that combine art with science and train us to observe the world with rigor and joy -- strengthening our capacity to be intentionally curious. Listen to the podcast now.

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Unfolding with I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of.

I use the "I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of" prompt everywhere. Why is it so powerful? How and why does it transform the way you see and think? I was invited to join the Here We Are project to reflect on being present in this wild and precious life. I hope you enjoy this audio deep dive into INIWIRMO! What is the thought behind these three prompts? Listen now

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