If They Don’t Protect It, Who Will?
“If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it, and if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it, and if they don’t protect it, who will?”
— Sir David Attenborough
A teacher friend used my nature journaling resource with her fourth graders this year. She began by sharing photos of her baby owls nesting on the roof, the birds at her feeder, and the small wonders in her own backyard. When she took her students outside, they fell in love instantly. Now they ask every single day, “Can we go again?”
That’s the magic of nature journaling. It’s not a fancy project. It’s a notebook, a pencil, and permission to notice.
Why Nature Journaling Matters
Nature journaling teaches children to slow down long enough to see. To look closer at the beetle instead of backing away. To notice the way the clouds shift or the way sunlight hits a leaf.
This simple act of observation is the first step toward understanding.
And understanding leads to protection.
You don’t need a forest or a field. You need curiosity. Nature hides in sidewalk cracks, in potted plants, in raindrops sliding down a window. When kids start to recognize that, they begin to understand that the natural world isn’t somewhere else—it’s everywhere.
How to Begin
Start small. Take your class outside for five minutes with a pencil and paper. Don’t aim for perfect sketches or essays. Aim for wonder.
Ask:
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What do you see?
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What do you hear?
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What do you wonder?
The first time, don’t even journal. Just sit together and look. Let silence do the teaching. The next time, bring notebooks. Students will surprise you with their attention, their empathy, their joy.
They’ll see more than you think—and they’ll start to care more deeply than you ever imagined.
It’s Not My Fault, But It’s My Problem
When I started a Green Team at my school, I told my students:
“No, I don’t want to go outside and pick up trash. I didn’t put it there.
But I will—because it’s not my fault, but it’s my problem.”
Almost fifty students signed up that week. They wanted to do something that mattered.
That’s what happens when we model stewardship. Kids mirror what they see.
They’ll choose not to squash a bug. They’ll pick up the bottle instead of stepping over it.
And those small choices ripple outward.
The Bigger Picture
Our planet doesn’t need another generation that can memorize environmental vocabulary. It needs a generation that feels connected enough to act.
Every journal entry, every drawing, every “I wonder why” moment is a seed.
When students understand that the world depends on them—and that their choices matter—they start living differently.
And that’s where change begins.
If They Don’t Protect It, Who Will?
It starts small.
With a pencil.
A notebook.
A child looking closely at the world for the first time.
If every teacher gave their students that chance—to notice, to record, to care—we could grow a thousand voices into ten thousand, and a whisper into a movement.
Because every act of attention is an act of love.
And love is what will save this world.
👉 [Think, Observe, Write: Scientific Thinking for Young Naturalists]
Help your students look closer, wonder deeply, and write their way into caring for the world around them.
Book Spotlight: Jayden’s Impossible Garden
If you’re looking for the perfect read-aloud to pair with your nature journaling lessons, Jayden’s Impossible Garden by Mélina Mangal is a must. This heartwarming story follows Jayden, a boy who sees beauty and nature in the middle of the city—even when the adults around him can’t. With the help of his neighbor, he creates a small garden that transforms their urban space and inspires others to notice the life all around them.
It’s a powerful reminder that nature is everywhere—we just have to look for it. Use this book to spark conversation, reflection, and journaling about where your students find nature in their own world.