Divided season by season, My Naturama Nature Journal is packed with projects that kids will have lots of fun carrying out in each season of the year, observing and collecting records of plants, birds and insects.

Get outdoors and collect the seasons from the authors of the No.1 bestselling Naturama.

Following the bestselling Naturama, Michael Fewer and Melissa Doran return with My Naturama Nature Journal an activity book that encourages young readers to discover for themselves the magic of nature right on their doorstep.

My Naturama Nature Journal is your own personal diary of what you see happening around you in the natural world during the year. You can bring it with you when you are exploring the garden, the local park or the seaside, and fill it with notes, drawings and pictures, or stick in pressed flower petals, leaves, grasses and feathers. Michael and Melissa share ideas and advice for lots of fun projects, such as:

• Encourage birds to come into your garden so you can observe them and write about them - why not provide your little feathered friends with a bird bath?
• Keep a close watch in early spring and note when you see the first green shoots appear in the soil.
• Note when you see the first bees in your garden. Describe them using their colours and size, and report what they are doing and what plants they visit.
• Adopt a tree and find out all about it, you can even make a bark rubbing.
• Lay a trap to find shy tiny creatures (but be sure to release your captives!)
• Listen out for the birds singing and note which bird you think sings the best song.
• Learn how to make an insect hotel for your garden, or set up a butterfly restaurant!
• See how many different kinds of shells you can find at the seaside.
• Lie on the lawn with your friends and look straight up at the sky. Make stories from the clouds.

In a message to budding naturalists everywhere, Michael Fewer says:

“We humans need to watch over and care for the natural world around us, and make sure no harm comes to it. Use your Nature Journal to get to know more and more about the natural world around you. With it you can be a very important observer and protector of nature. When you have used your Nature Journal for four seasons, you will have learned a lot, but there are always more interesting things to discover”.

About the author and illustrator

Michael Fewer is an architect, environmentalist and writer. He has published work over the last 25 years on subjects varying from architectural history and travel to walking and nature guides. Previous books include Naturama (Gill Books), Michael Fewer’s Ireland, The Wicklow Military Road and Rambling Down the Suir (Ashfield Press). He lives in Dublin.

Melissa Doran works in Dublin as an illustrator. The natural world inspires her work and she uses a combination of hand-drawing and digital collage to create her drawings. She also teaches digital illustration and runs art workshops for children and adults. She is the illustrator of Naturama.