Ask the group of children to sit in a park, wooded area or in a backyard to look at their surroundings. Ask them to think back 50, 100 and 150 years and imagine what the area might have been like. Think about what has changed and what has not changed in that time period. Divide the group into teams to brainstorm more ideas. Take turns reading the lists and discussing each item. Talk about what might have been a surprise or what was not. Take the activity a step further and talk about what life might have been like in past. Discuss what it would be like to grow up in the 1950s or how life would have been during westward expansion traveling by wagon.
While discussing biology or plants and flowers, ask students to think about their favorite place in nature. Ask them what that their places look like. Ask the students to write a short paragraph or story about why this place in nature is special and important to them. To go along with the story, ask them to draw a picture, depicting the place for someone else.
Staying still might be hard for some children, but it is a great activity to listen to the world around them. Visit a park or nature area and sit the class in a circle. Ask the students to close their eyes and listen. Speak in a soft voice, asking the children what they hear from the plants rustling in the wind to a bird in the tree. After a few minutes, hand out paper and pencils to have the class write what they heard. Focus on the ideas of describing the sounds in detail, the student's emotions and what is happening in the environment as these sounds were being made.
Journal writing is not new. Students are given a journal to write their thoughts, share their feelings or to create short stories and poems (See References 2). Take the class outside to observe insects, butterflies and plants. After a few moments of observation, ask the students to begin writing what they see, using as many adjectives and descriptions as possible. Do not give any restrictions or perimeters to the assignment, allowing the students to use their own creativity to describe what is around them. Repeat this activity two to three times of week to help students develop their writing, creativity, observational and critical thinking skills (See References 2).