Label the drawings with the common and scientific names of the things included in the picture. In learning what to include in your nature journals, look at the journals of different accomplished naturalists such as John James Audubon. However, field trips may only be practical once a week or so. There is still plenty of nature study that can take place at home. Utilize the library for further research on a topic that has fired a child's interest while on a walk.
Children can also research and set up aquariums and terrariums or other habitats under study.
Children also enjoy making posters showing everything from the life cycle of the frog to the migratory patterns of birds. If a child lives in Florida he will be unlikely to learn about the tundra ecosystem through his field trips and nature journal. Therefore learning to keep a science notebook is an effective way to learn the facts of natural philosophy to which he would not otherwise be exposed. A science notebook serves as a place to record and then refer to what they are learning at home, during their topical nature study. It is also helpful to distill a day's reading into its main ideas, using no more than three or four sentences, and record those sentences in the science notebook.