Slowing Down Together: A Nature Journaling Afternoon with Our 4th Grade Teachers

On Thursday, Elexis Padrón and Haley Peterson welcomed the 4th grade teachers from across Cabrillo Unified for an afternoon of snacks, conversation, and nature journaling at El Granada Elementary. We gathered in the school’s new science room and then headed out into its new gardens, a fitting place to spend time together.

Teachers give so much of themselves every day. These workshops are a chance for them to connect with one another, take a breath, and reflect on the important work they do helping students build a relationship with the natural world.

Why this matters

Nature journaling is more than a classroom activity. Time spent slowing down and paying attention outdoors is good for our mental health, for kids and adults alike. It also builds lasting skills: observing carefully, asking good questions, and making connections. These are habits students can carry with them all the way through school, and they help kids grow into people who notice and care about the world around them.

Patterns and exceptions

This time, we practiced looking for patterns and exceptions in nature. Once you start looking, patterns are everywhere: the spiral of a sunflower head, the branching of veins in a leaf, the repeating shapes of petals. These patterns aren’t random. They help living things grow, survive, and thrive.

And yet, there are always exceptions. A leaf with an extra lobe. A flower with one petal more or less than its neighbors. A branch that grew a different way to reach the light.

What can that teach us? Maybe that differences aren’t mistakes. Exceptions are part of how nature adapts and keeps going, and there is room in the world for things that don’t fit the usual mold. It’s a beautiful lesson to bring back to the classroom, where every student is a little bit of an exception in their own way.

Thank you

Thank you to our 4th grade teachers for spending their afternoon with us and for everything they do to bring nature into their students’ lives. And thank you to El Granada Elementary for hosting us in such a wonderful new space.