Over the past two weeks, program manager Haley Peterson visited 4th grade classrooms across Cabrillo Unified to introduce students to nature journaling, the heart of everything they'll do this year.

Nature journaling is all about slowing down and really looking. Students learned how to observe closely, sketch what they see, and write down their questions and wonderings. There's no "right" way to do it, and that's the point. A leaf, a feather, or a bug on the windowsill can turn into a page full of discoveries. It was a joy to watch students dive in with so much curiosity.

Next week, students begin their JLS curriculum in the classroom, building the skills and science background they'll carry into the field.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, things are rolling. We're getting the restoration site ready for students' first field trips at the end of October. Mulch is being delivered and moved into place (thank you Brushhog Tree Care!), invasive plants are being pulled, and materials are being sorted and organized. All of this sets the stage for the habitat restoration project our 4th graders will work on throughout the year.

Since the program began, Junior Land Stewards have planted nearly 1,000 native plants, and this year's class is ready to add their own chapter to that story. They'll once again be joined in the field by trained Half Moon Bay High School students serving as Field Guides, some of whom were once Junior Land Stewards themselves.

Stay tuned for updates from the field this fall. We can't wait to share what our young stewards discover!