Nature diary: A campaign by BUNDjugend
It was in November 2019 when a lovely email landed in our inbox. The lovely Salome from BUNDjugend Baden-Württemberg told us about the "Nature Diary" project, which had been launched many years ago. The idea behind it: to inspire children about nature and thus also encourage them to take an interest in nature and environmental protection. A great idea, we thought, and decided to take a closer look. Because if we've learned anything in recent years, it's this: What you know and what you love, you protect!
Project “Nature Diary” – what is it?
The Nature Diary project was initiated by the BUNDjugend Baden-Württemberg team. Its goal is to bring children closer to nature and inspire them to appreciate its diversity. Through a creative and playful approach, the children are encouraged to explore the natural world around them in their own way. The children record their experiences of nature in their self-designed nature journals. There are no limits to creativity. Whether photographing, filming, creating collages, painting, drawing, or simply writing: everyone can create their own nature diary as they please, capturing a piece of nature and getting to know it better.
Who can participate?
Basically, any child between 8 and 12 years old. Whether alone, in pairs, or as a whole school class, anyone who wants to participate can get started right away!
Who can take part in the competition?
Of course, everyone! BUNDjugend has also come up with something nice to motivate them. Anyone who likes this can send their nature diary to BUNDjugend in the fall and will receive a certificate and a small prize. But that's not all: In some German states, the best nature diaries will be publicly awarded about six months after the submission deadline, and the children will be invited to the awards ceremony.
Nature Diary 2019-2020: The Results
From Salome's email, you can tell how much joy she had looking through the submissions. She tells us: "It's always truly impressive and wonderful to see the children's fantastic ideas and how passionately they put their hearts into it. Besides the awards ceremony, the best part of the competition is always when all the diaries start arriving." We believe her! In the fall of 2019, over 700 children participated in the BUNDjugend Baden-Württemberg nature diary. 68 participants were selected and invited to the awards ceremony, which will take place next week (early March) at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart. 
Participate now:
This year, the Nature Diary project is entering its next round. If you're interested, there's nothing stopping you from participating. As a naturalist, you'll first search for a patch of nature, which you'll then thoroughly examine over the summer. Perhaps there's a pond near you, a meadow behind your house, an anthill in the woods next door, or a bird's nest in your garden? Nature is everywhere, just waiting to be explored by you! You can find all the information on how to participate and the competition here .
