Less naming.
More noticing.

Before you begin

Bring a pencil and the sheets you want. Check official park conditions and weather before outdoor use. Select a place where the group can pause without blocking the trail, approaching wildlife or nearing an edge. Never look directly at the Sun. Stop for thunder and seek a substantial building or enclosed hard-topped vehicle.

Do not collect names, ages, school details, exact locations, photographs or recordings. Do not ask participants to submit sightings or personal work online. Paper sketches should describe natural features only. The digital notebook accepts only predefined nonpersonal choices.

A simple sequence

1. Notice. Spend a quiet moment with a diagram or visible feature. Each person can sketch, speak, point or choose a description.
2. Separate. Ask which words describe what is visible, and which words propose an explanation.
3. Wonder. Choose one unanswered question. A careful “I cannot tell” is a useful result.
4. Leave. Leave rocks, plants and wildlife undisturbed. Keep your own paper and litter with you.

A suggested 20–30 minute session might use a rock sheet, a light sheet and the final care sheet. Adjust freely for attention, comfort and access; this is an editorial suggestion, not a tested lesson duration.

Make it available to everyone

All diagrams have text descriptions. Read prompts aloud or use pointing, discussion or a partner scribe. The indoor diagram is a complete alternative to outdoor observation. The listening sheet includes a visual alternative. Do not infer hearing, vision, mobility or subject knowledge from someone's choices.

Keyboard users can tab through filters, sheet buttons and native form controls. Browser zoom and text wrapping are supported. There is no animation, audio playback, microphone, camera or location request.

Using the local notebook

Select “Diagram practice” for the invented illustrations and “Outdoor observation” only for something actually observed outdoors. Select a detail, certainty and a question, then save. Switching sheets keeps unsaved choices in the current tab. Reloading discards unsaved choices.

Saved entries remain in this browser on this website. Anyone using the same browser may see them. Browser clearing or private browsing may remove them. Export JSON for structured choices or text for readable notes. Exports include only saved entries and never a timestamp or location. There is no upload or cloud account.

“Reset notebook” asks once more before deleting this notebook's storage key. It does not clear other website data. On a shared device, export if desired, then reset and verify the empty state. If storage is unavailable, the app labels entries as tab-only; export before leaving. No private data should be added by editing export files and reimporting; import is not provided.

Printing

Open the sixteen-sheet collection or an individual sheet. Use Letter or A4 portrait, 100% scale, and turn browser headers and footers off. Color is optional; labels, solid lines and dashed lines carry the meaning. Print one-sided for separate cards. Printable SVG counterparts are also included in the pack.

Each diagram caption states its evidence limit. Keep captions and source notes attached if you reuse a sheet. Source IDs in the SVG pages resolve in the source notes.

Questions to discuss

• What is the smallest detail that supports your description?
• What could make your interpretation wrong?
• What would require a measurement or another source?
• How can you answer the next question with less disturbance?

This notebook is independent BCC educational material, not an NPS program or an assessment of a learner. Scientific and educator review remain separate from software and layout checks.