Phenology Wheel Basics for Nature Study

Phenology wheels: maybe a niche topic, but a beautiful one! Phenology is the study of seasons and the cycles of nature. An phenology wheel is a visual representation of that study, using a segmented circle to represent periods of time. Commonly, the wheel is segmented into 12 sections to represent each month of the year, and each illustrates something meaningful observed in nature during that month. (So, it’s constructed over the course of a year.) I’ve also seen wheels that represent a single month, with 28-31 sections in the wheel (these often track the moon cycle and temperatures).

I’ve been following the hashtag #phenologywheel on instagram for a while now, and it’s amazing to see the beautiful work produced. It’s also super intimidating! I wouldn’t consider myself an artist, and the intimidation factor held me back for too long!

I’m here to tell you that anyone can try their hand at a phenology wheel, and you can jump in at any time! My kindergartener and second grader saw what I was working on and begged to make their own! Annnd… we decided to just start randomly on February 28– not at the start of a year, or even the start of a season.

I first learned of the idea of a phenology wheel through our nature curriculum, Exploring Nature With Children by Lynn Seddon. I highly recommend her Phenology Wheel Guide. She goes into great detail and takes you step by step into how to draw one, ideas for what to include, seasonal books to consider, and a lengthy list of liturgial feasts/special days.

Since we began our wheels at the end of February, we looked over our camera roll at our nature photos and retraced our steps in our memories to decide what to include. I’m excited to watch this grow with us this year! (Along with our watercolor and drawing skills!)

First, I decided to create a Colors of the Year wheel. My kindergartener has chosen this style as well. Super simple– just represent the primary colors you noticed in nature that month! (“Mud. Lots of mud,” my Kinder declared of January!)

Next, I created a “Calendar of Firsts” wheel to record the first experiences and sightings of the year. We were so excited to see so many new birds at our feeder last week, so I represented that with a robin. In January we saw the blooming of our first amaryllis plant. Although it was indoors, it was such a wonderful natural experience for all of us. We have never grown one before, and it was our own little miracle– truly a “hug from above” as it bloomed on the anniversary of my grandmother’s passing last January.

If you’ve never created a phenology wheel before, I hope this gave you a little inspiration to try it! I love deepening our nature observations as we become more mature students of the natural world!

PS. We love these watercolor brush pens! And this is the watercolor paper we use– I stock up when they reach around $5-6. At 140lb the paper is so nice! (affiliate links)

I’ll share my wheels each month on my Instagram account! Look for me @librarianinthehouse!

PS. You can read more about our nature study in our homeschool here–– though it’s definitely not limited to homeschoolers! And, don’t forget to look into the Phenology Wheel Guide for even more ideas!

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