Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
My Nature Book: A Journal and Activity Book for Kids
Activity Book
For ages 8 to 11
Taylor Trade Publishing, 2013 ISBN: 978-1589798229
Getting out into nature is an incredibly healing thing to do. Unfortunately, the impetus to go outside is often overshadowed by the pull of TVs, computers, cell phones, and other gadgets. Sometimes we need a little, gentle push to get us out of the door, and a little help to learn, or relearn, about what nature has to offer.
In this wonderful and beautifully illustrated book, the author offers readers prompts that will
encourage them to get outside, to observe nature, and to interact with nature in fun and creative ways. There are pages full of prompts to fill in, pages where we are encouraged to create a piece of art, and projects to try.
For example, one of the prompts asks us to “Write about something you discovered [in nature] that you never noticed before,” and there is a whole page below the prompt to write on. Finding a response to this prompt will encourage the reader to look at and listen to the natural world around them. What will they discover?
Another page full of prompts encourages us to remember, notice, and comment on types of weather that we have experienced.
The first project we encounter is a recipe for muffins. If you are going on a hike or a nature walk it is always a good idea to have tasty, energy-giving snacks with you. In the next project, which is found a few pages ahead in the book, readers will learn how to make a luminaria using an empty, clean tin can. All you will need to complete the project is a nail, a hammer, a marker, and a candle. Next to each project page is a “About my project page” which provides readers with a space to talk about the project that they created.
The author has also included pages full of prompts that will expand our minds and explore our understanding of the world. These pages will encourage us to think, and they will help us to consider our relationship with nature and ourselves.
Throughout the book the text is decorated with lovely illustrations and, as they work their way through the journal, young readers will come to appreciate how precious and enriching nature is, and how important it is that we should take care of the natural world.
