The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms

I bought this book to use over the summer to nature journal with my 2 kids. I ended up buying one for each of us as it is a consumable item (you actually write in the book). I was looking for something with drawing and journaling prompts as that is one of my weak areas- how to get my 9 and 10 yr olds to think and see more thoroughly what is around them and get them to spend more than 10 mins on a drawing and say they are done. This book really fits that criteria! We also use a Strathmore 5X8 in sketch book that we take on our hikes since this book is bit big to pack. I do think a smaller format would be amazing to be able to pack on hikes! I personally have loved reading through this and engaging in the prompts. The kids' desire to take time and ponder nature is still laborious but this book has definitely helped. We all work on the same page and can encourage and discuss as we go. The illustrations are gold, too! They are actually simple enough to recreate which is a great exercise in perspective and simplicity. We often just try to copy the drawing in the book to grow our drawing skills without the added pressure of drawing something new. This process really helps build our confidence. I would recommend this book to anyone wants their eyes and ears opened to the nature around them.

Our 11 yo loves this book. He carries it with him to work in or just for inspiration for his own nature projects. He now loves to take observation walks with pencils and paper to draw what he sees, sketching trees, flowers, birds, butterflies, etc. He later makes connections with other books he has to determine what kind of plant or insect, etc, that he saw. I like that this book is encourages his creativity as well as his curiosity. There is a section for each month with projects and information that children, or anyone, might find interesting. Snowflakes, as an example, show different kinds of crystals. Activities are simple enough for young children to understand but also something that an older child could delve into more deeply, such as making a nature treasure map to show where a bird nest is or a path of daisies or a river or trail. With almost 300 pages, there is plenty to keep a child engaged.

I'm buying another! One for each child. I can't wait to dive into this book. How fun! I am a homeschooling mom and I wanted something a little extra to enrich my child but also get them out the house and connect with nature. We live in Los Angeles county and it's a far cry from Alaska where I'm from, or Washington (the Green State!) where Grandma and Grandpa are at, so this book is going to help us out a lot to get ideas for where to go and what to look for. Nature is everywhere, even here, and I love that we'll be enjoying ourselves sketching, tracking the moon phases, looking for tracks of animals, studying trees, etc. This is awesome. Can't wait. OH! And even my friend who is an artist and daycare provider will be buying these for her kids at her daycare and wants to do this. How fun!

My three kids (ages 5, 8, and 10) LOVE this book, my only regret is that I didn't buy more than one! They've been making copies of pages to write in and taking it everywhere together. I love that they're picking up subtle changes in their surroundings, and today their favorite thing is the tips about drawing birds and flowers. They've been enthralled with this book for about 5 days now and I can see it being a favorite for quite some time

Really beautiful and lots of information + gorgeous sketches!! It makes us want to get outside and explore! :) I am using this book with my kindergarden / 1st grader as part of our homeschool curriculum. We are adapting it to her needs, but really its best for probably 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade. In a year or two when my daughter fully grows into this book we'll be able to do so much more with it - in the meantime, though, we are still loving it. My ONLY complaint is that the author seems to be from the far north east, so her seasonal activities do not match Texas weather at all. For example, she focuses on water in the summer whereas we are saving that section for next spring because summer is SO dry here. And in September she focuses on things getting ready to hibernate, etc. whereas in Texas September is still high 90's outside. So this would be PERFECT for anyone in the north, but requires a bit of adapting if you're in the south. Not a big deal, but I do drop it one star. I wish she'd matched her calander of activities with a more "moderate" US climate that would not require SO MUCH modification for us southerners!

I bought this book to use with my two daughters for fun or lightly with our homeschooling. I ended up buying 3 of them- one for each of them (aged 11 and 17) and one for me too! I love the monthly sections that give you activities to do even during the winter months. These are not necessarily big science experiments requiring equipment, but observation ideas- things we can do in our backyard, on a walk or at a pond, etc. There is enough information and inspiration in here that I actually decided to use is for my daughter's 6th grade science book. There are many book suggestions, questions that require further investigation and of course hands on learning. Thank you so much Clare Walker Leslie for an amazing resource written in a down to earth interesting way. It is a book we will use for years to come!!

Amazing for kids and adults alike. This was a required text for a 300 level college class and it was a fun assignment for us and the middle schoolers we worked with that used it daily

I love how the author goes from explaining her own process to giving you (or your child) an activity to complete. If you're looking for a gentle way to start nature journaling, I highly recommend using this book. The exercises are easy to complete and well-explained. Even if you just pick one to complete every now and then, they will help your children notice more outside than before. She also includes some helpful tips for parents and teachers for teaching kids about the outside world. I would definitely recommend this to my friends. Bonus points if they homeschool.

What a wonderful book for kids of all ages! The monthly sheets are my favorite thank you!

I bought this for my whole family to use and was really impressed with the quality of the writing and suggestions. We started of using the introduction and are now working our way through spring and the book takes you through a whole year. Nice cover which is ideal for taking outdoors and the quality of the paper inside is good for filling in the sections where you can record your sightings. We take this with us on nature walks and trips to the woods and will eventually become both a reference book and a keepsake of our days out.

The Nature Connection is a great book - i bought it for my 9 year old grand-daughter to keep her occupied while she stayed with us, and she loved it. There is so much of interest in it that I'm sure she'll continue to use it for a long time.

This book is fantastic! Quality content which it seems is based on 30 years of experience! It allows any youngers and olders one to discover nature in a very personal way. Connection with nature is inevitable by following the workshops offered in this workbook.

This is a pretty great book. Lots of ideas contained within to help you and your children connect with nature. Lots of information inside, and I enjoyed the little prompts to get your kids thinking about the things they're learning.