MyNatureJournal_Milestone4_0507

Dedicated to my mom, who
taught me to love and care
for the earth.

Animals Air Plants
Take this book on your outdoor
adventures, or wherever you go!
Your Nature Journal is filled with
awesome activities, fascinating
facts, and cool challenges.
Water Food Waste
Have fun exploring
the great outdoors!
4 5

Manatees are gentle mammals
that push themselves through
water with their big, flexible
flippers.
Millions of different kinds of
animals live on Earth. Animals
can be found in every part of the
world, from the North Pole to the
Sahara Desert. They can live on
land or water, or both! Animals
come in all different kinds of
colors, shapes, and sizes.
Galápagos tortoises
can live to be over a
hundred years old.
Adélie Penguin
parents take turns
sitting on their
eggs and hunting
for krill and fish.
Mother alligators
gently carry their
young inside their
huge mouths.
Vampire Bats feed on the blood of
cows, pigs, horses, and birds. (Don’t
worry, it doesn’t hurt their prey!)
6 7

The Spotted Frog is an endangered
species in the United States due to
habitat loss and other factors.
Invent your own made-up creature and draw it here. It can
have horns, a tail, scales, wings – use your imagination!
Help the Spotted Frog make its
way back to its marsh habitat!
Name:
8 9

When snails feel SCARED,
they go inside their shells.
What do YOU do when you
feel SCARED?
When monkeys get ANGRY,
they bare their teeth.
Baby elephants suck on their
trunks for COMFORT.
What do YOU do when you
feel ANGRY?
What do YOU do when you
need COMFORT?
All living things
need air in order to survive.
The air surrounding our earth is
called the atmosphere. Humans
pollute the air through cars and
factories. We need to keep our
atmosphere healthy.
10 11

Can you find the 8 air-related words below?
Take 10 minutes in nature to sit down and focus on taking
deep breaths. Take note of the feeling of fresh air going in
and out of your nose. Try to ignore distractions, close your
eyes, and connect to your body. When you are done, write a
few sentences about how it felt to meditate outside.
N
F
BREATHE HAZE WIND ATMOSPHERE
FRESH POLLUTION BREEZE OZONE
O I T U L L O
R E S H N B X
P A
T E
E
G
F
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W
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12
13

Connect the
points starting
at 1 to reveal the
secret picture!
AIRPLANE:
1.76
lbs CO2 per
passenger
mile
We all have places to go and things to do. Some types of
transportation pollute the air we breathe. You can do your
part to help the planet by choosing air-friendly methods
like biking or walking.
CITY BUS:
0.2
lbs CO2 per
passenger mile
CAR:
1.15
lbs CO2 per
passenger mile
WALKING:
0
lbs CO2 per
passenger mile
BIKING:
0
lbs CO2 per
passenger mile
14 15

Label the part of the plant
using the following terms:
STEM SEEDS ROOTS
LEAVES
FLOWER
1
2
3
Thousands of different
species, or kinds, of plant
grow on Earth. They need
sun, water, and air to grow.
Plants use carbon dioxide,
sunlight, and water to
make their food.
4
5
16 17

My crunchiest
leaf
My
pointiest
leaf
My most
unusual leaf
My driest
leaf
Draw or paste in your favorite
leaves you find while adventuring!
Remember not to pick leaves off of
live trees or plants.
My most
colorful
leaf
My
favorite
leaf
My most
veiny leaf
My
smallest
leaf
My
smoothest
leaf
18 19

Can you find 10 differences in the nature scenes below?
Water is a resource all
living things need. 71%
of the earth is water,
but less than 1% is
drinkable. Water is
life, so let’s preserve it.
20 21

Collect all the sticker badges by completing each water
conservation challenge!
Can you find the 8 water-related words below?
DRINK PUDDLE SHOWER ICE
RAIN WET MOISTURE RIVER
M
O
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S
T
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R
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M
E
H
B
G
E
D
P
L
J
T
I
H
L
M
R
B
U
K
E
P
X
Cut down your
showering time
by 5 minutes
Turn off faucet
when your
brushing teeth
Use extra water
to water
houseplants
A
C
S
N
I
H
V
H
P
S
D
D
W
U
J
Y
O
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K
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Q
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X
O
A
K
R
O
P
X
Use a bucket to
collect rain for
re-use
Fill tub halfway
when taking a
bath
Turn off faucet
when scrubbing
hands with soap
R
J
O
W
K
R
K
X
U
C
22 23

Draw the aquatic creatures listed in each layer, or invent
your own!
Water is precious, so let’s
show it gratitude! Write
6 things water provides
that you’re thankful for.
Sunlight - jellyfish, crabs, stingray
Twilight - octopus, swordfish, whales
Midnight - anglerfish, eel, blobfish
Abyss - giant squid
Trench - tube worms, sea cucumber
24 25

All
animals and
humans have to eat
food in order to survive.
Food provides energy and
nutrition to living things.
Some of the main nutrients
that are found in food are
carbohydrates, fats,
proteins, and
vitamins.
“Composting” occurs when natural
waste breaks down and returns to the
soil. Organisms like worms help break
down the food waste. Draw a line to
match each item to its correct bin!
26 27

The animals are hungry! Match each critter to their food.
These granola bars are made of oats, almonds, peanut
butter and chocolate chips. It’s healthy, easy to make with
the help of an adult, and perfect to pack as a snack for
hiking! Makes 14-16 bars.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
•
•
•
1 ¾ cups oats
1 ⅓ cup sliced
almonds
⅔ cup mini dark
1. Line an 8-9” square pan with
parchment paper. In a mixing bowl,
whisk together oats, almonds,
chocolate chips, cinnamon, and salt.
•
chocolate chips
1 teaspoon
2. Whisk together peanut butter, honey,
and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
•
•
ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 cup creamy
peanut butter
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the
dry ingredients. Use a spoon to mix
them together until the two are evenly
combined and no dry oats remain.
•
•
½ cup honey
1 ½ teaspoons
vanilla extract
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared
square pan. Use your spoon to
arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the
pan to pack the mixture down as
firmly and evenly as possible.
5. Cover the pan and refrigerate for one
hour or overnight. Use a knife to slice
the bars. For portability, you can wrap
individual bars in plastic wrap or
parchment paper.
28 29

Color in the rainbow of fruits and veggies!
When we are finished using
something, whether it is an
old toothbrush or leftover
food, we throw it away and it
becomes waste. Too much
waste can be harmful to our
planet, so we must each do
our part to limit our waste.
30 31

Plastic stays on the planet for years and years, and can be
very harmful to all creatures. If you walk around your
neighborhood, you’ll probably find many pieces of plastic
litter. Try to find trash plastic to fit each category and
draw them in the boxes! Avoid germs by wearing gloves.
Draw a line to match each item to its correct bin!
A bottlecap Something blue A wrapper
Something
see-through
Something with
words on it
Smaller than a
quarter
32 33

Design your own anti-waste t-shirt that activists like you
could wear to show their support for environmentalism.
Come up with a catchy message, for example: “Think
Green” or “Taste it, Don’t Waste it!”
Think of a creative way to repurpose these common items.
34 35

Page 23: Water Word Search Acknowledgements
Page 8: Frog Rescue
Page 13: Air Word Search
I would like to thank several people
and acknowledge the online sources
that made it possible for me to create
this book. First, I’d like to thank my
parents for giving me a childhood
filled with unforgettable outdoor
experiences, from canoeing the
Green River in Utah to camping in the
woods of Jasper National Park. Early
on I developed a love for nature, and
this is what inspired me to share it
with the next generation. Next, a big
thank you to my community of fellow
Page 17: Plant Parts
Page 20: Spot the Difference
Page 27: Careful Composting
Trash: chips bag, straw, takeout
bag. Compost: apple core,
watermelon rind, banana peel,
dead flower, tea bag.
students and professors at USF who
have helped me improve this project
through countless critiques and
conversations. While researching the
content of this book I relied on
1.) Seeds 2.) Flower 3.) Stem
4.) Leaves 5.) Roots
1.) Extra cloud
2.) Missing pine tree
3.) Log bark detail
4.) Vine color
5.) Mushroom spots
6.) Tree berries
7.) Tree trunk color
8.) Flower colors
9.) Flower seeds
10.) Bird eye
Page 28: Hungry Critters
Bear: fish. Bee: flower. Cow: grass.
Squirrel: acorn.
Page 33: Sort It Out!
Trash: takeout bag, straw,
lightbulb. Recycling: paper bag,
glass bottle, milk carton,
newspaper.
National Geographic Kids, Britannica
Kids, and the National Wildlife
Federation. The recipe on page 29 is
by Kathryne Taylor. I drew inspiration
from the REI Kid’s Adventure Journal
and Bigfoot’s Playbook by Leave No
Trace. My hope is that this book is a
fun, interactive experience for every
child (or adult!) who uses it, and
inspires them to fight for our planet.
36 37

My Nature Journal is an interactive workbook that
aims to foster a positive relationship between the
child and the natural environment around them.
This journal includes activities and information
about animals, plants, water, air, food and waste.
Each page is filled with delightful illustrations and
plenty of opportunities to complete activities and
share their experiences through investigations,
drawings, journal entries, and more!
Cover design by Sarah Hamilton
Meet the author at
www.sarahhamiltondesign.com
Ages 6-10+