The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families and Classrooms    by Clare Walker Leslie Order:  USA  Can Storey, 2010 (2010) Softcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Bob Walch You don't have to go far from home to discover some really fascinating things about nature. Start right in your backyard or at a nearby neighborhood park and use this excellent book to be your guide to exploring nature. After reading the two introductory chapters on How to Be a Naturalist and Learning the Sky, you'll be ready to start. The author presents a month-by-month guide with suggested activities, so you'll have plenty of ideas on how to launch your nature explorations. Among the suggestions are looking for and identifying local grasses; creating a collection of rocks found in your area; collecting seeds from plants which are ending their growing cycles; or taking an evening walk and recording what you see (bats perhaps), smell, or hear. This interactive book provides space for jotting down notes, drawing pictures and keeping records such as on sunsets, tide fluctuations and animal sightings. The author's approach centers on heightening the child's observation skills, encouraging questions, and listing various resources where the answers can be found. A practical, engaging and inexpensive guide that makes nature study fun and relevant to everyday existence, The Nature Connection is a book that will get the entire family involved in discovering all the exciting things taking place outside the house. Teachers will also find this volume an excellent resource for the classroom. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews