Read Joanne Ryder's book The Waterfall's Gift with your children. In this lyrical tale, a young girl journeys into the woods to visit a secret place that she shared with her grandfather. The story focuses on the five senses. Stop periodically while you are reading and talk about how nature looks, feels, smells, sounds, and tastes. The story also touches on the loss of a loved one, a connection to the past, and a hope for the future. After reading the book, share with your children some memories of family and nature that surfaced while you were reading the book. If appropriate, have your children contact grandparents or other family members and ask them if they have a special place where they feel connected with nature. You might choose to find a special outdoor place that you could visit periodically as a family to create your own family/nature memory.
The following is a list of additional books that you might want to share with your children:
- Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message From Chief Seattle by Susan Jeffers
- Farewell to Shady Glade by Bill Peet
- Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
- The Wump World by Bill Peet
Family Nature Event
Go on a family nature outing. Record the event using one or several of these methods:
- Bring along a sketchpad or watercolor box and paint or draw the landscape.
- Use a camera to capture nature images on film.
- Bring a recording device and make a Sounds of Nature tape.
- Sit and observe the surroundings using as many of your senses as possible. Record words that describe the environment on a piece of paper and use them to write a haiku.
A haiku poem is a very short, centuries-old form of Japanese poetry. Haikus are often written about nature and convey emotions. A traditional Japanese haiku had a total of seventeen syllables divided into three lines:
• Five syllables
• Seven syllables
• Five syllables
You don't need to be this rigid in the creation of your poem. You may choose to describe the setting using as few words as possible.
Post your photographs, poems, drawings and sounds on a family nature Web site. Encourage friends and family members to post their experiences with nature on the Web site.
