Nature Smarts Workbook, Ages 10-12

I will definitely buy this for both my children and my classroom. This interactive book is packed with information and activities to do in nature. It will provide hours and hours of outdoor learning activities and teach so much about nature.

This is such an amazing workbook! It is very thorough and covers many topics in nature. This would be perfect for use in home education or just as an activity book to keep kiddos busy and learning this summer! I will definitely be purchasing it for my 12 year old!

Nature Smarts Workbooks are great for teaching and practicing nature observation, classification, animal life cycle and so much more. Perfect for upper the elementary grades.

This guide is very attractively laid out and illustrated and has plenty of activities for 10-12 year olds who would like to learn how to observe nature and learn from their observations.

The tools and activities for them are all common everyday items and the activities are easily done no matter where you are located. The set of activities are particularly valuable for children who enjoy deepening their awareness of the world around them through concentration, observation, differentiating between classes of species. It also is appropriate for children who enjoy puzzles, acrostics, and making up their own puzzles.

Plants, invertebrates, herptiles, birds, and mammals are all covered here and each chapter covers classification details that can be learned about the species “where you are.” There are also resources on how to become a community scientist or participate in projects that help various species and some information on climate change.

It was nice to see the salamander life-cycle get detailed coverage as this species may be more mysterious and interesting to children, who likely know enough about frogs. Still, the activities on frogs were well-chosen: identifying them by their calls. Less helpful were the fun facts in sidebars throughout the book. Some of these “fun facts” cover well-trodden ground, as do a few of the activities throughout: bark-rubbing, making an egg “rubbery”; however, there is a wide selection of activities and something that is bound to interest every child who is curious about their natural surroundings.

Children will appreciate the tips on how to find species. The instructions in the early chapters on what to write/draw/observe in a nature journal were really helpful for parents who’d like to put this in a backpack, for use during a child’s hike. And for the child who wants to take it further, the instructions on making your own field study, are also helpful. The instructions in creating your own field study are clear and easy to follow.

4.5 out of 5 stars

This was such a cute little field guide workbook! This is definitely a great way to get kids interested in the environment and conservation. This book touched on many reasons why everything is important for everything to function and how to observe the world without harming species. I think the activities in this hold the reader's attention well and are great ways to get kids engaged with nature in a safe way. I like how this book also talks about how even kids can further help in terms of collecting data for communities. I absolutely would have loved having this workbook as a kid so hopefully, kids get to enjoy it now!

I docked half a point because I think a few of the words used are a bit too complicated for the age group this targets, but that is my only critique. :)

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was great resource for students who love nature and animals. It lets the kids learn while being outside. This is amazing!

We used the nature smarts book for preschool children last year, so wanted to check out this version for older kids.

The book is a nature guide/notebook for kids interested in the world they live in.

The book is full of activities to get your child outside to explore the environment.

Filled with quizzes and great pictures. Once your child works their way through the book, they will be a keen naturalist.

As a homeschool mum, it is a great addition to our science curriculum.

A great introduction to nature study for older elementary kids. I appreciated the fun tips and the encouragement to go outdoors. I appreciated that the book was split into different sections like flowers, mammals, etc so students can focus on one thing at a time. I hope students would go beyond this book, but this is an excellent resource to begin nature study and fall in love with it!

Seeing verses observing.

That's how the book begins, encouraging readers to fine tune their observation skills and really see all the wonders that surround us. For me, that was the key element of this amazingly fascinating workbook. Quite frankly, I'll note, although it's targeting the ages of 10-12, grown-ups of all ages may find it interesting. I definitely liked that after an introduction, it encouraged us to feel free to jump around from section to section. Whether you read straight through or jump around, it can definitely help readers see things others miss.

I won't detail the sections but will note that they emphasize the process, the way to really see what your eyes may be seeing but your brain isn't processing, so to speak. Readers are encouraged to select or observe specific things, look for likenesses and differences, and how to keep track of their findings. For example, is that tree bark smoother or rougher than another? You'll even learn how to do a bark rubbing, which I regret to say I'd never really heard of although it's similar to how gravestone rubbings are done. You'll also learn how to transect areas to take detailed observations, not to mention tell if a plant is male or female of both. Come on. Bet you never considered that any more than I had. Lots more, much of which is described in the publisher's blurb.

Living in Alaska, I must admit to examining the countless moose tracks in the remaining snow just before I sat down to type. I also learned how heavy an eagle's nest may become after years of being added to by the eagles. I'll never look again at an eagle's nest way up high quite the same. Although I'm not of a scientific bent, I found the info within interesting although, quite frankly,I question the target age. The vocabulary, isn't always simple, although that in many ways (says the retired teacher in me) is a teaching tool, too. Finally, ways to become involved with community efforts to study nature are given.

Bottom line, a plus for any classroom or student (or adults) who wants to learn to see, really see the world around them. Thanks #NetGalley and StoreyPublishing for reminding me that there's lots of be learned on even my daily dog walks. The climate connections made were quite timely.

You know a book is amazing when you immediately go and preorder three copies!
I’ve also ordered the younger age group ones.
This book is an absolutely priceless lesson into the joys of nature journaling and teaching the fundamentals of observing against seeing so that they become ingrained. I’ve ordered myself a copy as its lessons are exactly what I need to make my journaling better!
The activities are reinforced with recording activities so lessons are firmly cemented.
The pictures are wonderful and it’s so incredibly inviting!
I really can’t say enough great things about this book. I’ll pop up a review on my Instagram page as soon as I get chance.
Just wow! What a gem!

Fantastic resource, full of information and activity for children to access and do. A great book for getting kids to engage in the outdoor world around them all while learning. Brilliant for kids to use alone or with an adult.

First I do want to mention that some of the formatting was off and I know that is due to being a digital edition and it will likely be fixed with the final publication. It was find on my desktop but not on my Kindle Fire.

Other than that, I absolutely loved this book! What a great idea! I really wish this book was around the few years I home schooled my two older boys. I will still be using this because for any parent, teaching a child about nature and getting them outside is important.

There are so many great activities and it starts out small with teaching about observation and progresses to teach about plants and animals, their development and various parts, etc. Now this is not all writing as some workbooks might be. There are word searches, drawing sections, coloring pages, and other fun ideas to further your exploration of nature with your children.

My twelve year old looked through the book with me and his words were "hmm...peaked my interest." Needless to say this book is both parent and child approved...though I think it is well suited for younger children as well.