Journey Through Nature

A Journey Through Nature encourages kids to get outside and explore nature!

“What a lovely day!  The sun is shining, flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the bees are buzzing.  Let’s go out and see what we can find!  The world is full of so many incredible animals and plants.  Join us on a fabulous journey to discover the different places where they live.”

Different kinds of places are mentioned, along with their relationship to anything regarding nature.

In the city

“Even in towns and cities, nature is never far away.  In most countries, pigeons strut around the streets and parks, pecking at crumbs.  They nest on the roofs and ledges of buildings.  In North American towns, the raccoon scampers up trees, over fences, and across roofs.  Its den may be in a tree, under a shed, or even in the roof of a house.  Its babies are called kits.  In Australia, the opossum is well known for stealing garden fruits and vegetables.  The baby opossum lives in its mother’s pouch for five months.  In South America, small monkeys called marmosets climb among city trees and buildings.  They feed on all kinds of plant foods.  The mother marmoset usually has twin babies.”

On the Grasslands

“Time to go on a safari – how many animals can you spot?  The zebra herd has spent hours eating grass.  The zebras watch, listen,and sniff the air.  At any sign of danger, they will gallop away.  Elephants are the world’s biggest land animals.  They chew grass and leaves on the African grasslands.  The oldest female is the leader of the family.  The lion family is called a pride.  The male has a mane of hair around his head.  The female lions feed their cubs on milk.  Soon the cubs will be ready to hunt.  The ostrich has small wings and it cannot fly but it has long legs and runs as fast as a racehorse.  It is the father, not the mother, that guards the baby chicks in their nest.”

This story explains that no matter where you are in the world, nature is always nearby, no matter the climate!

Over the Ice

“In the far north of the world is the Arctic – an ocean covered with floating sheets of ice.  The polar bear has thick fur and huge, hairy paws.  It swims and walks many miles to find a seal for a meal.  The male narwhal has one tusk.  The narwhal uses it to detect what is in the water and to look for food.  In the far south of the world is a frozen land surrounded by an ice ocean – the Antarctic.  Killer whales and leopard seals swim among icebergs, looking for food.  The leopard seals hunt for penguins, fish, and smaller seals.  On land, emperor penguins walk many miles to their breeding places,where the male looks after the egg until it hatches.”

Among the Coral Reefs

“Tropical coral reefs grow in warm, sunny, shallow seas.  They are built by creatures called coral polyps.  Each one is smaller than a fingertip and makes a hard, shell-like cup around itself.  Coral polyps and anemones open their stinging tentacles to catch tiny creatures, but the clownfish lives safely among anemones.  Its thick, slimy covering prevents it from being stung.  The blacktip reef shark swims over the reed.  It chases after any fish that leave the safety of rocks.  The moray eel hides in a cave or crack.  It has sharp teeth and a very fast bite.”

A Journey Through Nature features an eight question quiz at the end, to test what you’ve read!