A Kid's Fall Ecojournal [Paperback]

Toni Albert (Author), Margaret Brandt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

There is an EcoJournal for each of the four seasons. A Kid's Fall EcoJournal invites kids to write about nature on pages exquisitely illustrated by Margaret Brandt. The author has included short entries from her nature journals, which express her irrepressible and unflagging delight in the natural world. Kids love to read about Trickle Creek, where a gray fox eats at the compost pile and wild turkeys walk calmly up the drive. The Fall EcoJournal is packed with nature activities for exploring fall. Kids can dissect an owl pellet, sprout an acorn, make leaf prints, collect leaf galls, catch a spider web on black paper, and enjoy dozens of other fall activities that teach them to love the world of nature. Based on solid science. Grades 3-up.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Packed with activities that encourage kids to study the environment in their own backyards, this beautifully illustrated book is a great tool for exploring the season. Author Toni Albert has included short entries from her nature journals, and encourages readers to keep their own." -- Kids: Activities for Families (A Woman's Day Special Interest Publication), Fall, 98

About the Author

Award-winning author Toni Albert, M.Ed., is the author of thirty-five books, which are used by teachers and students throughout the nation. Many of her books have been about endangered wildlife and endangered wildlands and reflect her deep concern for the environment. Toni Albert is the owner of Trickle Creek Books, which is committed to "teaching kids to care for the earth." She lives with her husband, their cats Bailey and Charlie, and their dog Abercrombie on twenty acres of wooded land near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The woods and meadows around their home, the tiny creek that runs through the woods, and a large pond are a perfect laboratory for gathering information and inspiration from nature.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: Trickle Creek Books (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964074257
• ISBN-13: 978-0964074255
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #934,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fall Ecojournal, October 2, 2011

By 

Sharon aka school counselor (NJ) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Kid's Fall Ecojournal (Paperback)

Excellent book...I love Fall and often use natures' best to connect lessons as a counselor. I used this with my 7 year old granddaughter and she and I went on several nature walks in addition to the backyard lessons to fill this journal with information about fall. Thanks Sharon

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for homeschooling, August 26, 2011

By 

Will Riddle "and Jaime Riddle" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Kid's Fall Ecojournal (Paperback)

I was looking for something for nature study for my lower elementary boys this year. I wanted them to get outside this fall and do the typical woods, backyard, forest stuff with leaves, bugs, etc. And I wanted something that would keep them encouraged to stick with the subject when they were tired of the typical nature walks. This was it!

This is a nature journal that has both text and activities in it. It's like a mini Fall unit study. The activities in are not superfluous like so many other science books and are 75% completely doable with little preparation. Think Rod and Staff simplicity--capture a spider, make a nest box for an owl, start some compost. There are a couple that are more advanced: make a mushroom collection shelf, create fall potpourri decorations, dissect an owl pellet. But about every four days, between Sep 1 and Dec 1, you'll have the kids outside with something to get them going.

If you're a Christian homeschooler, know that this isn't religious, and it has two Halloween-related activities, but it is very modest and simple in its formula with no secular ideology in there either. It's particularly good for my boys who are old enough to write some observations or a few sentences but on their own probably wouldn't do it... or like going outside but feel overwhelmed by huge empty pages, or activities that require lots of reflection. There are approx. ten lines for them to write on (one small paragraph) with example entries below, and information about the topic, so they can get the idea of writing every couple days about different Fall subjects.

My only critique is that it is visually unexciting. No color and there are no blank pages at all, which is too bad considering it is a journal. I was hoping my kids could make lists/record birds they saw, or sketch things right in the book, but it's not spaced out like a Charlotte Mason or activity journal for lots of writing or coloring. There is text on the backs of all pages, and there is actually quite a lot written on each page. So if you're looking for a resource that is going to encourage your child because it is so fancy or beautiful, this isn't for you. It's like a manual--you get it for the content, not the visual.

Worth the purchase for kids or parents enthused about jumping into nature but uninitiated about how to go about it.