Picture Book Exploration: National Parks of the USA
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In honor of the approaching 250th anniversary of the foundation of our country I am highlighting picture books relevant to our national identity and history. National Parks are a tremendous part of our identity. People around the world can recognize Old Faithful, El Capitan and many of our other landmarks. In truth, it was part of what attracted me to the United States. The discovery of untamed nature and its beauty is one of the strongest appeals of the National Parks. This picture book is a beautiful compilation of the US National Parks and I fell in love with it immediately.
National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber, illustrated by Chris Turnham
Oh, my stars! What a fantastic book this is. Once you open it, be ready to travel to every one of the USA’s great National Parks without leaving your couch! It is a trip well worth taking! Included in this tour of America’s great outdoors are maps, all about each park’s fauna and flora and what makes each a very special place. Kate Siber’s engaging text pulls you into each park. You want to jump in your hiking boots, pick up your backpack and get going. Chris Turnham’s prints, with their muted colors, are a tribute to nature’s complexity, beauty as well as its quirks. The book covers 21 parks over 7 different regions making it an easy to focus way to explore our land from sea to shining sea. Hopefully that means that two more books will eventually come out to cover all 63 parks?
The importance of the National Parks
The USA is a land of spectacular beauty. A rare beauty and very unique to each region. By the late 1800s many had realized the importance of preserving this beauty from the rapidly expanding settlement of the land. In 1872 the first National Park was established. No, I am not going to tell you which one it was, you need to read the book. But it was an instant success! Its difficult to reach location did not stop travelers from jumping on trains, horses, mules and stagecoaches to come admire it. Since then we have added 62 more areas of the country deemed worthy of preservation due to their unique beauty and historical importance. These landmarks are preserved for our use and admiration and that of future generations. 63 parks can quickly fill a bucket list! Add to that all 53 fourteeners in Colorado and I might need another lifetime or two. Let’s explore our land, God has truly shed His grace upon it.
Nature Journaling
National Parks are an ideal setting to launch yourself into Nature Journaling. This art medium can come in so many shapes and forms, from the traditional watercoloring to photography, there is no right or wrong way to go about it. Nature Journaling is an art form that allows us to slow down and truly admire nature. And as an art it is very personal, no two Nature Journals will look alike. It is always fascinating to me how every age enjoys it. From the toddler to mom, everyone loves Nature Journaling, boy or girl, it doesn’t matter. Making the time to sit, observe and record our observations has been one of my favorite home education endeavors. It brings out the best in each of us, there is no judgment on the finished product, and it establishes a peace of mind and spirit that is most welcome. The observation skills developed through Nature Journaling quickly bleed into the rest of life and we have noticed so many more details of life than we would have without this habit.
Nature Journaling resources
Over the years we have accumulated quite a few books and classes to help us improve our craft. But at the end of the day, just like any art form, it is personal. Each of us has developed our own style. I write a lot, surprise! One of my daughters takes amazing pictures. Another draws with colored pencils and another loves experimenting with watercolors. She actually asked to have the book: Peggy Dean’s Guide to Nature Drawing and Watercolor: Learn to Sketch, Ink, and Paint Flowers, Plants, Trees and Animals by Peggy Dean as her art class this year. A class that we are also taking this year is The Young Naturalist by Wild+Free, what an amazing resource! Making Nature Journaling our own has been so rewarding. We all love it. But the best part: it forces us to get outside.
Dreams and bucket lists
I always want to encourage my children to dream and to do everything in their power to accomplish these dreams. Creating a dream page about a palace that they have never seen is part of that process. With a little inspiration, some direction, as is provided in National Parks of the USA, this is quite an amazing activity. Don’t go online to research the park and see doctored pictures. Just start with what this great book provides. Then close your eyes and start dreaming of what a day at this park would look like. (The nice thing about dreams: they don’t have to include all the tourists, lol). This can be challenging but what a great creative exercise. Then start a bucket list or add to your existing one. Dreams are the source of hope and will carry you far.
Food explorations
Wow! I could not believe how bountiful the National Park recipes were! To me, this adds even more pizzazz to my desire to discover each park. What an amazing gastronomic tour this could be! But why not? Each region, each park has its own fauna and flora and this should definitely be represented in the food that is prepared and eaten in that location. I love the idea of traveling via our plate as well. Food takes us for a deep dive in the natural world surrounding us as well as the culture of the place. It can really be an all around travelling guide. So pick your place, pick your dish and enjoy the discovery! You could journal about that too.
One more thing
Our library lends out board games! I was so excited to find Trekking: the National Parks, there. What a fantastic board game! We had so much fun playing. Similar to Ticket to Ride you have to travel throughout the country and buy as many state parks as possible. It is a great geography and strategy game. It can easily be simplified if you have a lot of littles, and still be very enjoyable. I would highly recommend it. Each park card has a few details about the park itself and the images are beautiful photography. A great game for family game night.
Ok, make that two more things, lol. I just came across this delightful book: 50 True Tales From Our Great National Parks by Stephanie Pearson, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper. I’ve only read a couple of the stories, but they are fascinating. Just the illustrations are worth checking it out! Oh, I have a feeling this is gonna turn into a deeeep rabbit hole…
National Parks
Whether they do make it into your bucket list or not, whether you get to go visit them or not, our National Parks are part of our national identity and heritage and we should get to know them. Sometimes life is already so full that it is difficult to make it a priority to go touring our country. But this year I want to challenge myself to go visit Rocky Mountain National Park. We live less than 2 hours away and we have never been there. It feels like such a huge thing but before it closes for winter, I will take my girls to RMNP. Please hold me accountable, will you? Which National Park will make it on your bucket list this year?
Love,
Mattie
PS: This a great book to pair with Hike It! as well.
General resources
- Hearth Room Press
- John Muir Laws
- 1,000 Hours Outside
- Wild+Free
- Hike It: In Introduction to Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking in the USA, by Iron Tazz and illustrated by Martin Stanev (blog post)
Nature journaling books and courses
- Peggy Dean’s Guide to Nature Drawing and Watercolor: Learn to Sketch, Ink, and Paint Flowers, Plants, Trees, and Animals, by Peggy Dean
- Tin Cups & Tinder: A Catholic Boy’s Little Book of Fire, Food & Fun, by Alice Cantrell
- 1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time, by Ginny Yurich
- The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, by John Muir Laws
- Wild+Free Nature Journal Course by Kristin Rogers
- The Young Naturalist, Wild+Free
