We’re really excited to share our newest Reader: “All About Forests.” In it, Woodsy Owl guides kids from kindergarten to second grade through the nation’s forests, sharing the important roles forests play in everyone’s life.
First, learn about the different types of forests across the country: big and small, public and private, in remote areas and in cities. Then Woodsy shares some of the important functions of forests, like providing resources such as wood products and food, cleaning our air and water, and being places of beauty and recreation. Paired with beautiful photographs of forests around the country, Woodsy Owl’s narration helps bring forests into focus.
Tools for Thought
We’ve included several resources in the Reader to help kids think through what they learn. “Woodsy Wonders” is a series of questions to get everyone thinking about how we interact with forests and what we can do to “Lend a Hand, Care for the Land.”
A glossary compiles all the new words we learn in the Reader, and the words are also boldfaced and defined by Woodsy on the pages on which they appear. No need to flip back and forth for kids to find a definition!
In the Try This! section, kids get a chance to draw or list their favorite things about forests, another way to reflect on both what they’ve learned in the Reader and also their own experiences in forests big and small.
We’ve also included coloring pages. As they color the scene of two young hikers in a forest, kids can also look for ways they can help Woodsy care for the land. Then the next time they’re out in nature, hopefully they think about how to reduce their own impact on the land. The coloring pages can be downloaded separately and printed at home.
Resources for Educators
Educators, we didn’t forget about you, either! In addition to the resources within the Reader, you’ll find even more resources on the Educator Guide tab on our website. There you’ll find correlations to NGSS, Common Core Reading, and National Social Studies Education Standards. You’ll also find some suggested lesson plans as well as a walk-through educator guide to all our Readers.
We also suggest some pairings that might be helpful in the Related Content tab. Read “All About Forests” as a companion to “Meet Smokey Bear’s Team” to learn about people who work to keep forests safe from human-caused wildfires. Or pair this Reader with our scientist Readers so kids can learn about science done on forests, like Dr. Warwell‘s research on growing healthy seedlings for reforestation or Dr. Hoagland‘s research on mapping forested habitats for Mexican spotted owls.
We hope you enjoy “All About Forests” as much as we did making it! We always love a chance to shine a spotlight on our nation’s forests and how important they are to all of us. We hope to be adding to this series in the coming year, and be on the lookout for print copies to order on our website.
