Karen Whiting - Nature Girl. A Guide to Caring for Gods Creation

I believe that it is by educating young people that we will save our environment. Nature Girl is a fun way to teach young girls to appreciate our earth and all of its blessings.

ZACH CALLISON, DISNEY ACTOR AND SEA SHEPHERD YOUTH AMBASSADOR

Nature Girl is a book for everyoneyes boys too! Easy to read and understand, hands on and funwhat is not to love. Start a club, share with friends, Nature Girl is a refreshing way to introduce people of all ages and stages to environmental awareness.

MARTHA PIERCE, DIRECTOR, RIVERSIDE RETREAT

As a member of the generation which came of age with the green movement, and having chosen a profession which strove to protect our marine environment, and most particularly as a father of twin daughters raised to respect and act to protect our environment, I am personally delighted to welcome and recommend this excellent work to girls and their families, to spark their enthusiasm and to nourish their appreciation for the wonders and the beauty of our natural world. The activities and learning incorporated into Nature Girl are both fun and informative and will serve as a good foundation for life-long learning and action.

BOB DUNCAN, REAR ADMIRAL, US COAST GUARD (RETIRED)

I would like to encourage everyone to use this book as a guide for actions you can take in caring for what God created. We are all expected to be good stewards of creation. John Wesley, traveled by horseback and on foot enjoying and being inspired by the World God Created. Just a couple years ago the Council of Bishops called for hope and action. This book will help to guide you in taking action, starting in your own back yard and continuing to lead other by the example you set.

JIM MCFARLANE (RETIRED EDUCATOR, ENVIRONMENTALIST, AND MEMBER OF THE FLORIDA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND CREATION CARE TASKFORCE)

Nature Girl is amazing! I enjoyed reading and doing the activities with my 9-year-old. She learned so much about Gods awesome creations and had fun doing it.

TIFFANY WILLIAMS, USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPION, OLYMPIAN

ZONDERKIDZ

Nature Girl

Copyright 2014 by Karen Whiting and Rebecca White

ePub Edition April 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-72411-7

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zonderkidz, 3900 Sparks Drive,Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

White, Rebecca, 1976

Nature girl : a guide to caring for Gods creation / by Rebecca White And Karen Whiting.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-310-72500-8 (softcover)

1. Human ecology Religious aspects Christianity Juvenile literature. 2. Conservation of natural resources Citizen participation United States Juvenile literature. 3. Girls Religious life Juvenile literature. I. Whiting, Karen H. II. Title.

BT695.5.W55 2014

261.88 dc23

2013036905

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible New International Readers Version. Copyright 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

Editor: Kim Childress

Cover illustration: Jennifer Zivoin

Cover design: Deborah Washburn

Interior design: Ben Fetterley and Greg Johnson

Interior composition: Greg Johnson/Textbook Perfect

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

To our girls
Elizabeth Pena
Lily Whiting
Lydia Pena
Julia Pena

Contents

Y ou dont have to move into the woods and live off the land to go green. Going green is about making Gods earth a healthy place to live whether youre a country gal, city dweller, or suburbanite! Its really just about making smart choices. Start with little actions, such as picking up one piece of trash a day while youre walking to school or to your BFFs house. Just think, if you plus five of your friends each pick up one piece of litter daily, that equals more than two-thousand (yep, thats 2,000!) pieces of litter a year.

Going green is also about enjoying nature and discovering more about the earth. Its about showing respect and appreciation for the beautiful planet God created for us. This book is chockfull of fun activities experiments, crafts, recipes, games, challenges to get you more tuned in to the goodness of Gods earth. So roll up your sleeves, sister, and get ready to have some earth-friendly fun! Youre going to discover so much more about God by reeeeaaally checking out the world he made...

Ever since the world was created it has been possibleto see the qualities of God that are not seen. Im talkingabout his eternal power and about the fact that he is God.Those things can be seen in what he has made.

ROMANS 1:20, NIRV

To me, going green means to help the environment.

SKYLAR, AGE 10, FLORIDA

Green List: The ABCs of Going Green

Heres an A-to-Z list of ideas for going green, complete with leads to chapters about related topics. Theres no need to read this book in order unless, or course, you feel like it. Otherwise, open up a page and jump right in...

Adopt a piece of earth to clean, plant, and water when needed ()

Build a bird feeder, such as a peanut on a string, or a fancy wooden feeder ()

Compost vegetable and grain leftovers to make mulch ()

Detect water leaking from faucets, pipes, and toilets ()

Explore a waterway, such as a river, lake, or ocean, for critters and sea creatures ()

Form a neighborhood litter patrol to pick up litter weekly ()

)

Help teach others what you learn about going green and saving energy ()

Investigate insects and how they help the earth ()

Journal about nature and what youre doing to care for the earth ()

Keep on keepin on when it comes down to conserving energy ()

Look for animal tracks, and figure out which creatures made them ()

Mulch plants and trees ()

Nurture a pet with food, water, grooming, and lots of attention ()

Observe a bird or animal and photograph it ()

Plant trees and flowers ()

Quiet yourself, sit outside, and listen to the sounds of nature ()

Recycle everything you can ()

Sow seeds in the yard or a window garden to add oxygen to the air ()

Treasure what God made by enjoying nature and praising God for all he created ()

Use less stuff, period ()

)

Walk or bike instead of riding cars to enjoy the outdoors and save fuel ()