Earth Day Reading and Writing

Happy Earth Day! Pick up a piece of writing by or about John Muir, founder of The Sierra Club and protector of our National Park System. I loved his biography by Ginger Wadsworth, John Muir: Wilderness Protector, and Muir’s very own words in The Wild Muir: Twenty-two of John Muir’s Greatest Adventures by the naturalist himself. Then there is always my own picture book about what Muir calls his most exciting experience. John Muir and Stickeen: And Alaskan Adventure is available in many libraries.

Writing exercises: 1. Go outside in nature. Sit beside a tree, walk in a park or in a forest, or skip rocks in a pond. Write a poem about something you see, feel, hear and appreciate. Use your senses. Remember that a poem isn’t just prose in poetry form. Get rid of unnecessary words and keep only the most important ones! 2. Who or what inspires you to treat your environment with respect? Why? How? 3. Write an anecdote about when you’ve seen someone DISrespect the environment. What happened?