Gather:

• 4 or 5 sheets of plain paper
• 1 sheet of construction paper• scissors
• stapler
• hole punch
• 12 inches of yarn
• pencil

Go:

1. Fold the plain paper in half and cut it along the crease.
2. Stack the papers together and fold the construction paper around it so the crease in the construction paper is on the cut edge of the plain paper.
3. Staple the pages together along the left margin.
4. Punch a hole near the folded edge and tie on a pencil with the piece of yarn.
5. Decorate the cover with drawings, pebbles or pressed plants.

Your child can fill her journal with treasures from the yard or her favorite park. Try some of these ideas to get started.

• Help your child create a map of the yard or park by drawing the layout of trees, pathways, rocks and gardens.

• Invite your child to watch the weather for a week. Have her write or draw her observations of the rain, clouds, sun and wind.

• Include your child’s drawings of the bugs, trees and flowers she has seen and imagined.

• Take photos of your child in the park or help her take pictures of her backyard discoveries.

• Encourage your child to write about what she hears, smells and feels in the yard at different times of the day.

• Write down a story that your child makes up about the park and the creatures found there. Then help her decorate the pages.