The Amateur Naturalist

The Amateur Naturalist, by Nick Baker, is full of information to enhance any outdoor learning experience. Each chapter is dedicated to a group of animals (mammals, birds, fish, etc.) or plants. Within each chapter, there is information on finding, tracking, and identifying each species, plus a few hands-on projects to enhance the outdoor learning experience.

The book, written for adults, is quite accessible to students in grades 4-12. Younger students can work with a teacher or parent on one of the many projects, while older students can follow the easy instructions to complete projects on their own. Have students pick out projects that suit their interests and copy pages from the book so that they can work on the project at their own pace, or pick out a project to complete as a class.

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