Jina Jeong: Project Nature
Grades K-3
Written by: Carol Kim
Illustrated by: Ahya Kim
ISBN: 978-1-4846-7964-7
Recommended Reading
We all know what the research says…time spent in nature is good for you! In the book, Jina Jeong: Project Nature, a young girl named Jina comes to this realization when she’s out for a hike with her family. Unfortunately, upon visiting the nature center, she learns that many children don’t have access to parks and have never been hiking or camping.
This lights a fire in her belly to help more children spend time in nature. Jina dreams of starting a nature club for kids in her city.
Start Small
To achieve big things starts with taking small steps, and Jina’s parents recommend she begin by introducing one friend to the outdoors and growing things from there. Jina identifies fun activities that she thinks will appeal to her friend during their camping trip, like making leaf rubbings and going on a nature scavenger hunt.
While everything didn’t quite go as planned on their trip, Jina and her friend made the best of everything. It took introducing just one person to nature to spark their curiosity and interest! Together they plan to introduce even more friends to the environment.
PLT Activities
This book is a good read-aloud to younger children and a great option for newer chapter book readers. Not only do kids learn about all the fun things you can do in nature, but it’s a wonderful way to encourage learners to take action and be leaders among their peers.
Consider pairing Jina Jeong: Project Nature with activities from PLT’s Connecting for Health and Planet digital activity collection. Students investigate how being outside provides people with many different physical, emotional, social, and learning benefits.
You can also get creative in “The Closer You Look / Entre Más Cerca Veas” from Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8 by doing leaf and bark rubbings while exploring the structure of a tree. Or go on a nature scavenger hunt like Jina and her friend did and play Tree Observation Bingo in “Trees as Habitats / Los Árboles como Hábitats”, also from Explore Your Environment / Explora tu Ambiente.
For older learners, this book might spark an interest in careers where you can work in the forest. Introduce students to different jobs through the “My Green Future/Mi Futuro Verde” activity from Explore Your Environment / Explora tu Ambiente.
Kate Nagle
Kate Nagle
