NATURE KIDS ACTIVITY BOOK – LAKE TAHOE EDITION

Explore, Create, and Protect Lake Tahoe


Cover, interior pages, and coloring page for Nature Kids Activity Book - Lake Tahoe Edition by Kristen Schwartz

Tahoe Has a Special Kind of Magic

Its crystal-clear waters, towering pines, and wild beauty inspire awe in everyone who experiences it.

Children feel it too.


This activity book turns that awe into curiosity, creativity, and kid-sized actions that can help protect it.



Download the Nature Kids Activity Book: $10



Lake Tahoe Needs Us All

Tahoe faces challenges such as litter, harm to wildlife, and reduced water clarity. These local issues are part of worldwide stories. This book helps kids understand in a gentle, age-appropriate way.

It was inspired by With Love, From Tahoe, my all-ages environmental stewardship book. Both books offer families practical tools to notice, care for, and protect the places they love.


As they explore Tahoe, kids learn to care for nature everywhere.


watercolor Illustration of a mother bear and two cubs exploring a river bank by Kristen Schwartz

Children are naturally curious, creative, and full of ideas.

They just need invitations to explore, observe, wonder, and take action in ways that feel possible and joyful.


That's what this book provides.


Watercolor illustration of a field trip in Tahoe by Kristen Schwartz

These Activities Help Kids:

  • Slow down and really see the nature around them
  • Notice environmental issues
  • Protect Lake Tahoe, wildlife, and habitats
  • Use creativity to imagine solutions
  • Take small, meaningful actions that add up


What's Inside:

  • Story coloring pages that explore issues like littering and giving wildlife space
  • Simple information on protecting wildlife, sensitive environments, and staying safe in nature
  • Outdoor exploration prompts inspired by Tahoe
  • Activities that show how local issues connect to nature everywhere
  • Creative problem-solving exercises that link small, joyful actions to real impact
  • Ideas that turn observations into poems, stories, drawings, posters, and more

More Details:

  • 90+ pages of hands-on creativity and learning
  • 8.5" x 11" format for easy printing
  • Instant-download PDF
  • Reusable for years

Download the Nature Kids Activity Book: $10




Activity Page Examples:


Example pages from the Nature Kids Activity Book - Lake Tahoe Edition by Kristen Schwartz

Each activity builds critical thinking, empathy, environmental awareness, and a sense of agency.




Why This Book Is Different


A lot of environmental content is doom-heavy, guilt-driven, or so simplified it becomes empty busywork.

This book takes a different path:

  • Joy-first. It begins with a love of nature and explains why certain actions are harmful without fear-mongering.
  • Real impact, not slogans. Kids learn how local choices connect to bigger issues.
  • Open-ended and creative. Kids imagine, draw, design, and invent — not just fill in the blanks.
  • Long-term thinking. It's about raising thoughtful environmental stewards, not just providing "eco-themed" entertainment.

After working through it, kids feel like nature explorers, and caring for the environment becomes a joyful habit.





Who This Book Is For

It’s ideal for families visiting or living in Tahoe, especially if you want to deepen your child's connection to the area and inspire them to protect it.

Especially helpful if:

  • Your child is 7–10 and loves animals, plants, or being outside
  • Your kid says, "I want to help nature," and you're not sure where to start
  • You want meaningful, screen-light activities you can do as a family
  • You're a teacher, homeschooler, or community leader looking for gentle environmental materials (See "Can I use this in a class or group?" in the Common Questions section)

But you don't need to be in Tahoe. The ideas can be adapted to most places (even without bears!).



About the Author/Illustrator

Watercolor illustration of a child hugging a tree by Kristen Schwartz

I'm Kristen Schwartz, an illustrator, environmental storyteller, and lifelong tree hugger. I've spent over 35 years at Lake Tahoe using art to help protect the natural world.

I grew up in San Diego, California, playing at the beach, in canyons, and on local trails; embracing the 1970s calls to end littering and pollution; and drawing animals, plants, and “cool science stuff” from the zoo and from my biology and oceanography classes. That early love of nature and science led me to study illustration and design in college.

I made this activity book because I wish I had one like it when I was a kid.


Highlights of My Journey

  • Medicine From the Mountains: Medicinal Plants of the Sierra Nevada – botanical book illustrations
  • Faery Medicine – a decade-long exhibit using illustrated faery stories to educate about medicinal plants and conservation
  • The Art of Nature Sketching – workshops for kids and adults who think they can't draw
  • With Love, From Tahoe – my all-ages environmental stewardship book, which inspired this activity book.

Everything I create is driven by one hope: that my work makes nature feel approachable, lovable, and worth protecting — especially for kids.



 

Common Questions:

I'm starting with downloadable for some really good reasons, and honestly, it might be your preferred version in the long run. Here's why:

You're in control: Print only what you need, skip pages, or print multiple copies of favorite activities. If you have more than one child, print extra pages. Choose your paper — recycled, art paper, cardstock — and bind it your way.

It's more sustainable: No waste from mass printing or shipping, and you decide how much paper and which inks to use.

It's more affordable: $10 makes it accessible to more families without added markup.

It's flexible: Start anytime, add pages as your child grows or interests change, print one activity or the whole book.

If you still prefer a bound copy, a print-on-demand version is coming in the near future.

Yes. Kids can explore their local environment and care for the places they call home while learning about another place they may want to go someday.

Absolutely. Many kids simply love nature and want ways to help protect it. The activities spark curiosity, deepen connection to the natural world, and build problem-solving skills.

No. Activities are flexible in length and designed to fold into walks, errands, or outdoor breaks. Think of it as a menu of invitations, not homework.

No. The book focuses on love of place, noticing what's beautiful, and kid-sized actions that feel doable and empowering.

You’re getting a downloadable activity book you can print whenever you want.

It’s more than a one-time activity. It’s a resource that can shape how your child sees and cares for the world for years to come. For less than the price of an afternoon outing, you get something you can return to again and again.


Download the Nature Kids Activity Book: $10



Yes! The activities work beautifully in classrooms, homeschool co-ops, and community programs. If you’d like to use the book with a group, I offer reduced rates for bulk licenses so it stays affordable for educators. Email me and we’ll find an option that fits your group.




You don't need a perfect plan for protecting places you love.

You just need a place to start.

This activity book is that starting place: a friendly guide for curious kids, a conversation companion for caring adults, and a bridge connecting love of nature to small, meaningful actions.

Explore, Create, and Protect Lake Tahoe



Download the Nature Kids Activity Book: $10

 

Written and illustrated with love by Kristen Schwartz