For Your Journal: Writing Prompt
Do you keep a journal – or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I’ll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation – just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you’ll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you’ll enjoy re-reading it months–and years–down the road.
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Writer and historian Wallace Stegner called national parks “the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”
How much do you know about America’s national parks? Match the park to its description.
1. Has the only inland rainforest in the contiguous United States
2. Protects Saguaro Cacti in its Sonoran Desert environment
3. Only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist
4. Named by Mormon settlers to recognize a place of peace and refuge
5. Windiest place on the Pacific Coast
6. Site of the first lighthouse and US-built fort on the West Coast and later, a federal penitentiary
7. Has 70 miles of natural beaches and is the longest remaining barrier island in the world
8. Is a 2,175 mile foot path through 14 eastern states
9. Considered one of the world’s richest mammal fossil beds
10. Mountain range created by earthquakes
a. Everglades National Park, Florida
b. Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Maine to Georgia
c. Zion National Park, Utah
d. Mount Ranier National Park, Washington
e. Badlands National Park, South Dakota
f. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
g. Point Reyes National Seashore, California
h. Alcatraz Island National Recreation Area, California
i. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
j. Padre Island National Seashore, Texas
And: Can you finish these tips from the National Park Service Junior Ranger program?
Be Safe
Stay on _____ while hiking
Hike with a ______
Wear ______ shoes
Always carry water, food, and ____ ________
Be Respectful
Stay away from ______ __________
Don’t pick plants or ___________
Keep parks _____
Journal Entry: How are you teaching your children to respect and care for nature? Write about a time your child experienced the “awe” of nature.
(Answers: 1d, 2f, 3a, 4c, 5g, 6h, 7j, 8b, 9e, 10i, trails, buddy, sturdy, sun protection, wild animals, wildflowers, clean)