Grades 1–2 Summer Reading Activities: The Great Outdoors

The outdoors is a place of endless wonder, adventure, and discovery. It's an inspiration to many and encourages us to be curious and appreciative of our environment. Below are five reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of nature all around us.

1. Read Save Stan’s Tree

Stan really loves his tree and gets worried when it loses its leaves. Will Stan’s tree be okay?

• Download Save Stan’s Tree

Discuss the book: Who lives next door to Stan? Why does Stan get worried about his tree? How does Stan’s neighbor help?

2. Watch Water in the Desert

Watch the video Water in the Desert to learn more about life cycles and desert habitats.

Discuss the video: What is a cycle? What are amphibians? What surprised you about how the spadefoot toads grow?

You can extend the fun by looking for frogs or toads in your yard or neighborhood. You could also create your own video about searching for frogs. 

3. Write about a move or change

Think about a time when you had to move or make a big change in your life. Using descriptive words, write to complete these sentences:

The hardest part of moving/changing was that I had to _____.

I am glad I did, though, because now I _____.

More to read!

For more reading about outdoor fun, download My Rafting Trip.

4. Learn about evergreens

• Look up information about evergreen trees. What are they? How are they the same as and different from the tree in Save Stan’s Tree?
• Write to complete this sentence: Some trees stay the same color all year round and are called _____.
• Share what you learned about this type of tree.

You can extend the activity by collecting leaves or pine cones from evergreen trees in your area.

5. Make a poster

Arbor Day is a special holiday to celebrate trees and nature. Use books and websites to learn more about Arbor Day. Then create a poster about it. Use markers and crayons to make it colorful.

You can extend the activity by planting a tree or another type of plant. Talk about what it needs to grow.

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Find more language arts activities for Grades 1-2. 

This blog, originally published in 2020, has been updated for 2025.