Color Us Beautiful
Mimi Cavender
It’s out! And it’s fabulous. It’s the Beautiful Hays County Activity and Coloring Book, 25 pages. Copyright©2023 by the Hays County Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist™ has been submitted and is pending. Printed by PrintingCenterUSA
Intended for outreach and education, this Activity and Coloring Book is a project of the Willett Foundation Grant to the Hays County Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist™ program. It was the Willett Foundation executives who four years ago suggested to HCMN project leaders that grant funding be used to raise public awareness of the HCMN Chapter and to promote the work being done by volunteers across the county. In light of the Chapter’s goal of increasing diversity in its membership and the areas of the County it serves—there was a lot of Jacob’s Well and Blue Hole and not enough Kyle and Buda—Willett grant funding was promptly distributed for “something eye-popping!”
It took a while to get the ball rolling, but as in world-wide versions of an ancient folktale, the [super-] hero makes a journey, accruing a team of helpers with magic powers along the way, and by cooperating, they slay the dragon and win the prize.
Our Chapter can be proud. The book’s countywide distribution will be cost free. In its many projected applications and supplements, our little book can change the way Hays County children and their families come to cherish the natural world.
Speaking plainly, as does every page, to children as young as third grade, the bottom of the title page says it all: “A naturalist is a person who learns about nature and how to protect it. The purpose of this book is to share the unique beauty of Hays County. We hope you are inspired to become a naturalist too.”
To “change the way Hays County children and their families come to cherish the natural world,” Beautiful Hays County must be many things to as many of us as possible.
The Project is reaching out to our region’s communities to embrace this Project; Hays’ birds and blooms will jump off the cover page at you from library and business checkout counters. You’ll find it at the book’s eleven natural sites. You’ll find it wherever our nature education volunteers set up their tents and tables. It will be an essential takeaway in visitor centers and local fairs. As the project evolves, you’ll find it in our schools, tied into the 3rd-to-5th grade science curriculum.
You’ll find it in the hands of young hikers along a trail at Charro Ranch Park or Jacob’s Well or on the boardwalk at Spring Lake. When you and your family next visit Wimberley’s Blue Hole or the nature parks in Kyle and Buda, you’ll each carry your own copy of this essential little guidebook to eleven Hays County wilderness sites so close to home.
Below, let’s look at a typical two-page spread, pages 2 and 3. On location or back at home, we and our children can enjoy a page of site-specific activities, grouped as GO, KNOW, and GROW, and then color its deliciously detailed illustration on the facing page! Yes, adults color too.
We’re in Buda’s Historic Stagecoach Park
We see in the upper left corner’s Location Badge a hint of this visit’s theme: ecosystems that meet in the Buda area. Then, at the top, we GO to the Park, already primed for its history, natural features, and wildlife; we learn that Buda’s confluent ecosystems are the Blackland Prairie and the Edwards Plateau. Then the KNOW section fine-focuses on a Hays County species found in the Park, agarita. This is where third-to-fifth graders can do their natural science heavy lifting. They move on to GROW with an activity that integrates math, vocabulary, or other Texas curriculum requirements (TEKS). Finally, at the bottom of the page is a theme-related consolidation section, a Facts Box, circling back to this visit’s theme, Buda’s ecosystems.
And now, the fun for kids of all ages.
As further consolidation (recalling and reworking information into long term memory), we can break out those expensive color pens and give Buda’s Stagecoach Park the full Disney fantasy treatment!
A parent or teacher, however, might ask kids to look up agarita on the internet to get those colors botanically correct.
Did you spot (so to speak) the fawn?
We’re in Charro Ranch Park, Dripping Springs
Here’s another example of a Visit Activities page and its associated Coloring page. This time we’re visiting Charro Ranch Park in Dripping Springs.
Can you see the visit’s theme? And have you noticed the underlined words? You’ll find them in the Glossary, inside back cover. These are solid natural science words, defined for a third-grader. Think of the classroom work that can be spun off from the Glossary alone. At home, in class, or on the trails of Hays County, this little book has legs!
This is the Back Cover.
There are 11 natural areas to visit in Beautiful Hays County. Follow them, as they are in the book, clockwise on the back cover’s map.
Together they take us on a nature tour of this diverse landscape that Central Texans enjoy.
Certificate and Ring T. Katz
A child or family may choose to visit all eleven natural areas. Completing the itinerary and Beautiful Hays County’s eleven activities merits a certificate of completion and congratulations from official certifi-cat Ring T. Katz! Details are available at https://www.beautifulhayscounty.org/cb-certificate
Already organizing is this coloring book project’s expansion into a Hays County Jr. Naturalist program, coordinated by Class of 2023 Master Naturalist JoAnn DePenning.
Junior Naturalists will use this book as their textbook and site visit guide.
For education outreach Project 2301, Hays County Master Naturalist (HCMN) assembled a team of ten from its several hundred talented members.
Under Project Leader and Team Coordinator Paula Glover, this superb Team enjoyed almost two years of congenial collaboration.
Designers, writers, illustrators, and classroom educators easily cross-pollinated ideas, inspired by the Texas Master Naturalist™ Mission and energized by the creative process.
All agreed it was an exhilarating experience.
Let’s hear from some of them:
Paula Glover, Project #2301 Leader, Team Coordinator:
“I’ve led MN projects and committees, and organizing is something I like to do. My social work career has helped me understand what motivates people, and when we’re in a volunteer organization, it requires a unique approach. I found it enjoyable how the team came together and worked together in such a supportive way. Each brought just the right skill at the right time, and the whole became greater than the parts.”
“The future of [Beautiful Hays County: Activity and Coloring Book] is limitless—a Spanish version, a Junior Naturalist program [formed, and coming this fall], a guide for promoting the wonders of Hays County, putting a copy into the hands of every third grader in the county.”
“We’ve connected the book’s content to the TEKS (primarily for 3rd grade, but other grades are referenced). Those connections are available on the beautifulhayscounty website for teachers and parents to use now. Specific use in the schools is under consideration. That is where we start. The end—who knows?”
Melinda Seib, illustrator, conceptual designer:
“My career has been in graphic and fine arts, illustration, and product design. As a Hays County Master Naturalist, I’ve brought those skills and my love of nature to this and many other regional nature education programs so as to encourage our community to explore the natural world. I enjoyed collaborating with an amazing team of Hays County Master Naturalists. We shared enthusiasm and moments of laughter. It was rewarding to learn that each of the Hays County Parks, their trained staff, and a host of HCMN volunteers offer unique educational experiences.”
Jill Zipperer, educational consultant:
“As a 5th-grade science teacher at Dripping Springs Elementary since 2017, classroom experience and informal science education internships helped me develop the creativity and pedagogical knowledge for working on this book. It was so exciting! The team is an incredible group of naturalists with a genuine love for teaching.”
“There were challenges: making the content relatable to TEKS objectives, determining the most interesting and important content for each natural area, and creating a resource that would be engaging for young people. It was wonderful to see the skills that each team member brought to the table and how we could collaborate to bring this dream to life. I hope our book ends up in the hands of all young naturalists across Hays County. It would be incredible to see it used as program content and curriculums for camps, family days, and junior nature programs.”
Note: Jill will be returning to Texas State University this fall to begin her PhD studies in Aquatic Resources and Integrative Biology.
Kelly Manzano, educator, writer:
“I’m a retired elementary school teacher and could bring that experience to a book that appeals to a third grader. And I don't mind the funny looks when I ask for the Junior Ranger badge at National Parks since it's a great way to learn about where you are! During my first year as a Master Naturalist, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team that worked on this project. It was a great way to connect, be involved, and volunteer. I learned a lot while working on the coloring book. I'm excited for the children in Hays County, who will be able to learn so much.”
Robin Perry, writer:
“Writing each page of this book was like putting together a giant puzzle, and I loved that. My background in research, writing, editing, and publishing helped me take a broad topic like "native grass" or "bats" and pare it down to a few bullet points. I liked collaborating with this team of talented, knowledgeable, fun people. I enjoyed exploring the different locations—and the research, doing deep dives on topics from dragonflies to karsts, paring them down to a few sentences that I hope will spark a young reader's interest.”
“I've lived in Central Texas for many years but had not been to every site in the book until this project. My hope is that kids and families will be inspired to get outside and explore these places too. I hope that kids will see the land in their own neighborhood as more than a background to human activities—that they will be able to recognize different types of ecosystems and the plants and animals that live here and have a deeper understanding of how all organisms are connected.”
Jo Korthals, illustrator:
“I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UT, Austin, many years ago. I enjoyed using my skills to draw pages 7 and 9 in this coloring book. I volunteer monthly at the Meadows Center and often walk in the Spring Lake Natural Area.”
“It was fun to imagine and then draw the two locations and populate the drawings with animals that live there. After the pages are colored by children, I hope they ask their families to visit these places. When they do, they will see the natural beauty there and make drawings of their own.”
Sandy Fleming, graphic designer:
“I’m a freelance graphic designer. I was in the 2023 Hays County Master Naturalist training class when Paula Glover posted the project’s need for a graphic designer. I thoroughly enjoyed working with our team. We had a unique combination of skilled teachers, artists, and writers with Paula to keep us organized. All the members of the team were respectful and encouraging of each other’s gifts and contributions. It was just a great experience.”
“This coloring book will be wonderful for HCMN outreach and education as a guide for the Junior Master Naturalist program or an elementary school science club. It directly encourages kids and families to visit our Hays County Natural Areas and explore the outdoors. It will also help them become good stewards of nature in the future.”
Susan Ross Evans, illustrator:
“A Fine Arts graduate of University of Texas, Austin, I spent 30 years as an art educator in Scotland, Austin, Dallas, and McKinney. A love of nature and the outdoors has kept me busy as an artist and outdoor educator. I have been a Master Naturalist and Youth trail guide volunteer at Bamberger Ranch Preserve for 18 years, and I am currently President of the Wimberley Birding Society.”
“It was fun deciding what images to use in organizing a composition that emphasized the features of the natural site that we wanted kids to investigate. I hope the book will inspire kids to get out and explore the parks and discover nature’s rich biodiversity.”
Suzanne Davis, educator, writer:
“A high school librarian’s main job is to bring resources to teachers and students. My background in education gave me a real sense of how to scaffold a learning experience (build on what the learner already knows) to lead them through a series of ideas in the specific order needed for learning to occur.”
“Creating the book with such uniquely talented people, was the best kind of fun. Paula’s leadership set the tone for our experience: firm when needed but trusting the group to explore and bring the best to the table. It was not a hurry up and get it done kind of thing. The group transcended each individual's smartness and went to a place of group smart. The future of the coloring book will depend on leaders who don't restrict it to just their viewpoint but who can let it find its way, exploring options as they come along and allowing the uses to unfold. It will be exciting to see all the places it ends up.”
Together, the natural places to visit with this book make up an itinerary of the beauty and natural resource that is our Texas heritage. When our children know their home’s wild land, they’ll cherish it. They’ll protect it.
