Some of my favorite childhood memories come from classroom moments that felt a little bit magical. A teacher reading a story out loud, the whole class leaning in, everyone quiet except for one voice carrying us into another world. Those moments stay with kids far longer than any worksheet ever could. As a leadership coach, I have spent a lot of time in classrooms, watching how teachers turn simple stories into powerful lessons. That is exactly what inspired me to write Korlie and the Nature Collage with classrooms in mind, not just bedtime reading. If you are a teacher, I want to share some simple, hands-on ways to bring Korlie’s story to life for your students, long after you close the book.

Start With a Read Aloud, Then Pause

The story follows Korlie as she gets grouped with classmates she barely knows for a big nature collage project. At first, nobody in her group says a word. Then Korlie speaks up first. When you read this part aloud, try pausing right before Korlie speaks. Ask your class, “What do you think Korlie should do?” Let a few students share their ideas. This simple pause turns a story into a real conversation, and it gets kids thinking like problem solvers before the answer even arrives on the page.

Create Your Own Classroom Nature Collage

Since the story centers around a nature collage project, this is a natural next step for your classroom. Take your students outside for a short nature walk around the school. Have each child collect a few leaves, small sticks, or flower petals. Back in the classroom, let students work in small groups to create their own collage together, just like Korlie’s group did. While they work, walk around, and notice small moments of leadership happening in real time. Maybe one child organizes the materials. Maybe another suggestion on where to place a leaf. Point these moments out. This helps kids see that leadership was happening in their own hands the whole time.

Leadership Spotlight Wall

One of my favorite classroom ideas is a Leadership Spotlight Wall. Set aside a small bulletin board or corner of the whiteboard. Each week, invite students to nominate a classmate who showed kindness, courage, or teamwork, just like the characters in the book. It does not need to be anything big. Maybe a student helped a friend pick up dropped crayons. Maybe someone included a classmate who was sitting alone at lunch. Write their name on a leaf-shaped cutout and add it to the wall. Over time, watching that wall fill up with names becomes a beautiful, visual reminder that leadership shows up in small, everyday choices.

Leadership Journals

After reading the book, give each student a simple notebook to use as a Leadership Journal. Once a week, ask them to write or draw about a moment when they helped someone, included someone, or made a brave choice. For younger students who are still learning to write, this works just as well with pictures and a sentence or two written together as a class. The goal is not perfect writing. The goal is to help kids notice their own small acts of leadership, the same way Korlie starts noticing leadership happening all around her.

Role Play the Story’s Big Moments

Kids learn so much through play acting. Choose a few key moments from the book, like the group standing in silence before Korlie speaks up, or a classmate encouraging a nervous friend to speak in front of the class. Split your students into small groups and let them act out these scenes in their own words. Afterward, ask them how it felt to be brave in that moment, even in a pretend scenario. This kind of practice builds real confidence that carries over into actual classroom situations.

Class Discussion Questions

Sometimes the simplest tool is just a good question. After reading the book, try asking your students questions like these. Have you ever been in a new group and felt nervous, like Korlie did? What is one small brave thing you have done this week? Can you think of a time a friend helped you feel included? What does it mean to be a leader, even if you are not the loudest person in the room? These conversations often surprise teachers. Kids tend to open up more than expected once they realize leadership is not some far-off idea, but something they already understand from their own daily lives.

Fun Activities Already Waiting Inside the Book

Here is something fun for busy teachers. You do not have to create every activity from scratch, because the book already comes packed with fun extras in the back pages. There are reflection questions grouped by theme, covering kindness, teamwork, courage, and spotting leadership all around you. These make a perfect quick warm-up or wrap-up activity, and they require zero prep time. There is also a printable style thank you note template, where kids fill in the blanks to thank a leader in their own life, like a teacher, parent, or friend. This is such a sweet, easy activity for a Friday afternoon, and kids love picking exactly who they want to thank. For teachers who want a bit more structure, the built-in teacher guide includes ideas such as a leadership spotlight activity, a leadership journal prompt, a leadership chart, and simple role-play suggestions, many of which pair perfectly with the classroom ideas above. Between the story itself and these built-in extras, Korlie and the Nature Collage gives you a whole toolkit of fun activities in one place, ready whenever your class needs a little inspiration.

Send the Lesson Home

At the back of the book, I included a parent guide filled with simple activities families can do together, like a leadership jar and dinner table conversation starters. Sending a note home encouraging families to continue the conversation helps extend the lesson well beyond the classroom walls. When school and home reinforce the same gentle message, kindness and courage, kids are far more likely to carry these lessons with them.

Why This Book Works So Well in the Classroom

I did not want to write a story that simply tells kids to be leaders. I wanted to show them, through Korlie and the quiet moments happening all around her, that leadership already lives inside them. Sometimes it looks like speaking up first. Sometimes it looks like including a classmate who feels left out. Sometimes it is as simple as noticing when a friend needs a little encouragement. Classrooms are the perfect place for these lessons to take root, because kids are surrounded by exactly the kind of everyday moments the book celebrates.

Bring Korlie and the Nature Collage Into Your Classroom

If you are ready to start these conversations with your own students, I would love for you to bring Korlie and the Nature Collage into your classroom. It is a gentle, engaging story that opens the door to real conversations about kindness, courage, and everyday leadership. Pick up a copy today, and watch your students discover, page by page, that they have been leaders all along.