After a long day at school, nothing feels as good as my shoe-free feet touching the grass. I like to sit near a plant with small yellow flowers and enjoy the view of my neighborhood and beyond. When I watch my 16-month-old sister run around the small garden, trying to catch a butterfly and making sighs in frustration after failed attempts to catch one, I smile. I smile because just like me, she is fascinated by nature. Sometimes, I watch the sun set and it is very beautiful. This is why I love nature.

It’s been a long dry season, and after months of waiting, the rain is finally here. My mother and I promised to play in the rain when it finally came because we’d waited too long. And we did. It was great. It was a slight drizzle but my mum feared I’d catch pneumonia if I played in it too long, so we just stood in it for a few seconds and let it hit our faces. It was a great feeling. This is why I love nature.

I love the sound the rain makes when it hits the roof. Sometimes it gets too loud but it’s beautiful all the same. Sometimes it’s soft, and I find myself drifting off into a sweet sleep. I love the smell of soil when it rains. My friend doesn’t like it, and I don’t understand it. I love the way the clouds change from white to gray, and how my baby sister runs to me when the sky gets angry. The sound of thunder sometimes scares me too, but only for a little while. This is why I love nature.

The writer is an 11-year-old P6 candidate at Excella School.