Connecting with Kids in Nature and Planning Activities

We often lose sight of the small things in life.  If you watch small children play, they focus on the simplest of things.  My son loves to hold and throw rocks, play in the dirt and takes wonder in bugs and even tree bark.  Often I take him outside and have a goal of getting somewhere or playing on a particular structure, but I soon realize that he just wants to explore the small things at his fingertips.  He could spend hours playing in the dirt outside, and I see his face light up with wonder and excitement.  It is easy to forget that simple things in nature can be exciting and wonderful.  You don't have to have amazing sunsets, sunrises or dramatic landscapes to experience nature.  My fondest memories growing up were playing in the woods outside of our house.  My brother, friends and I spent countless hours exploring and playing in those woods.  I have since revisited them and wondered how we spent so much time in a small patch of woods, with no views, no special features.  We all need to take time to appreciate the small things.  These books do a nice job of highlighting creative activities that help children and adults foster relationships with nature. Watch for these books in the EE Resource Center Soon!

Here are some books that help us think and act creatively, while learning about nature. They will be located at the Environmental Literacy Center at the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs


"With a call to live like a child and teach with more meaning, this book explores holistic- and arts-based techniques that support and enhance children’s academic and social-emotional development. It encourages you to teach and connect with children in ways that are organic, trusting, and empowering.

Living Like a Child is divided into three sections, which are filled with stories, techniques, and support to help you learn, live, and teach creatively:

Master Teaching Principles facilitates your growth as a learner and leader.
Life Learning Techniques contains artistic, play-based practices that enhance children’s—and your own—learning, growth, and development. This section includes activities that incorporate music, affirmation, breathing, visualization, movement, and dramatic delivery. Popular, proven, and research-based, these techniques help children develop creativity and critical-thinking skills.
Measurable and Immeasurable Results presents data on the effectiveness of the techniques, showing the academic improvement of preschool children who were exposed to them"

"For children, potential is limitless, curiosity is an electrical current, and every moment is open to the possibility of the unexpected. Day-to-day life is filled with adventure. Road blocks are invitations to try new routes. And the world is vast and expansive. This book is a celebration of childhood through the crafts and activities that invite wonder and play. The twenty-five projects and activities in this book are meant to speak to the way children engage with the world. These projects are not about what is produced in the end (although that part is fun too) but rather they are stepping-off points—activities that spark curiosity, an adventure, or an investigation. They’re about the process of getting there. They’re about the conversations that happen while making things together. They’re about getting to know the world inch by inch. They’re about exploring imaginary universes and running through real forests. They’re about living in childhood . . . regardless of your actual age. They’re about being a kid."

Science is reliant on data collection and this book does a great job of showing how at an early age, we all can collect and analyze science.

":Anyone can get involved in gathering data for ongoing, actual scientific studies such as the Audubon Bird Count and FrogWatch USA. Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard. You can put your nose to a monarch pupa or listen for raucous frog calls. You can tally woodpeckers or sweep the grass for ladybugs. This book, full of engaging photos and useful tips, will show you how."

"Make nature an integral part of the classroom! With rising childhood obesity rates and children’s heavy use of electronics, the need for quality time in nature is greater than ever. Put away gadgets, turn off screens, and discover all that the natural world has to offer.

Celebrate Nature! is filled with hands-on activities to revive children’s connections with nature. Each seasonal section—autumn, winter, spring, and summer—introduces seven themes with countless ways to integrate nature into the classroom. Chapters encourage reflection of your own memories of the seasons and provide activities that address science and discovery, math, blocks and building, language arts, reading, writing, dramatic play, art, and music. Also included are sample letters and suggested at-home activities to support family participation in this important learning."

Environmental Education and Teaching for Diversity

As environmental educators, we strive to instill a love of nature in all audiences, despite their background. Many funding opportunities reflect a desire to reach more rural and under served communities that lack access to nature parks, museums and zoos. How can we take audiences with diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds into account when teaching and designing curriculum? There isn't a lot of literature or training that addresses this specifically for the environmental education world. But plenty of books have been dedicated to this topic for formal classroom educators. Two such books that provide a wealth of information to be gleaned from any educator are in the Environmental Literacy Center at the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs.

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

"People in poverty face challenges virtually unknown to those in middle class or wealth--challenges from both obvious and hidden sources. The reality of being poor brings out a survival mentality, and turns attention away from opportunities taken for granted by everyone else.

If you work with people from poverty, some understanding of how different their world is from yours will be invaluable. Whether you're an educator--or a social, health, or legal services professional--this breakthrough book gives you practical, real-world support and guidance to improve your effectiveness in working with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Since 1995 A Framework for Understanding Poverty has guided hundreds of thousands of educators and other professionals through the pitfalls and barriers faced by all classes, especially the poor."


Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice

"For nearly a decade, Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice has been the definitive sourcebook of theoretical foundations and curricular frameworks for social justice teaching practice. This thoroughly revised second edition continues to provide teachers and facilitators with an accessible pedagogical approach to issues of oppression in classrooms. Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice presents a well-constructed foundation for engaging the complex and often daunting problems of discrimination and inequality in American society."

EE Specific Resources:

What's Good in My Hood?
Available online: http://www.nyrp.org/Kids_Parents_Teachers/Whats_Good_In_My_Hood_
Description from website:
"This is an innovative service-learning workbook that leads users through a 5-unit investigation of their neighborhood. Each unit asks questions that lead to answers about what is and what is not good in their neighborhood and how it affects the food, water, and shelter sources they depend on to survive. The resources in this book give users a platform to create a plan of action based on their findings.

With over 80% of the US population living in urban areas, this curriculum was intentionally designed to empower urban community dwellers with a more informed perspective about the health and wellbeing of their local environment. What’s Good in My Hood? empowers users to make their community a safer, cleaner, healthier place."


North American Association for Environmental Education
NAEE Inclusivity Network

"NAAEE hosts the EElinked Inclusivity Network  that serves as a forum for ongoing discussions about the challenges, successes and lessons learned in our adaptive efforts to reach and work with diverse people and organizations. We encourage all participants to provide sincere and supportive comments that will help us become more effective, relevant and collaborative in our work with others."

Summer Program Resources

 

Now that the school year is winding down, non-formal educators are gearing up for summer programs. Some have been visiting the Environmental Literacy Center to browse through our resources and meet with colleagues to prepare for and update their programs. Don't forget this resource is here for you! We have curriculum guides for nearly every environmental education workshop offered in the state along with activity guides from numerous authors and publishers. In addition to activity guides to help your planning, you can find books to expand your content and pedagogical knowledge. Check out our website for information on how to visit the library, reserve it for a meeting and to browse our catalog: http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/resource-center-elc.html

 

Here is a sampling of some of our resources:

 

"As Joseph Cornell’s classic book reached its 20th anniversary, Cornell drew upon a wealth of experience in nature education to significantly revise and expand his book. New nature games—favorites from the field—and Cornell's typically insightful commentary makes the second edition of this special classic even more valuable to nature lovers world-wide. The Sharing Nature movement that Cornell pioneered has now expanded to countries all over the globe. Recommended by Boy Scouts of America, American Camping Association, National Audubon Society and many others." Description from Amazon

 

 

 

 

"Introducing children to the excitement of the natural world, this guide to outdoor adventure provides hours of creative, safe, and fun activities. Children will learn how to build a den from branches, make twig boats to sail across a pond, and voyage through the backyard to find tiny insects and creatures. Activities include invigorating games, natural crafts, and lively adventures, all of which are organized by season. An additional chapter also addresses safe activities for children after dark. Perfect for families, caretakers, and educators, this creative resource encourages children to turn off the television and play outside all year round." Description from Amazon

 

 

 

"This book is designed to guide you through the theories, techniques, and strategies for effective interpretation with an emphasis on program development. Suggests strategies and tools for effective communication. This reference book is a vital resource for guides and interpreters. Includes tips for traditional campfire programs, high-tech audiovisual demonstrations, presentations to special groups and more. Docents, volunteers, and interpreters will find guide very useful. " Description from Acorn Naturalist

 

 

"It features over 100 fun nature activities for families and teachers to use with babies and young children, and was written by a team of child development specialists and naturalists." Description from the Children's Nature Institute

 

 



Teach Writing and Environmental Science All at Once!

 

Teaching writing skills to students opens up the door to all sorts of cross curricular activities. Are you looking for a good reason to take your students out doors but are feeling too much pressure from all the testing requirements? Consider nature journaling, or writing up a report for an experiment that can be conducted outside, such as how long it takes leaves from different tree species to decompose.

 

Science the "Write" Way, by Jodi Wheeler-Topen, will give you ideas for incorporating writing into your science lessons or science into your writing lessons. Geared towards elementary and middle school teachers, the book outlines the processes and methods for teaching science writing through articles that cover lab reports, science journals, field guides, interactive science notebooks, blogs, and even creative nonfiction and environmental poetry.

 

Coming soon to the Environmental Literacy Center!

It's Not Dirt!!! Know Soil Know Life

 

 

 

 

“Without soil we’d be hungry, naked, and homeless," says Clay Robinson, a New Mexico soil scientist and co-editor of Know Soil Know Life, a new book published by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) for high school students and undergrads.

 

This book is co-edited by one of our very own! David L. Lindbo is current president of SSSA, and a soil science professor at N.C. State. Covering topics such as soil biology, soil chemistry and classification, this book challenges the reader to gain a new perspective on so called "dirt" as it weaves a thread of human connection throughout and in a capstone chapter titled "Soil and Society".

 

Soon to be at the Environmental Literacy Center, a full review of the book can be found here.

 

For K-12 lesson plans on soil, SSSA has launched a bank of resources found here.

 

Soil science can be correlated to the following areas in the Essential Standards:

 

1st Grade Science: The properties of soils, basic plant needs

3rd Grade Science: Ecosystems- Environmental conditions for plant growth, soil properties

5th Grade Science: Ecosystems- Producers, consumers, and decomposers

6th Grade Science: Formation of soil, monitoring the lithosphere

8th Grade Science: Interconnectedness of energy in the food web and the cycling of matter, Interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers

Earth/Environmental Science: Factors affecting the lithosphere, erosion and weathering, human impacts on lithosphere, Conventional and sustainable agriculture

Biology: Ecosystems- flow of energy and matter, Human impact on the environment

 

Don't take municipal services for granted!

 

New York City 1893, Harper's Weekly
Source: http://www.onearth.org/article/digging-into-new-york-citys-trashy-history
 

 

Before the advent of municipal services, such as sewage treatment plants and landfills, what did people do with all of their waste? In The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic-, author Steven Johnson answers this question and takes us through a thrilling story of the consequences of poor environmental sanitation and health. The book chronicles the story of a cholera outbreak and how the response revolutionized public health and scientific inquiry in the developed world. 

 

A great read for educators or supplemental reading for students exploring the human impact on water supply and environmental health. This book was rated a National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and Entertainment Weekly's Best Book of the Year.

 

It was assigned a reading level of 18 and up but also appeared on a list of great science books for high school students by Discover magazine.

 

The Penguin Group has provided a reading guide with possible discussion questions found here. 

Can't keep up with all the advances in technology?

K-12 Comprehensive, Standards Based Lesson Plans for Energy Education

 

Classroom Biodiesel Project from "Creating Biodiesel and Mitigating Waste"

 

 

The U.S. Department of Energy has a searchable database of energy lesson plans. They are all aligned with national science standards. These are rigorous lesson plans for all ages that promote critical thinking skills and analysis regarding our current energy usage, conservation, and renewable technologies. Though they can be adapted, they are written to be used as is and have an easy to follow step-by-step format. The detailed plans may be challenging to get through on a time crunch, but they would be perfect for summer reading, and to adapt and improve your current lesson plans. The writers clearly espouse the latest pedagogical theories in promoting higher level thinking and developing science skills. Not just for Earth/Environmental Science, lessons such as "The Cell Wall Chemistry of Biofuels" incorporate biology and chemistry and "Build a Pizza Box Solar Oven" can be adapted to all ages.

 

One of the lesson plans, "Creating Biodiesel & Mitigating Waste" would be a perfect way for a chemistry class to bring in real world concepts and problem solving. It provides step-by-step instructions for making biodiesel in the classroom and then testing it for viability. It also includes a lab sheet for students and directions for a group research presentation. In lower level classes or for non-chemistry students, the biodiesel could be made by the teacher as a demonstration. This could also be done in an Environmental Club after school or during lunch.

 

For this and more lessons, visit here.