"Normally I share on the children's books that line the shelves in my
classroom, however, I wanted to share a few of the books that have lined
my own shelf these past couple of months. This past winter and spring I
wanted the focus of my professional development (pd) reading to be on
eco-learning (naturalist learning or nature based learning). Here's a
little snapshot of each book that I'd recommend to other educators who
have the same passion and interest" N. Grimm
The Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. Children
spend less time outdoors in nature more than ever before: Richard Louv
explores the causes that have lead to this nature deficit culture
children live in currently through a great deal of research that he
shares in this award winning book--a must-have for any educator's
bookshelf who wants to cultivate and implement eco-learning in their
classroom and school.
The Nature Connection by Clare Walker Leslie.
If a teacher were ever in need of a resource packed with nature based
lessons and activities, then this ought to be the book to pick up. From
garden planning, to building a nature table, to exploring dirt, The Nature Connection is sure to lay out a wide variety of ideas for the whole year--every season--to choose from to take into your classroom.
Botany on Your Plate: Investigating the Plants We Eat by Katharine D. Barrett. This
book is a great curriculum resource for bringing gardening into your
classroom. We did a lesson out of it this spring that the kids loved on
taste-testing various garden vegetables and collecting data on them.
The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson.
Carson weaves together a beautiful narrative, parried with lovely
photographs, of her days exploring outdoors with her young nephew and on
the importance of helping children keep their "inborn sense of wonder"
through nature.
Cabinet of Curiosities: Collecting and Understanding the Wonders of the Natural World by Gordon Grice.
This book shares on the art of collecting the nature treasures that
peek our curiosity or serve as a memento of a memory made--the art of
bringing natural history into your life. I still have nature finds from
my own childhood in a small wooden cabinet on display that remind me of
days spent walking sandy shores or hiking through the Colorado
mountains. The book has a small section on building one's own cabinet of
curiosities and caring for your specimens, with the majority of the
book focused on classifying specimens with the Linneaus system. This
would be a great reference book to have in a class library for older
elementary students to practice classifying specimens and building their
own collection.
And a couple of articles from across the web that resonated with me
while I've been learning more on integrating eco-learning into the
classroom...
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