Discovering Nature with Young Children


This is the first


in the Young Scien- tist series that helps teachers build on children’s natural curiosity to explore and learn about the world around them. From indoor terrarium and planting


projects to outdoor animal searches and habitat discussions, teachers learn how to prepare themselves and their classroom, guide children through both open and focused science explorations, and observe, assess, and document their learning. Five detailed chapters help develop scientific reasoning processes, such as hypothesis, inference, prediction, and estimation, as well as crucial math, language, and literacy skills. Subject areas in this curriculum also correlate to the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework.


ISBN 978-1-929610-38-9. $25.95 from


Redleaf Press at www.redleafpress.org; 1-800-423-8309.


Food Literacy Curriculum Now Available


A new standards-aligned middle school curriculum released by WorldLink and the Center for Ecoliteracy invites students and teachers to consider the ques- tion: “What’s the story of my food?” The Nourish: Food + Community curriculum and companion DVD are part of a multi- year educational initiative designed to open a meaning- ful conversation about food and sustainability. The initiative combines PBS programming, Web site content, teacher seminars, and youth sum- mits to increase food literacy.


http://www.nourishlife.org/index.html Natural


Playscapes: Creating


Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul


Evaluating Your Environmental Education Programs


A Workbook for Practitioners


By Julie A. Ernst, Martha C. Monroe, and Bora Simmons Want to evaluate your EE program, but


unsure where to begin? NAAEE has a new resource to help you. Evaluating Your Envi- ronmental Education Programs: A Work- book for Practitioners walks you through how to design and conduct an evaluation. Throughout the workbook, 23 exercises ask you to check your understanding (the an- swers are included). In addition, 47 applica- tion exercises point you to tasks that will help you develop your own evaluation. A liberal use of case studies and examples illustrate the concepts in each chapter, and over 45 figures and tables provide graphic representations for visual learners. A case study of one program demonstrates how to use each chapter to conduct an evaluation.


Available from the North American Associa- tion for Environmental Education (NAAEE) through their website at www.naaee.org.


CLEARING 2010 For many of


us, childhood was a time for exploration, adventure, and dis-


covering not only ourselves, but the world around us. Natural Playscapes by Rusty Keeler is an attempt to bring back this


sense of wonder to children’s play spaces. The author shows how to create extraordi- nary outdoor places for young children - places filled with art, hills, pathways, trees, herbs, open areas, sand, water, music, and more - where children find places to run, climb, dig, pretend, and hide, doing all the things that children need to bring out their full potential.


This 316 page resource book contains nearly 500 photographs and illustration that will inspire you in your home or school setting to create the kind of play space you would have loved when you were a kid. $48.95 from Acorn Naturalists


(http://www.acornnaturalists. com) Grades K-3


Lens on Outdoor Learning


Redleaf Press 2010


Co-authors


and photogra- phers Ginny Sullivan and Wendy Banning bring together images and children’s own words gathered from their field work in a variety of diverse settings to illuminate the magic that happens when children engage with the natural world. Framed by the early learning standards, children’s self-directed experiences are revealed as a natural vehicle for learning


Earth Heroes:


Champions of Wild Animals Champions of the Ocean Champions of the Wilderness


This outstanding series from Dawn Publi-


cations shares the stories of explorers and sci- entists who have become “earth heroes.” From icons like Jacques Cousteau and Jane Goodall to lesser known people like William Temple Hornaday and Margaret Wentworth Ow- ings, these mini-biographies show how these


individuals became who they are and why. By revealing their humble beginnings in curiosity and wonder, these stories provide ample inspiration and encouragement to young readers who may want to follow a similar path. Accessible text accompanied by wonderful illustrations and


photographs make these books a wonderful gift for a young naturalist. From Dawn Publications at http://www.dawnpub.com.


www.clearingmagazine.org/online Page 53


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