Thursday, October 25, 2012

October: Developing a Sense of Place

Sense of Place Book List
Arnosky, J. 1993. Crinkleroot's Guide to Walking in Wild Places. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Arnosky, J. 1995. I See Animals Hiding. Scholastic.
Baylor, B. and P. Parnall. 1997. The Other Way to Listen. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Bishop, N. 2002. Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close. Scholastic, Inc.
Brenner, B. and T. Leonard. 2004. One Small Place in a Tree. HarperCollins Childrens Books.
Burns, D. and L. Garrow. 1998. Leaves, Trees and Bark (Take-Along Guide). NorthWord Books for Young Readers.
Burns, D.L. and J.F. McGee. 1996.  Berries, Nuts, and Seeds (Take-Along Guide). T&N Children's Publishing.
Canizares, S., D. Moreton and B. Chessen. 1997. Who Lives in a Tree? Scholastic, Inc.
Capogna, V.V. 1999. Did You Ever Wonder about Things You Find in Your Backyard? Marshall Cavendish Inc.
Chesanow, N. and A. W. Iosa. 1995. Where Do I Live?. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Cooper, A.C. 2000. In the City. Rinehart P.
Cox, M., and DK Publishing Staff. 2009. Wildlife Gardening. DK Publishing, Inc.
Davis, W. 1998. City Park. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Di Salvo-Ryan, D. 1994. City Green. HarperCollins Publishers.
Epstein, S. 1989. Bugs for Dinner?: The Eating Habits of Neighborhood Creatures. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Fife, D.H. 1996. The Empty Lot. Sierra Club Books for Children.
Fredericks, A.D. 2001. Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs and Other Ughs. Dawn Publications.
Fredericks, A.D. On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks and a Few More Icks.
Giogas, V. 2007. In My Backyard. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Herberman, E. 1989. The City Kid's Field Guide. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Hester, N. 2004. The Living Town. Watts Pub Group.
Kavanagh, J. and R. Leung. 2001. Urban Wildlife: An Introduction to Familiar Species (North American Nature Guides). Waterford Press.
Kirkland, J. 2001. Take a Backyard Bird Walk. Stillwater Publishing.
Kirkland, J. 2006. Take a City Nature Walk. Stillwater Publishing.
Ladoux, R. 2002. Iowa. Lerner Publishing Group.
Landry, S.B. and R.T. Peterson. 1998. Peterson First Guide to Urban Wildlife. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Lavies, B. 1989. Tree Trunk Traffic. Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
Lovejoy, S. 1999. Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children. Workman Publishing Company.
Morrison, G. 2004. Nature in the Neighborhood. Walter Lorraine Books/Houghton Mifflin Books.
Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. Ecosystem of a Fallen Tree. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Pfeffer, W. 1997. A Log’s Life. Simon Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Pierce, P. and B. Langton. 2003. H is for Hawkeye: An Iowa Alphabet. Sleeping Bear Press.
Pierce, P. A. and D. Rohner. 2006. Numbers in a Row: An Iowa Number Book. Sleeping Bear Press.
Romanova, N. 1999. Once There Was a Tree. Rebound by Sagebrush.
Rotner, S. 1992. Nature Spy. Atheneum.
Showers, P. and Aliki. 1993. The Listening Walk. HarperCollins Children's Books.
Silver, D.M. 1997. One Small Square: Backyard. McGraw-Hill Companies.
Silver, D.M. 1997. One Small Square: Woods. McGraw-Hill Companies.
Wallace, N.E. 2006. Look! Look! Look! Marshall Cavendish Children's Books.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

October: Developing a Sense of Place

Where am I? What is the nature of this place?
These are simple questions. Or are they? To children today these questions might be anything but simple. As our society moves into cities and suburbs, and away from the natural world, our children’s connection to the natural world has started to disappear. Children today spend more time in front of screens, both television and computer, than they do outside. Most do not know what is outside their own backdoor - let alone what is down the street. Also lost is the connection to the community and what sustains it. Where did their dinner come from? Ask a child and most likely they will tell you the grocery store.

What can we do?
Take the classroom outside into the local natural world and into the community. Start with your schoolyard. Young children are very observant and if given a chance will happily explore and discover their surroundings. Record their observations so you can discuss them as a class later.

Once you have learned your schoolyard - go further. The pond down the road. The creek in the woods behind the school. The local park.
Go into the community. What is in your local community? What is grow around your community? Are there parks? A river? Is there a local area or business that you can visit?
Next –what can YOU do? As a class what can you do to help the local community? The local natural resources? Is there a project at the local community park that your school can take on? A prairie planting? Tree planting? Community garden? Get children into the community and involved.

For young children remember to “stay small” and focus on how it fits into their world.

Activity Ideas
“Wildlife is Everywhere” Growing Up WILD – Children make observations and understand that wildlife is all around us.
“Who Lives in a Tree?” Growing Up WILD – Children develop an awareness of trees and some of the animals that call them “home”.
“Field Study Fun” Growing Up WILD – Children investigate a field study plot to observe plant and animal interactions over time.
“Sounds Around” Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood – Children explore the sounds of nature (or the schoolyard!).
“Adopt a Tree” Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood – Children adopt a tree and learn about it as they visit over time and watch it change through the seasons.
Poster – As a class create a poster about your schoolyard and what lives there.

New!! Facebook Group!!
Do you want to explore place-based education with other liked-minded educators? Join the Outdoor Explorations for Early Learners group on Facebook™! It’s a forum for educators to learn and share with each other! http://www.facebook.com/groups/OutdoorExplorations/


Thursday, October 11, 2012

October: Developing a Sense of Place

What is a “Sense of Place”?
A “sense of place” refers to a child’s connection with their community and natural environment.  A sense of place is developed with a place-based education approach that fosters those connections. Place-based education immerses children in their local community, landscapes, heritage, and experiences. It is using the local natural and human world to learn science, social studies, math, art, music, and language.

Research has shown that children lose their sense of place when they are focused too quickly or exclusively on national or global issues. It follows the idea that before children can tackle the problems of the rainforest in Brazil they need to love the woods down the street. By exploring the local environment children learn a fundamental connection to the natural world and their place in it. Place-based education does not overlook global or national issues but simply strives to give children a sense of their own place and a love of their own place first. Through hands-on, project-based learning children get involved in the real world right outside their door.

Be sure to check back next week for ways to foster a sense of place with your students!

Do you want to explore place-based education with other liked-minded educators? Join the Outdoor Explorations for Early Learners group on Facebook™! It’s a forum for educators to learn and share with each other! 

Place-based education resources for educators
Books
Sobel, D. 2004. Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities. The Orion Society.

Sobel, D. 1998. Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years. Heinemann.

Smith, G. A., and D. Sobel. 2010. Place-And Community-Based Education in Schools. Routledge.

Links