Learning with Nature

05/14/2007

No sight is more provocative of awe than is the night sky.
Llewelyn Powys

Exchange's newest resource, Learning With Nature Idea Book: Creating Nurturing Outdoor Spaces for Children (Lincoln, NE: National Arbor Day Foundation, 2006) provides ideas for implementing these ten guiding principles for outdoor classrooms:

Divide the space into clearly delineated areas for different kinds of activities.
Include a complete mix of activity areas.
Give areas simple names.
Identify each area with a sign and other visual clues.
Be sure every area is visible at all times.
Use a variety of natural materials, including trees and other live plants.
Choose elements for durability and low maintenance.
Maximize beauty and visual clarity in the over-all design.
Personalize the design with regional materials, and ideas from children and staff.
Be sure the space meets all regulatory standards for your region.

The designers of this book, Nancy Rosenow from Dimensions Educational Research Foundation and John Rosenow from the National Arbor Day Foundation, are participating in sessions on nature education at the World Forum on Early Care and Education currently taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where members of the Nature Action Collaborative for Children are planning a second Working Forum on Nature Education that will be taking place again at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska in July of 2008.

Nature Idea Book now Available

Learning With Nature Idea Book: Creating Nurturing Outdoor Spaces for Children, the book featured in today's message, can now be purchased on the Exchange web site.

Toddler Portable Sink: Your Classroom Solution for HOT and COLD running water. A convenient, time-saving way to clean children's messy hands anytime, anywhere.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.