Agencies and non-profits take action through Youth In Nature Partnership 

My concentration is interrupted by the sound of a bullhorn. I look up from a table full of youth chipping and jabbing away at pieces of obsidian rock. “If you signed up for the second rafting trip, come gather under the tree” shouts a City of Eugene River House staff member. Two teenage boys ask me if I can hold their carefully sculpted pieces of obsidian while they raft. I wrap the bulky, sharp…

When we decided to put in a small garden pond I had planned on it being a fun hobby for the family that would also make a nice extra feature for the yard. As soon as I started to research it some to see how to go about it, it became obvious that it was going to be far more than a hobby to pass a few hours of quality time but would provide a virtual laboratory full of science and environmental project as well. It is my favorite type of learning with the children – hands on with actual results…

Building a garden shed was a unique learning experience for my children Aside from some basic vocational skills and safety lessons that are always good to teach, we used the Pythagorean theorem to keep things square to demonstrate real world uses for seemingly “useless” math, introductory physics with lever and fulcrum to show my nine year old how to lift a 250lb wall section and block and tackle to hoist small rafter sections to demonstrate the effectiveness of pulleys, and half a dozen…

Our book recently published book offers environmental education activities in gardens for children ages 2-8 years. You can check some of the content at

www.pumpkinsandpetuniasbook.com/book/

and Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and GoogleBooks. Here is a press release:…