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Snippet number 4 from 'The Naturals - The Story of Moony'

There are ten stories within my book, 'The Naturals': The Story of Cloudy, Snowy, Windy, Moony, Hailstones, Sunny, Rainbow, Rainy, Starry and Earth. To be read to 4-10 year olds so that they may feel the connection with our Natural World. Once they can feel that our Natural World is alive and compassionate and looking after us all, they will want to look after it!

Here is a snippet from 'The Story of Moony':

'As silence slowly crept along the line, Tiny Mouse was…

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Added by Sharon Petersen on August 11, 2010 at 3:40pm — No Comments

Living School: the farm as a pedagogical resource in Norway

Now finally the beautiful film on the Living School project in Norway is viewable online (in two parts). The project lasted from 1996 until 2000 and is currently continuing successfully under the name "Living Learning."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpwIb9on-Gk

Living School: The Farm as a Pedagogical Resource (Part 1 & 2)

What connects us, as human beings, to a flower, a carrot, a cow or an earthworm? In… Continue

Added by jan van boeckel on August 11, 2010 at 7:55am — No Comments

Access to Natural Resources and Private Property Rights

Today I have a guest blog by a friend of mine Hege Jacobsen Lepri. Read about her trip to Main and about the freedom to roam.

So I went to Maine to get away from the city and take a dip into

Nature. Some may object that driving from Canada, for 2 days – and 1000

km – to Maine, would seem like a huge detour (with a major carbon

footprint attached to it). And, yes, this is true, but for someone who

grew up 75 m from the sea (and married to someone who spent all… Continue

Added by Kari on August 11, 2010 at 6:46am — No Comments

Advice FOR Natural Family Leaders BY Natural Family Leaders

In January of 2008, Ashley and I started Kids In the Valley, Adventuring!, a free nature club for families in Roanoke, Virginia (www.kidsadventuring.org). Since then, we have connected with wonderfully creative people around the United States and beyond who have started their own nature clubs. To increase our conversations and to document them to help other families, we created a facebook page for leaders as well as the NING…

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Added by Chip Donahue on August 8, 2010 at 9:00pm — 2 Comments

Transformational Experience: From Fear to Wonder

Last spring, we hosted a family camping trip to Mojave National Preserve with our family nature club, Family Adventures in Nature. Three families came, which we thought was a pretty

good turnout since the trip required a five-hour drive from San Diego. One

family we’d never met before brought two daughters, 7 and nearly 4. The

seven-year-old’s name was Kate. The kids seemed to hit it off right away. We

all did,…

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Added by Janice Swaisgood on August 8, 2010 at 5:16pm — 3 Comments

Nature Nurture - It really makes a difference!

Sometimes there are days that I wish would never end. I want to savour the magic of the moment forever. It's hard to describe what makes a perfect day as these are always a unique relationship between the people, the activities and the places that they happen.…

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Added by Juliet Robertson on August 8, 2010 at 2:18pm — No Comments

"Keep'n It Green" Albany, NY - GREEN TECH HIGH STUDENTS EXPLORE EDIBLE GARDENING

In many urban areas, children are surrounded by cement, brick and asphalt. The natural environment is behind fences and not available for hands-on exploration. This often means that urban children do not have a clear understanding of their agricultural heritage.

This summer Student/Participants of the Green Tech High Charter School = BOYS OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP TEAM… Continue

Added by Brother Yusuf Burgess on August 8, 2010 at 2:01am — No Comments

Mud Pies - Family Woodland Fun

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to share my latest blog post with you as it's so relevant for C&NN Connect.

In the woods of North East Scotland you may find a wee surprise. Several days a week, Mandy Tulloch, founder of Mud Pies organises family woodland sessions for 2-5yr olds and their parents and carers. These woods echo with the… Continue

Added by Juliet Robertson on August 2, 2010 at 2:30pm — 5 Comments

Snippet number 3 from 'The Naturals - The Story of Snowy'

There are ten stories within my book, 'The Naturals': The Story of Cloudy, Snowy, Windy, Moony, Hailstones, Sunny, Rainbow, Rainy, Starry and Earth.

Here is a snippet from 'The Story of Snowy':

'...'Yes, Foxy, you really have to,' said Mother patiently. 'You may not think you are chilly, but you are still small and we need to snuggle up together.'

'But I don't like snuggling!' whined Foxy.

'The is quite enough, Foxy!' Mother exclaimed, not so… Continue

Added by Sharon Petersen on July 26, 2010 at 10:22am — No Comments

Family Nature Club Outing to Confucius Farm, Guizhou, China

It was, already,

a few weeks ago that we visited a very special place, removed from the electronics

and fast pace of the city (the swift current of this life unfortunately made

this blog a little late, too). Four families met at a bustling Guiyang street

corner and were led out of the city and through the familiar twists and turns

of the Guizhou countryside. Our destination: a Confucius…

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Added by Katie Scott on July 22, 2010 at 8:29pm — No Comments

Planting a Literary Garden

Plant the Seeds of Intention

The dog days of summer, when Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun, will soon be upon us. Hot sultry weather. Balmy nights. Screen doors and porch swings. Iced lemonade and fresh peach ice cream. The long sagas of our lives lived at a lazy pace.…

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Added by Page Lambert on July 22, 2010 at 8:30am — 4 Comments

Another snippet from 'The Naturals - The Story of Cloudy'

'Cloudy was passing slowly along when he caught sight of Baby Eagle trying to stretch her wings to shield herself from Sunny's warm light. He wondered where her mother was, because Sunny's rays were getting hotter and hotter...

...Little Cloudy had never managed to become a proper Rainy Cloudy before. He had always felt too small to be of any help. He couldn't even give the flowers a good drink because he had only ever previously managed to drizzle, and not pour… Continue

Added by Sharon Petersen on July 21, 2010 at 5:43am — No Comments

Natural Playgrounds app free download from itunes

I want to make everyone aware about a free app called Natural Playgrounds that is available on iTunes. The app has a map with locations to find Natural Playgrounds. It is a GPS linked map so you can find locations and directions to natural playgrounds in your own area or an area that you are visiting. The map has only about 30 natural playgrounds listed at the moment because the app just came out but all of you can email more locations: it is a growing map that maps the growing natural…

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Added by Anita Van Asperdt on July 20, 2010 at 12:39pm — No Comments

Place-based Education, My Passion

Using the pond behind the school to teach ecosystems.

~Interviewing local lawmakers to understand the political process.

~Visiting a local business to facilitate an understanding of supply and demand.

Place-based is the belief that teaching happens most effectively through use of the

local culture, politics, art, environment, economy, geography etc....

creating a concrete context in which students can build connections to

the content being taught. It… Continue

Added by Harmony on July 19, 2010 at 5:25pm — No Comments

Taiga Trekkers

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Added by Harmony on July 19, 2010 at 4:44pm — No Comments

Here is the first snippet from 'The Naturals - The Story of Windy'

There are ten stories within my book, 'The Naturals': The Story of Cloudy,

Snowy, Windy, Moony, Hailstones, Sunny, Rainbow, Rainy, Starry and

Earth. So I will give a snippet from each story. Not all together as you'd

all get fed up with me, I'm sure! (I love reading my stories and could

shout them all day long from the rooftops!)

The Story of Windy:-

'Another time when Windy blew hard, Tom saw an old lady running after

her umbrella that was blowing… Continue

Added by Sharon Petersen on July 16, 2010 at 4:04am — No Comments

Introducing 'The Naturals' Children's Book - www.thenaturals.uk.com

I am a 45 year old twice-widowed mum of five and I have written ten connecting children's stories. They are together in one book entitled 'The Naturals' which aims to help children see that our natural world is alive and compassionate and always has our best interests at heart! The heart of my stories lies within the Native American Proverb; 'We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.' All ten stories are to be read to children and I hope to bring a sense of… Continue

Added by Sharon Petersen on July 13, 2010 at 2:30am — 4 Comments

Need help with sabbatic project on nature education in preschools

I am conducting a sabbatical project to document great examples of nature education in preschools in the U.S. and abroad. I am especially in need of contacts in France, Germany, Italy or Denmark as I have an upcoming trip. Any help with names/contact information is appreciated!

Added by Patty Merk on July 12, 2010 at 7:36am — 4 Comments

Moon mad

At TheNatureSchool.net I am running a multi post series on moon watching.

I remember, with great fondness, trips to the Arizona desert during the mid 60's to go star gazing. We'd lie on the car and my dad would point out all the constellations and tell me their stories.

Children love looking up at the stars and are facinated to try and find shapes in the stars. This coming Sunday's post at TheNatureSchool.net focuses on the new moon and finding stars in the night sky. There… Continue

Added by beth chase on July 9, 2010 at 2:23pm — 2 Comments

Will UK Government funding cuts deny kids access to their natural heritage?

Another news bullet in about Government funding cuts pops up on my screen. This time it’s the Change4Life and Play England budgets that face the axe – a campaign and organisation that respectively centre on encouraging healthy lifestyles and children’s play. While I’m under no illusion about the dire state of the public finances and the need to cut necessary waste, the latest casualties concern me about what lies ahead for the future funding of the Learning Outside the Classroom… Continue

Added by Charley May on July 9, 2010 at 1:51am — No Comments