I have always been troubled by the ‘bean sitting in a damp paper towel on the window sill in a clear plastic cup’. It is easy, mess-free and rather quick to reward – parents expect it, but is it a true learning experience? I think it is time we scrap this yearly ritual and look into what other options we have for ‘growing’ in the classroom. Grow Great Grub is a book I would like to see being used by teachers and children to explore the possibilities that may exist around them.

“Your patio, balcony, rooftop, front stoop, windowsill, or planter box is a potential fresh food garden waiting to happen. In this book, Gayla Trail, the founder of the leading online gardening community You Grow Girl, shows you how to grow your own delicious, affordable, organic edibles virtually anywhere.”

Congratulations Gayla! Your drive and accomplishments never cease to amaze me.

“Here you will find posts from Center for Ecoliteracy staff, including Zenobia Barlow, cofounder and executive director; Lisa Bennett, communications director; Karen Brown, creative director; Jim Koulias, deputy director; Carolie Sly, director of education programs; and Michael K. Stone, senior editor.”

Check Out: “Five Reasons Arts Education Is Essential to Sustainability” by Lisa Bennett

What is a Bienenstock Natural Playground?

“A Bienenstock Natural Playground is one where all aspects of early childhood development are considered in the design. Adam Bienenstock, the industry’s leader in designing Natural Playgrounds, works with an ECE specialist and a Kinesiologist, to ensure that your children’s needs are met. His philosophy behind accessibility allows him to anticipate the needs of all children. His understanding of the importance of shade make him the industry leader in plant material, where all of his designs always include mature trees and indigenous species. Adam Bienenstock’s commitment to the environment is also very evident in his designs, where all materials are either of a natural nature or where this is not possible the use of 100% recycled materials is prescibed. Adam also understands that traditional playground design focuses on gross motor activity and presents an ‘activity centre’ or structure as the single focus of the space. His natural playground designs spread these gross motor activities throughout the space and add creative play, quiet space, music, art and nature. Bienenstock natural playground is fully accessible. People with different physical abilities can access his playgrounds, for example; people in wheelchairs can access components from the seat of their chairs; while providing full access he still maintains soft, CSA approved, low impact surfacing. In this style of playground, accessibility refers to people of all abilities, fitness levels, intelligence, creativity, cultures, and genders. Bienenstock’s natural playgrounds are inviting, not intimidating; suggestive, not prescriptive; inclusive, not exclusive, and open to all who want to explore nature and their own imagination. Take a look at the different components that make a Bienenstock Natural Playground.”

“A first of its kind, this book portrays the growing sustainability movement in American K-12 education. It showcases inspiring stories of public, independent, and charter schools across the country. It offers hope, inspiration, and expert advice, while documenting a rising trend that is good news for education and the environment.

Smart by Nature is beautifully written by our senior editor, Michael K. Stone, who has covered education for sustainable living for nearly a decade. It features a foreword by Daniel Goleman, author of Ecological Intelligence, and has already been endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation, David W. Orr, Alice Waters, and others.

Since many of you have already asked, here are a few ways you can help:

* Write a short review on Amazon.com
* Send this message to all your friends and all the educators you know
* Become a fan on our new Facebook page and share your thoughts
* Blog about it
* Ask your local bookseller to carry it
* Buy copies for the schools you care about

We encourage you to purchase your copy from University of California Press. Smart by Nature is also available from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you for your support and for being a part of this vital community.”

Warmly,
Zenobia Barlow
Cofounder and Executive Director

“By bringing us unique footage from over fifty countries, all seen from the air, by sharing with us his wonder and concern, with this film Yann Arthus-Bertrand lays a foundation stone for the edifice that, together, we must rebuild.”

Watch the film in its entirety, all 1 hour and 33 minutes

Michael K. Stone and Center for Ecoliteracy.

“Throughout the United States, a movement of educators, parents, and students is remaking K-12 education to prepare students for the future environmental challenges. What would a green school or an eco-schooling curriculum look like? Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability offers firsthand accounts and strategies for greening campuses, rethinking school food, and transforming schools into model sustainable communities.
Green and healthy campuses with rooftop gardens and innovative designs are serving as living laboratories in which educators teach energy conservation, resource management, and earth sciences.

Smart by Nature documents this movement through inspiring success stories from public and independent schools across the country. Practical “what you can do” checklists and pages of resources make this a twenty-first-century guide for our educational future.”

“Get outdoors and let your creativity run wild. See all that you can make with simple components found right outside your front door!”

“This collection of 65 art projects for crafty kids features activities that use natural materials, including twigs, vines, pine cones, shells, and much more. Includes simple step-by-step instructions.”

“The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. C&NN provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being.”

“Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability
June 22-24, 2009: Berkeley, California
A three-day Center for Ecoliteracy seminar for educators and others committed to schooling for sustainability.

A Short Course: Systems Thinking, Education, and the State of the World
August 13-15, 2009: Berkeley, California
A rare opportunity to study with Fritjof Capra, one of the world’s leading systems theorists, and learn how our major global problems are interconnected and how the challenge of building sustainable communities will require both systems thinking and an ecological conception of life. Capra will be joined by David W. Orr, one of the nation’s leading environmental educators, and Carolie Sly, education program director for the Center for Ecoliteracy.

Climate Change and the Connections that Bind Us
August 14, 2009: Berkeley, California
David W. Orr, one of the nation’s leading environmental educators, will discuss his forthcoming book, Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse in a special evening reading and talk benefiting the Center for Ecoliteracy’s initiative, Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability.”

For more details, visit the Center for Ecoliteracy’s website.

Currently reading:

A book by Richard Louv

“Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are right in our own backyard.

* 100 actions you can take to create change in your community, school, and family.
* 35 discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.
* A new progress report by the author about the growing Leave No Child Inside movement.
* New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.”

Be sure to check out Richard Louv blog childrenandnature