Childhood and Nature

<p><b><i>Childhood and Nature</i></b><b> is a guide for educators looking to foster in their students a love of nature as well as an understanding of complex environmental issues. </b>This second edition brings new material and fresh insights to David Sobel's foundational exploration of place-based education.</p> <p>Sobel articulates seven design principles that teachers can use to build learning experiences: adventure, fantasy and imagination, animal allies, maps and paths, special places, small worlds, and hunting and gathering,. Pulling from recurrent play themes and real-world examples from educators, Sobel details placed-based projects and lessons for each principle. Students learn and develop vital skills through engagement with their local environments and communities. Miniature ecosystems in the "small world" of a sandbox, for example, can help children grasp larger, abstract ideas. </p> <p>A timely and actionable resource, <i>Childhood and Nature</i> shows how centering the world around us in education can create a generation of nature students, explorers, and protectors.</p>