Kinship with Nature: Free Resource

A new resource, "The Environmental Kinship Guide," is now available for free download. Described as "a holistic approach to teaching and learning about, in, with and for the whole of the natural world," it provides a wealth of information for early educators. Dimensions Foundation (the parent organization of Exchange Press and Nature Explore) is proud to be one of the organizations supporting this international initiative, and we hope everyone will benefit from this free resource.

Rusty Keeler, in his book, Adventures in Risky Play advocates for the opportunity for all children everywhere to build an unfettered relationship with the natural world through open-ended play. He writes: "When play is allowed to be child-driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue."

And Sandra Duncan and Jody Martin, in their beautiful book, Bringing the Outside In reassure educators that it is possible to provide nature experiences for children in all circumstances. For example, they encourage all educators, "even if located in a metropolitan area with little green space," to "grow gardens within a room’s four walls. Container gardens do not need a large piece of land or even a lot of space – all you need is light, dirt, water, and a collection of containers for the plants. It is also not necessary to invest a lot of money in purchasing the containers. Take a look around – garage, basement, kitchen – for vases, bowls, vessels, mason jars, or even thick glass bottles. You might be surprised at the many cast-off objects that can be magically transformed into whimsical containers."

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

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