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Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature
by Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown
Foreword by Richard Louv

      It's been hailed by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, as "good medicine for nature-deficit disorder." The first edition quickly became the essential guidebook for mentors, parents, teachers, camp directors, and others wanting fun and exciting ways to connect children (and adults!) with nature.

     Written by Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown, the second edition of Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature is an even more valuable resource for reconnecting people to the natural world.

      Based on feedback from nature mentors and educators around the world, the second edition is not only more comprehensive - it's grown from 408 to 548 pages - but it's much easier to use, with beautiful full color photographs, a comprehensive index, and color codes that link the principles and activities for easier navigation.

      Coyote mentoring is a method of learning that has been refined over thousands of years, based on instilling the need-to-know. Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature reveals this approach and what happens to student and teacher during the mentoring process. Strategies like questioning, storytelling, tracking, mapping, and practicing survival skills will inspire student curiosity and encourage self-sufficiency. Background information will help parents, teachers and others feel more confident in introducing children to new ways of experiencing and learning about the natural world..

Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature     $30.00     Quantity:

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Last Child in the Woods
Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
by Richard Louv
Review by Felicia Elpel

"I like to play indoors better because that is where all the electrical outlets are."
--4th grader from San Diego, California

      How many parents have heard a similar statement from their children? With the increase in technology, so comes a decrease in outdoor activities, and any physical activity for that matter. More and more of the world's children are succumbing to this epidemic. They are suffering from preventable ailments such as obesity, depression, and attention disorders as a result. What can we do to help?

      Richard Louv has written a comprehensive guide to help slow and hopefully stop this quickly escalating problem. It is a drug-free method of getting kids back on track through nature. Because children are mostly sensory learners, they rely on outside stimulation to help them understand their world. Louv suggests ways to use nature to help stimulate the pathways of the child. Simple exercises such as nature journaling and animal spotting spark the child's natural ability to learn.

      This book is a must read for parents and educators alike. Lets help get kids back outside and in touch with the wild.

Sharing Nature with Children
20th Anniversary Edition
by Joseph Cornell

      Sharing Nature with Children is a classic resource in the field of environmental education. A favorite among educators, camp counselors, parents, and grandparents, Sharing Nature is a delightful book full of activities to engage children in nature, nurturing an environmental ethic and a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors. Activities from Joseph Cornell's book have been adopted by environmental education programs around the world. It is a great resource for anyone concerned with nature deficit disorder and interested in the No Child Left Inside movement.

      For this 20th anniversary edition, Cornell drew upon a wealth of additional experience in nature education to significantly revise and expand the book. New nature games and Cornell's insightful commentary makes the second edition of this classic even more valuable to nature lovers worldwide. The Sharing Nature movement that Cornell pioneered has now expanded to countries all over the globe. Recommended by Boy Scouts of America, American Camping Association, National Audubon Society and many others. 176 pages. Dawn Publications. ISBN 1-883220-73-4.

Sharing Nature with Children II
      This second volume, formerly titled Sharing the Joy of Nature, is a treasury of some of Cornell's favorite nature games for adults and children. Joseph also introduces his technique of Flow Learning, showing how to match nature activities to the interest and energy levels of children, and to organize them in a way that works, placing them in thematic sequence to ensure a genuinely uplifting experience. Cornell's unique blend of knowledge and warmth creates a contagious atmosphere for learning. 176 pages. Dawn Publications. ISBN 1-883220-87-4.

Sharing Nature with Children     $10.00     Quantity:

Sharing Nature with Children II     $10.00     Quantity:

Rediscovery: Ancient Paths, New Directions
Outdoor Activities Based on Native Traditions
by Thom Henley

      For more than twenty-five years, the Rediscovery program has drawn from the timeless wisdom of native American elders to help teach youth, native American and otherwise, to respect the earth and each other. Today dozens of Rediscovery programs have been developed around the world, helping indigenous youth to rediscover their heritage and allowing others the opportunity to learn important lessons about balance and harmony with our environment. Youth of all ages and backgrounds are inspired to discover and respect the world within themselves, the cultural worlds between each other, and the natural world around them. This book reflects the contributions of more than thirty different native cultures represented in the Rediscovery circle of wilderness camps.

      This expanded edition includes more than 130 activities based on the spirit of sharing and caring, communicating with other cultures, and connecting with our natural environment. Schools and youth groups everywhere will be able to use these activities when they gather to reacquaint themselves with their place in nature. Lone Pine Publishing. Second Edition, 1996. ISBN: 978-1551050775. 352 pages.

      About the Author: Thom Henley is a founder of the Rediscovery program and a tireless campaigner for the preservation of wilderness areas and traditional lands. He has traveled to more than 70 countries, to live with and learn from indigenous peoples. He has lectured in fifteen countries and has received numerous international and national conservation and human rights awards, among them the prestigious Sol Feinstone Award from the State University of New York.

Rediscovery: Ancient Paths, New Directions     $20.00     Quantity:

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Classroom in the Woods
Primitive Skills for Public Schools
DVD with Thomas J. Elpel and the Harrison Junior High Kids

      Amid a growing awareness of the need to reconnect kids with nature, Classroom in the Woods vividly demonstrates the power and promise of hands-on, immersive experiences to put kids in touch with the real world. In this enlightening video, author and educator Thomas J. Elpel brings a class of junior high students out into the woods for three days and two nights of hands-on wilderness survival and primitive skills experience.
      Leaving textbooks behind, the kids revel at the opportunity for hands-on learning, as they build a shelter, forage for wild edible plants, make a bow and drill fire set, stalk and observe wildlife, and bake bread in a stone oven. The students create fire from wood, and then use that fire to shape bowls and spoons and cook their food. In the process, they learn about themselves building self-confidence, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and attunement to their surroundings.
      More than just survival skills, these experiences help give kids a better grasp of the world around them. Pursuing similar goals as author Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods, Elpel provides a model demonstration of the kind of whole-person education that every kid should be entitled to. Run time: 50 minutes, plus 30 minutes of bonus features expanding on specific skills. ISBN: 978-1-892784-33-9. 2010.

      "In addition to following the journey of the students, [Classroom in the Woods] is filled with interviews with students, classroom teachers and the Hollowtop team where they discuss not just the how, but also the why of outdoor education and how primitve skills can add a tangible connection to the natural world.
      This dvd is inspiring for both classroom teachers and outdoor educators. I can say this because I watched it with my wife who is a classroom teacher, and she was impressed by both what they covered and how they covered it. Watching the kids transition from experiencing the natural world as something that's foreign and scary to somewhere to call home is amazing to watch."

Tim Smith
Jack Mountain Bushcraft School
Ashland, Maine

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The Educator's Empowerment Pack
Tools to Reconnect Kids with Nature!
(This package counts as six items for calculating postage.)

      Order all the items listed on this page together for a special package discount. These combined resources provide you with a unique set of resources to reconnect kids with nature and make positive change in the world!

• Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature
• Last Child in the Woods
• Sharing Nature with Children
• Sharing Nature with Children II
• Rediscovery: Ancient Paths, New Directions
• Classroom in the Woods DVD

The Educator's Empowerment Pack (6 items - save $25.00)    $85.00    Quantity:

   

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