Connecting Children and Nature

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR WINTER WITH FRESH NEW BOOKS!

During February we’re giving away free books each week.

• Win Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist and Why Should I Walk? I Can Fly!
• The giveaway runs from February 1 to March 1, 2019. 
• A winner is chosen on Friday of each week. The first winner will be randomly selected from all entries on February 8, 2019.
• Once you enter, you are eligible to win for the rest of the month. The earlier you enter, the more chances you have to win.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist

Scampers is no ordinary mouse. She’s curious. She asks questions. She investigates. In short—she thinks like a scientist! And her infectiously experimental spirit will have young readers eager to think like scientists too.

Explore More with Literary Connections and STEM Activities

“A buoyant tale of scientific enquiry fueled by a proper mix of curiosity and courage.”— Kirkus Reviews

Why Should I Walk? I can FLY!

A little bird, a big sky, and the first time out of the nest! A fledgling robin’s first flight is a gentle reminder about what we can accomplish if we just keep trying. From doubt to determination, and despair to triumph, a baby robin expresses the  emotions we all feel.

Explore More with Literary Connections and STEM Activities

“Flying with this bird should leave young human chicks feeling encouraged to spread their own wings.”— Kirkus Reviews

The book that stated it all for Dawn Publications was the publication of Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell in 1979. Based on his deep, personal connection with the natural world, Cornell’s book of “nature games” spurred a global revolution in environmental education. The original book has been expanded and revised over the years, helping children of all ages to experience the wonder, beauty, and joy of nature. Through workshops, books, and resources, Cornell’s international teaching program, Sharing Nature Worldwide, is movement dedicated to helping people deepen their relationship with nature.

“Because Sharing Nature activities are captivating and engage us directly with nature, players of all ages can happily enjoy the games together.” –Joseph Cornell

Dawn expanded into children’s picture books with A Walk in the Rainforest (1992) and A Swim through the Sea (1994) , both by Kristin Joy Pratt. Over the ensuing decades Dawn has published scores of titles, comprising a unique line of nature appreciation books for young people. We pursue quality rather than quantity, limiting ourselves to only a half dozen or so titles a year. When selecting our new projects we look for inspirational content and quality art, as well as solid information. We aim to reach the hearts as well as minds of children.

Each of our books is a unique window into the web of life that, grounded in nature, weaves us all together. We aspire to awaken children to the discovery that they are part of something magnificent.

Teachers love our books because they serve a dual purpose—meeting both literacy and science standards. “Explore More” sections, for both kids and adults, extend the learning with nonfiction information, literacy suggestions, and STEM lesson ideas. Whether they’re used as read alouds or independent readers, our award-winning books fit into reading collections in categories and modules such as the water cycle, animals, habitats, birds, oceans, pollination, seed dispersal, life cycles, earth and space, food webs, plants and gardening, and biographies.

Winter is a time for celebration! At nightfall on December 2nd Hanukkah began. Winter solstice, the longest night of the year, is December 21^st, followed closely by and Christmas on the 25^th. Celebrate this season with these suggestions for outdoor rituals, crafts, and experiences for home or school.

See the Sunrise or Sunset. Throughout December take time to go outside every day and notice the sun. Try to do it at the same time each day—possibly at sunrise or sunset if you’re at home, or at the beginning or end of the school day. If you keep this commitment throughout the year, you’ll really notice the change in the day’s length and the sun’s path.

Make a Yule Wreath. Make a wreath of evergreens (or purchase one) and invite family members or students create a small card illustrating something they appreciate about winter. Have each person show their card and share something about it. Then attach the card to the wreath and display it in a prominent location. On New Year’s Day, remove the cards (you can keep them in scrap book) and return the wreath back to nature.

Celebrate Twice—Both Inside and Outside. Celebrate Christmas as you usually do inside, and also create a NEW tradition of celebrating Christmas outside. You might decorate a tree with pinecones smeared with peanut butter (something the birds will appreciate) or play a game of “Outdoor Scavenger Hunt” as you look for items in nature that begin with the letters of the alphabet. Encourage creativity, especially for challenging letters, such as eXtra-ordinary leaf or Zebra-shaped cloud. Preparing food outside over an open fire is always fun. S’mores anyone?

Show the Way with Luminaries. Hanukkah is a Festival of Lights that is traditionally celebrated with lighted candles. This year decorate your walkway or front porch with paper bag luminaries. Cut holes, stars, or hearts in the bags and fill them with sand for stability. Place a wax votive or battery-operated candle inside each bag and enjoy the inviting glow.

Include the Environment in New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re going to make resolutions at the beginning of year, you might want to add one or two that are good for the environment. Here are some ideas to get you started: commit to turning out the lights whenever you leave a room, grow a windowsill herb garden, donate items you don’t need or use, use natural cleaning products, compost food scraps, or decide to make one energy-efficient change to your home.

We all know that picture books can be powerful. They’re catalysts for sparking a child’s imagination, igniting a new interest, or opening the door to a whole new way of seeing the world.  Sometimes a book’s impact is so dramatic it completely changes a child’s life!

That’s what happened with Sunshine on my Shoulders—John Denver’s words and Christopher Canyon’s artwork awakened a little girl’s ability to speak. It all happened in an instant, much in the same way that Helen Keller experienced a dramatic awakening to language through her experience with water. Everything just clicked! We learned about this experience from the little girl’s aunt.

“Sunshine on my Shoulders, and the illustrations captured the imagination of my niece causing her to say her very first sentence! . . . As a special education teacher myself, I remain in awe of what one book did to change my whole family.”

Here are the inspiring details of this family’s experience:

“My niece was a developmentally delayed, non-verbal toddler. Shortly after birth she stopped breathing and needed to be medically airlifted to a hospital, where many code blues where called to keep her alive over the next 24 hours. As she grew, she hit her milestones late, and remained non-verbal much longer than the average toddler. She struggled to be understood, but couldn’t find words to string together into ideas. She only knew four words: Mommy, Daddy, no, and kitty.

 I thought a “kitty” would be the key to unlock my niece’s voice, so I suggested that my sister and her husband scour the library and get out any books with kitties. Sunshine on my Shoulder was in the mix one day, and that was the day my niece’s life changed. One of the illustrations has a man with a guitar sitting next to a kitty. My sister asked “Where’s the kitty?” My niece started screaming; not saying anything just pointing. She kept screaming insistently, then after looking at the picture intensely she said, “ne pababu” (“Next to Papa Bruce.”) Papa Bruce is her grandpa. He plays a guitar like the man in the illustration, and the kitty was sitting right next to him.

Over the course of a few weeks my sister read her the book daily, and slowly my niece’s vocabulary grew. Months later I can proudly say that the combination of the singsong passages in the book, together with the imagination-inspiring artwork, my niece is verbal! This book pushed her to think abstractly, and to pull from relevant experience to explain the imagery. I remain in awe of what one book did to change my whole family.”

The WOW! Factor consists of the elements of a book that cause readers to exclaim, “Wow, I didn’t know that!” or “Wow, that’s really cool!”

However, the WOW! Factor is much more than the simple reporting of amazing information or incredible facts. There is a host of books that abound with isolated tidbits of information. A well-crafted book also embeds those facts within the context of a story. Stories put science into a meaningful context—one that engages the reader through personal connections. So, too, must the passion and excitement of the writer be evident to readers or a book becomes nothing more than a compendium of random data.

The WOW! Factor played a prominent role in Tall Tall Tree. This book describes creatures found in the canopy of iconic redwood trees—chattering squirrels, roosting bats, busy bumblebees, and dancing ladybugs all inhabit this elevated ecosystem. I wanted readers to experience the discoveries that could be made in a small ecological niche—in short, the never-ending story about a collection of creatures and how they live together more than 200 feet above the forest floor. In this instance, the “wow-ness” of nature was presented in a counting book that invites reader engagement and participation.

When children read WOW! Factor books, they gain a true appreciation for science in their everyday lives. When combined with the elements of good storytelling those facts become personal and intensely meaningful. Children begin to sense that learning about the world in which they live is a passionate affair—one that puts all the senses on full alert—and one shared by the author as well as the reader. To offer less is to deny children the joy of discovery and the thrill of adventure that waits under one rock or up in a tall tall tree!

Editor’s note: Tall Tall Tree recently won the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award (Gold)

Excerpted from “Navigating Nonfiction,” a monthly column by Anthony D. Fredericks. Read the entire article at SBCWI’s Eastern Penn Points.

Reading aloud books about science can serve several purposes, including sparking children’s interest in science topics and improving their reading and comprehension skills. The following tips are excerpted or paraphrased from Even More Picture Perfect Science Lessons, K-5 by authors Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry. They’re sure to help you make your read-aloud time productive and meaningful.

1. Preview the Book—Make sure the book meets your science objectives. Check for any errors or misinformation. Decide if you will read the entire book or just part of it.
2. Set the Stage—Remember that reading aloud is a performance. Gather students in a special reading area and make sure they can easily see you andthe book. Clarify expectations for appropriate behavior.
3. Celebrate the Author and Illustrator—Tell students the names of the author and illustrator, showing them photos and adding interesting biographical information. Mention other titles they’ve written or illustrated.
4. Read with Expression—Practice reading the book aloud to improve your performance. Engage your audience with louder and softer speech, funny voices, dramatic pauses, facial expressions, or gestures. Make eye contact with students now and then as you read.
5. Share Pictures—Hold the book so all students can see the illustrations or photos on each page. In some cases you may want to wait to show the image until children have a chance to visualize what is happening in the text.
6. Encourage Interaction—Keep chart paper and pens handy to record questions or new information. Provide children with “think pads” so they can write down their thoughts and questions. Give children opportunities to “turn and talk” with a partner.
7. Keep the Flow—Avoid excessive interruptions that might disrupt fluent, expressive reading. If the book combines a story with science content, you may want to read it first for the story and a second time to emphasize the content.
8. Model Reading Strategies—Before, during, and after reading aloud model these six key reading strategies: making connections, questioning, visualizing, inferring, determining importance, and synthesizing.
9. Don’t Put It Away—Keep the book accessible to students after you read it. Give them an opportunity to look carefully at the illustrations or read the book independently.
10. Have Fun—Let your passion for books show. It is contagious! Seeing an authentic response from the reader is important for students—laugh at the funny parts and cry at the sad parts.

How can you encourage feelings of gratitude for nature in children? The best way is to give kids a direct experience of nature’s beauty, awe, or power. And the good news is that nature experiences don’t require a trip to the wilderness. Simply being outside is the first step.

Dawn Suzette’s blog Mudpuddles to Meteors suggests simple and easy ways to get kids outside during the month of November. Sign up for her annual Fall Outside email to get an outside nature activity for each day of the month. That’s 30 activities! For example: Eat a meal outside—Have everyone fill their plates in the kitchen and head outside. Want seconds? Head back in to the stovetop and grab a spoonful! Making a one-pot wonder (a meal you can make in one pot or dish) makes getting outside so easy because you only need is a bowl and a spoon. If it all still seems overwhelming, start out with a snack. Once you’re outside, let nature provide the magic.

If children are reluctant get outside, let nature picture books provide the impetus.

For example, read A Moon of My Own—a story about a girl who travels the world (if only in her dreams) discovering natural wonders with her companion the Moon. After noticing the phases on each page, go outside and look up at the moon. Then keep a “Moon Phase Journal” for an entire month.

With minimal text and evocative images, The Dandelion Seed entices children to explore the dandelions encouragement, “The world is more beautiful than you can imagine. You’ll see. You’ll see.” This books is a great lead-in to playing a game of “Nature I Spy” in the backyard or schoolyard.

The sweet (pun intended) story of If You Love Honey leads children through a meadow of plants and animals that part of the natural cycle that results is delicious honey. It sets the stage for finding something to appreciate in nature with the concluding words, “And you know who to thank for that!” An outdoor follow-up activity might be a game of “Nature I Spy,” as kids pair up to find objects in nature for each letter of the alphabet.

Adults telling kids to appreciate nature doesn’t work. But animals become excellent teachers in Granny’s Clan. After learning about the life of orcas, and reading about ways people honor them, children’s hearts and minds naturally open up to the idea of saying “thank you.” This season you can create your own “celebration” for the wild animals (squirrels, birds, fish, frogs, etc.) in your area.

Wishing you and yours many opportunities to say thank you to nature this Thanksgiving!