Customer Reviews

Sharing Nature with Children

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This is a great little book for those wanting ideas to play innovative games with a group of children to explore nature together in fun and exciting ways. For homeschooling families, there may be a need to adapt the games to suit individual requirements of a much smaller group (unless you have six or more kids!). Given that, I do think after having read all the activities, I may adapt a few for next time we're on a hike or camping, just for fun.

One more thing to note, reading Joseph Cornell's words, you really get a sense of his reverence to nature.

Joseph Cornell is the author of Sharing Nature With Children and Sharing Nature With Children II . This two volume set showcase nature studies and appreciation activities that any parent, teacher, or child care provider can readily engage in with children. Ann appreciation for the complex and interrelated life forms that comprise the exosphere of their environments is a solid basis to establish a life-long enthusiasm for nature and the out-of-doors, as well as a lasting commitment to environmental issues and concerns. Each volume is available independently, but school and community libraries are urged to acquire them both for the nature activities and environmental reference collections.

I had no idea that Joseph Cornell had written a book for children. This is a rare find. (It ranks up there with Robert Walser's little-known treatise on horse-grooming, or Arthur Brand's book of stock quotes.) There are stories here of hope and joy. You really get a sense of Cornell's engagement with a visionary romanticism when he encourages the reader to "let the child see into the world of nature, for there they will find a balm for their sorrows, a calm for their heart, and a palm against time." Cornell filled his boxes with the doodads of youth, and it's wonderful to find him speaking to children without any form of mediation. A must.

I have worked in outdoor environmental education, so many of the activities suggested in this book were known to me prior to reading it. Therefore, I was a little disappointed in the book b/c I had hoped to get fresh ideas. I would reccommend this book to any and all parents/teachers who have not worked in EE. These activities are the standard in teaching kids/adults about nature. I look forward to reading Sharing Nature with Children II, which I have also purchased. I feel it will have new activities to inspire me and many others who love nature.

Thanks to this book, I have embarked on a new career in environmental education. I always dreamed about it but never realized that I could do it until I was introduced to this book. It is a must have for anyone who works with kids: teachers, parents, youth leaders, babysitters, etc. This book was so instrumental to me, that I gave a copy of it to two of my professors who were most influential in making my first year back in college to persue this new career a success. I know it has had an impact on one of these professors! Even after being introduced to some of the major environmental education programs (i.e.: Project Wild, etc) I still return to this simple book again and again.