Anthill: A Novel

E.O. Wilson

ISBN # 978-0393071191

Split into three parallel worlds—ants, humans, and the biosphere—the story follows young Raff Cody, who escapes the humid summers in Clayville, Ala., by exploring the remote Nokobee wilderness with his cousin, Junior.

Asphalt to Ecosystems

Sharon Danks      

ISBN # 978-0-9766054-8-5

A resource for educators interested in designing and building natural schoolyard environments to advance K-12 curriculum connections to the natural world.

The Atlas of Water: Mapping the World's Most Critical Resource

Maggie Black and Janet King

ISBN # 978-0520259348

Completely revised and updated since its first edition, The Atlas of Water is a compelling visual guide to the state of this life-sustaining resource. Using vivid graphics, maps, and charts, it explores the complex human interaction with water over time and across the world. 

Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education

David Sobel 

ISBN # 978-0913098509

From the publisher: Beyond Ecophobia speaks to teachers, parents, and others interested in nurturing in children the ability to understand and care for nature. This expanded version of one of Orion Magazine's most popular articles includes descriptions of developmentally appropriate environmental education activities and a list of related children's books.

Cadillac Desert

Marc Reisner 

ISBN # 978-0140178241

A study of the economics, politics, and ecology of water that covers more than a century of desert reclamation in the American West.

Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators

David Sobel

ISBN # 978-1571107411

In Childhood and Nature, noted educator David Sobel makes the case that meaningful connections with the natural world begin in our own backyards and communities. Sobel outlines seven design principles that can guide teachers in structuring learning experiences for children.

Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood 

David Sobel

ISBN # 978-0814330265

From the publisher: From the ages of five to twelve, young people explore their surroundings and find or construct private spaces. "Children's Special Places" enters these hidden worlds, reveals their importance to children's development and emotional health, and shows educators, parents, and other adults how they can foster a bond between young people and nature that is important to maturation.

Discovering the Naturalist Intelligence: Science in the Schoolyard

Jenna Glock, Susan Wertz, and Maggie Meyer

ISBN # 978-1569760895

From the publisher: This teacher resource will help define naturalist intelligence and explore its potential, identify naturalist traits in students with an observational checklist, meet national science standards, and strengthen students' use of the naturalist intelligence with more than 30 outdoor lessons. Each lesson includes a list of intelligences used, literature entry point, curriculum extensions, assessments that check for understanding, reflection prompts for journals, and tightly formatted directions for teachers.

Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect 

David W. Orr

ISBN # 978-1559634953

From the publisher: In this book, David Orr explores dominant philosophies of education and the effect our educational systems have on our attitude toward the natural world. He aims to develop a system of education that unites humans with nature, allows students the freedom to explore their unique identities, and invokes a sense of wonder for the world.

Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World 

David W. Orr

ISBN # 978-1578051533

From the publisher: The concept of ecological literacy advanced by this book's creators, the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California, goes beyond the discipline of environmental education. It aims, says David Orr in his foreword, "toward a deeper transformation of the substance, process, and scope of education at all levels"-familial, geographic, ecological, and political.

The Edge of the Sea

Rachel Carson

ISBN # 978-0395924969 

A book to be read for pleasure as well as a practical identification guide, The Edge of the Sea introduces a world of teeming life where the sea meets the land. 

Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea

Alice Waters

ISBN # 978-0811862806

Edible Schoolyard details the history of the Edible Schoolyard program while passionately touting the physical, psychological and spiritual benefits that arise from it

Enriching the Young Naturalist: The Nature of a Science Classroom

Jeff Danielian

ISBN # 978-1-59363-377-6

Enriching the Young Naturalist: The Nature of a Science Classroom offers teachers a guidebook for teaching naturalism in the science classroom, allowing their students to discover the beauty and wonder of the natural world. 

Fields of Green: Restorying Culture, Environment and Education

Marcia McKenzie, Paul Hart, Heesoon Bai and Bob Jickling

ISNB # 978-1572738799

This book is about hopeful daydreams and their implications for action in the interwoven spheres of culture, environment, and education. 

The Geography of Childhood

Gary Paul Nabhan

ISBN # 978-0807085257

Author Gary Nabhan explores the need for children to experience the outdoors firsthand in a society approaching media overload. Through essays on his own childhood experiences and place-based descriptions, Nabhan offers a prescription for providing children much-needed outdoor exploration.

Get Out! 150 Easy Ways for Kids & Grown-Ups to Get into Nature and Build a Greener Future

Judy Molland

ISBN # 978-1575423357

Get Out! is chockful of ideas to get families, classrooms, and groups outside and learning about nature.

Go Green @ School: 20 Great Ways Students and Teachers Can Help Save the Planet

Kathleen McConnell & Gail R. Ryser

ISBN # 978-1-60702-361-6

Granted! A Teacher's Guide to Writing and Winning Classroom Grants

Chris Taylor

ISBN # 978-1589851139

GRANTED! provides proven methods for writing and winning grants, expertly guiding teachers, librarians, administrators and PTO leaders step-by-step through every aspect of the grant process. 

Greening School Grounds 

Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn

ISBN # 978-0865714366

From the publisher: This compendium of articles from Green Teacher, North America's leading environmental education magazine, brings together the best strategies for transforming barren expanses of school grounds into natural spaces for learning and playing. From vegetable and butterfly gardens to an amphibian oasis and avian attractors, this comprehensive resource offers a trove of curriculum tie-ins, activities, and plans for educators, parents, and students. Includes extensive resources. 

GrowLab: Activities for Growing Minds

Eve Pranis

ISBN # 978-0915873326

This guide presents a collection of activities for students in grades K-8 that turn students' questions into life science learning experiences. 

Hands-On Nature: Information and Activities for Exploring the Environment with Children 

Jenepher Linglebach, Lisa Purcell and Susan Sawyer 

ISBN # 978-1584650782

From the publisher: This book provides information and activities to assist educators and parents in exploring the local environment with children. The book is grouped around five themes (Adaptations, Habitats, Cycles, Designs of Nature, and Earth and Sky), fact-filled essays introduce each subject, followed by field-tested, experiential activities that engage students in learning about the natural world.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate

Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch

ISBN # 978-1584691037

From the publisher: Two leading environmental authors, Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch, have come together to produce a new book for middle school-age children that explains climate science. How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate presents clear science and outstanding photos of the evidence gathered by leading scientists all over the world. View sample pages from the book and the corresponding lesson plan from the book's Teachers' Guide.

How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers

Arden Bucklin-Sporer and Rachel Pringle

ISBN # 978-1604690002

With step-by-step tasks, advice on everything from raising funds to garden designs, materials lists, and lesson plans that connect garden activities to curriculums and meeting school standards, this unique guide paves the way for getting a garden off the ground, so to speak, in a yearlong overview that covers ideas for building planting beds, delicious recipes, and composting.

I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You & Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature

Jennifer Ward

ISBN # 978-1590305355

From the publisher: I Love Dirt! is a call to parents, educators, and caregivers to help children recover one of the great joys of childhood. Through fifty-two activities, readers will find a wealth of creative ways to actively engage children, ages four to nine, in nature. Each project is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a sense of wonder.

Into the Field: A Guide to Locally-Focused Teaching

Clare Walker Leslie 

ISBN# 978-0913098523

From the publisher: Into the Field provides teachers with curriculum ideas for engaging students in the natural and cultural history of their communities. The book is both theoretical and practical, combining pedagogical background on why field work enhances educational experiences with the nuts and bolts details of how one gets started.

Junior Master Gardener Teacher/Leader Guide

Junior Master Gardener

ISBN # 978-0967299013

Each of the eight exciting chapters in the Junior Master Gardener Level 1 Handbook contains fun activiites and interesting facts to help children experience the joy of making things grow. 

Kids' Gardening: A Complete Guide for Teachers, Parents and Youth Leaders

Lynn Ocone and Eve Pranis

ISBN # 978-0471520924

This youth gardening guide combines more than 70 gardening project ideas with practical how-to advice on starting and maintaining a youth garden. 

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder 

Richard Louv

ISBN # 978-1565126053

From the publisher: Hailed as "an absolute must-read" by the Boston Globe and "too tantalizing to ignore" by Audubon magazine, Last Child in the Woods is the inspiring work that proves children need nature as much as nature needs children.

The Learning Garden: Ecology, Teaching, and Transformation

Veronica Gaylie

ISBN # 978-1-4331-0470-1

This book tells the story of building a campus "Learning Garden" over a series of cohorts of student teachers and environmental education students. The project began with high ideals, no funding, and a strong desire to do something about the environment. The result was a transformation in attitude toward nature, community and toward the learning process itself.

Let the River Run Silver Again! 

Sandy Burk 

ISBN # 978-0939923953

An award-winning environmental conservation success story – and a great model for replication elsewhere – this book features the participation of elementary school students in Maryland in the USFWS National Fish Passages Program.

Let's Go Outside! Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get You and Your Kids Closer to Nature

Jennifer Ward

ISBN # 978-1590306987

From the author of I Love Dirt! comes a new selection of outdoor games, projects, and adventures specifically for families with children ages 8–12.

Math in the Garden: Hands-On Activities That Bring Math to Life

Jennifer White

ISBN # 978-0-915873-46-3

Math in the Garden provides novel, fun techniques to teach and learn mathematical skills and reasoning. The book features 36 informal, hands-on activities aimed at children 5-13 that are linked to state and national standards. Available for purchase online from the National Gardening Association. 

More Teaching Kids to Love the Earth 

James Kasperson and Marina Lachecki

ISBN # 978-1570250408

This sequel to Teaching Kids to Love the Earth provides 156 environmental activities for parents and other teachers.

National Geographic Atlas of the Ocean: The Deep Frontier

Sylvia A. Earle

ISBN # 0792264266 

This one-of-a-kind atlas immerses us in the infinite wonders of the world offshore through more than 150 cutting-edge maps, photographs and satellite images. 

Nature for the Very Young: A Handbook of Indoor & Outdoor Activities

Marcia Bowden

ISBN # 978-0471620846

This lively handbook of inventive and entertaining activities will delight and educate children from preschool age to second grade. 

No Student Left Indoors: Creating a Field Guide to Your Schoolyard

Jane Kirkland

ISBN # 978-0970975454

This is a project for a class, grade or entire school. It can be a long-term project based on inquiry, investigation and hands-on learning. The project connects science, language arts, history, creative arts and technology.

Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide

Steve Rich

ISBN # 978-1-935155-12-6

Author and state science specialist Steve Rich shows teachers how to create outdoor learning spaces that can be used from year to year-with little extra effort or resources.  

The Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation

Chris Park

ISBN # 978-0198609964

In addition to its wide-ranging, concise definitions, the Dictionary includes thirty highlighted entries on topics such as Antarctica, Chernobyl, the Kyoto Protocol, and ozone depletion.  

Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities 

David Sobel and James Tylor

ISBN # 978-0913098554

From the forward: Place-based education is not simply a way to integrate the curriculum around a study of place, but a means of inspiring stewardship and an authentic renewal and revitalization of civic life.

The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally 

David Elkind 

ISBN # 978-0738211107

From the publisher: Today's parents often worry that their children will be at a disadvantage if they are not engaged in constant learning, but child development expert David Elkind reassures us that imaginative play goes far to prepare children for academic and social success.

Schoolyard Enhanced Learning: Using the Outdoors as an Instructional Tool, K-8

Herbert W. Broda

ISBN # 978-1571107299

Schoolyard Enhanced Learning shows how the school grounds--regardless of whether a school is in an urban, suburban or rural setting can become an enriching extension of the classroom.

Sharing Nature With Children

Joseph Cornell

ISBN # 978-1883220730

From the publisher: New nature games-favorites from the field - and Cornell's typically insightful commentary makes the second edition of this special classic even more valuable to nature lovers world-wide. The Sharing Nature movement that Cornell pioneered has now expanded to countries all over the globe.

Sharing Nature With Children II

Joseph Cornell

ISBN # 978-1883220877

From the publisher: This companion volume to Joseph Cornell's classic, Sharing Nature With Children, is a treasury of some of Joseph's favorite nature games for both adults and children. Joseph also introduces his remarkable technique of Flow Learning, placing them in thematic sequence to ensure a genuinely uplifting experience.

Small Wonders: Nature Education for Young Children

Linda Garrett, Hannah Thomas, and Hilary Elmer

ISBN # 978-1584655749

From the publisher: Small Wonders: Nature Education for Young Children introduces children ages three through kindergarten to the natural world in a special way. Based on a hands-on educational approach, children learn about their environment by seeing and doing.

Smart By Nature: Schooling for Sustainability 

Michael K. Stone & Center for Ecoliteracy 

ISBN #  9780970950048

Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability offers firsthand accounts and strategies for greening campuses, rethinking school food, and transforming schools into model sustainable communities. 

Ten-Minute Field Trips: Using the School Grounds for Environmental Studies; A Teacher's Guide 

H. R. Russell

ISBN # 978-0385058544

The author describes more than 200 short, close-to-home field trips for urban, suburban and rural school environments that explore new dimensions of familiar spaces and objects. 

Teaching Kids to Love the Earth

Marina Lachecki 

ISBN # 978-0816641970

From the publisher: This book leads you through the author's Sense of Wonder Circle: curiosity, exploration, discovery, sharing and passion. Each chapter contains a story, instructions for a main activity, suggestions for related activities and a list of additional resources.

Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur

Carl Safina

ISBN # 978-0805083187 
This book is Safina's personal journal of the migration of the leatherback, loggerhead and green turtles. More than a chronicle of attempts to save the species, Turtle captures the physical magnitude of these ancient creatures and the repetitive calm of their endless travels.

Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource

Marq de Villiers

ISBN # 978-0618127443

“The author, whose Boer childhood was spent on the edge of the Thirstland in South Africa, has had a lifelong fascination with water...His latest, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction in Canada, depicts the current extent of world water scarcity and national and international water policies and briefly provides guidelines for dealing with the coming world water crisis.” – Library Journal

The Water Seekers

Remi A. Nadeau

ISBN # 978-0962710452

"The Water Seekers" is more than an authoritative study of our most important national resource. It is a drama-packed book about people and events that have highlighted the Southwest's battle for survival. -- San Bernardino Daily Sun