Outdoor Education Commons^™

Review Of Noah’S Children, Josh Bochniak

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Sara Stein, in a narrative that elicits emotions as divergent as anger and laughter, approaches the broad idea of what is missing in today’s childhood, and what she perceives is needed for its restoration. Approaching topics such as evolutionary and cultural heritage, natural interaction, and developmental struggles, she places many contemporary social norms in sharp contrast against their historical predecessors.

Teaching Green The Middle Years, Rob Andrejewski

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

It is in this spirit-one of peer connection, collaboration, and communication- that Teaching Green - The MuJJl.e Years comes to us. Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn, editors of Green Teacher magazine, have culled the best articles pertaining to hands-on environmental education for grades six to eight from their environmental literacy and global awareness magazine. The result is 50 innovative yet practical ideas for environmental education for the middle school years.

Review Of Places Of Power, Jennifer Bradley

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

It is not unusual to find children's books about nature, nor even about the responsibility people have towards the natural world; however, to find a picture book that convincingly explores this from the place of mutual communion and spiritual connection is indeed rare. In Places of Power, author Michael DeMunn draws from his Native American heritage to share his belief that within the natural world there are places of power that connect to places deep within each of us, places that are powerful because they are where the Creator speaks to us in a way that only we can understand.

Review Of Biological Time, Beth Bojarski

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Biological time describes the "natural lifecycles and events of organisms dictated by the presence or absence of light . . . [it is a] unifying theory, linking the timing of ancient calendars with modern scientific research and historical records that show how the natural world is marching to a drumbeat that we are just now learning how to hear."

Review Of Including Youth With Disabilities In Outdoor Programs, Lynn Anderson

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

In a culture driven by accountability and measurable outcomes, Including Youth with Disabilities in Outdoor Programs, should be well received. The book, based on the results of the three-year National Inclusive Camp Practice study, presents evidence-based practices that will help professionals include youth of all abilities in their camp programs.

Review Of The Elegant Universe, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

While a theory of everything (TOE) still eludes physicists, Greene shares in understandable, and at times entertaining, terms how superstring theory may bridge the gap "between the laws of the large - general relativity - and the laws of the small - quantum mechanics." As they now stand, both cannot be correct. General relativity is very accurate in explaining the behavior of the universe at large and quantum mechanics in describing behavior of subatomic particles. However, they "collide horribly" when physicists try to explain such things as black holes and the early conditions of the big bang.

Review Of There Once Was A Sky Full Of Stars, Beth Bojarski

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

There Once Was A Sky Full of Stars is a beautifully written and poignantly illustrated children's book looking at the past, present and future status of light pollution. It is an ideal read for helping children and adults understand the issues of light pollution and to begin opening their eyes to the harm that is done to the environment and to future generations in innocent ways. "Some children won't care to look up in the air, Those stars are just stories, they'll say."

Review Of Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope: Stories, Storytelling And Activities For Peace, Justice And The Environment, Kerry A. Masarik-Pryor

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, five professional storytellers realized they had something in common. Their commonality was telling stories that would promote a greater good in the world; soon the five storytellers became The Stories for World Change Network. These individuals believed that telling stories would aid in the development of values, emotions, and academic and life skills. On the basis of this belief, Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope was created. This book became a well-known compilation of stories from around the world that addressed issues of difference, conflict resolution, trust, justice, and peace.

Review Of Born With A Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story, & From Lava To Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth Story, Dodi Hathazi

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Born with a Bang and From Lava to Life, books one and two of a three part series (the third will be available in 2005), artistically tell the story of the beginning of the universe, the creation of Earth, and the development of its diverse life forms. Morgan and Anderson incorporate Western science, art, and poetry with a tone of spiritual connectedness that emphasizes our place as humans within the creation process and the universal web of existence. The visually delightful artistry and simplistic writing style contrast markedly with the complicated scientific content making their intended audience unclear. However, infusing …

Review Of The Passionate Fact: Storytelling In Natural History And Cultural Interpretation, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The phrase, "a must read" aptly fits this book if one is going to be an interpreter of natural or cultural history, an environmental educator, outdoor educator, or a teacher of any sort. Storytelling is an art, and Susan Strauss has mastered it to the point that she can explain the intricacies of orchestrating a good story. Recognized as one of the finest storytellers in the country, Strauss shows readers how to make ordinary information and scientific facts come alive. Professional performances, during a twenty year career, at institutions such as the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Museum lend …

Review Of John Muir: My Life With Nature, Rob Andrejewski

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

More than 100 years ago, John Muir began speaking in defense of wilderness, captivating audiences with his unconventional style and complete absorption in the wonder and joy of the land. Though Muir spoke esoterically about transcendent "spirit beams" and the beauty of Yosemite's "range of light," his sincerity and emotion shook something deep within the national consciousness. His books and speaking tours energized the wilderness movement, invigorating supporters of the natural preservation system that would help define the country. Never before or since has the United States, possibly the world, had such a charismatic and enthusiastic champion of the wild …

Review Of Consider The Earth: Environmental Activities For Grades 4-8, Second Edition, Kerry A. Masarik-Pryor

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Consider the Earth is an environmental guide that provides educators with background information on ecological issues, natural history and a variety of hands-on activities. Each lesson includes activity objectives, preparation requirements, materials, and vocabulary words. Friendly to use, this book is divided into ten themes focusing on soil, plants, water, wildlife, weather, environmental problems, oceans, ecosystems, and bibliographic information.

Review Of The Book On Raccoon Circles, Carol Navarro

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The Book on Raccoon Circles is a collection of active learning and adventure-based activities and initiatives that employ few or no props. Raccoon Circles, which were created and popularized by Dr. Tom Smith, are pieces of one-inch tubular webbing knotted into a loop of about four feet in diameter. The Book on Raccoon Circles demonstrates how with. the aid of this simple, ·portable device, anyon~ can facilitate meaningful activities for groups of any size.

Review Of Let The Mountains Talk, Let The Rivers Run, Jennie Daley

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Brower, a former president of the Sierra Club, founder of Friends of the Earth and the Earth Island Institute, is revered as a demigod of the environmental movement. In Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run Brower discusses various problems of the environment and the environmental movement, and offers plausible solutions to those problems.

Review Of Landscape, Nature, And The Body Politic, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

A new release by the University of Wisconsin Press arrived as this issue of Taproot went to press. Time prevented a review by Taproot editors, however it is presented here because of its wonderful fit with our "Sense of Place" theme.

Review Of Wholeness: On Education, Buckminster Fuller, And Tao, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Author, and visionary, Alex Gerber Jr. has masterfully crafted a treatise that clearly illustrates, for most readers, theories of renowned architect, inventor, author, poet Buckminster Fuller with principles of spirituality found in Tao. In doing so he arrives at a means (education) of achieving harmony (wholeness) with ourselves and the planet. Gerber believes:

Awakening to wholeness may be the single most important event in anyone's life. This fundamental evolution refers to experiencing and valuing the interconnectedness of creation, the oneness of being. The whole, which ecompasses all subjects, experiences, and perceptions, is the arena in which everything occurs, the essential …

Review Of Balance Point: Searching For A Missing Spiritual Link, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

It seems most appropriate that review of a novel is included in this special issue of Taproot devoted to "art" and environmental and outdoor education. As environmental novels go, they probably don't come much better than Balance Point! The book's back cover succinctly conveys this reviewer's assessment:

Rich with a non-religious mysticism and drawing from the astute observations of the world's leading ecological visionaries, Balance Point imparts a disturbing, yet hopeful awareness of the world around us and the universe within us, revealing what may be the route to our planet's, and our own, long-term survival.

Reviews, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section reviewed three books. These reviews included:

Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming by Cheryl A. Estes.

Teamwork and Teamplay by Todd Miner.

The Spell of the Sensuous by Clifford E, Knapp.

Reviews, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section reviewed several books:

Down canyon by Elizabeth Sharp

The Environmental Promise of Democratic Deliberation by Dr. Curtis Schatz

(Spotlight Continued)