Unschooling Resources: Ecology
Books
Each Living Thing by Joanne Ryder A
simple picture book about letting creatures be. With passages like, "Watch out for
spiders in their webs, for snakes who coil in the grass, for toads who lurch across the road
- please stop to let them pass," this book quickly becomes a favorite for children who
do their best not to step on ants and beetles.
In the Heart of the Village: The World of the Indian Banyan Tree by Barbara Bash
Centering on a Banyan tree in a small Indian village, this book put out by the Sierra Club
lovingly depicts the lives of the animals and people who depend on it.
The Kid's Guide to Social Action
by Barbara A. Lewis This is
an amazing handbook for older kids interested in making a real difference in their world. From
letter writing and fundraising to media coverage and protesting, this book covers it all. It
also details the specifics of local, state and federal governments, offers real stories about
real kids who have made a difference, and lists organizations that deal with the environment,
animal rights, social issues, and more. This is truly a great book for children interested in
activism - whether ecological or otherwise.
The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences by Susan Milord This
book is a great way to find ideas for things to do in one's own backyard or neighborhood park.
With activities ranging from making an underwater viewer to making a suet ball, to measuring the
temperature within a snowbank, to making a flip-book of the moon's phases, this book is just
overflowing with simple, enjoyable things to do together.
The World in One Day by Russell Ash
"Every day... 7 million pizzas are eaten in America... one human heart pumps enough
blood to fill 170 bathtubs... lightning strikes Earth 8 million times...." Includes
sections on world population, one day's food, production, waste and recycling, and more.
Oversized book with fold-out pages.
Games
The Garden
Game "The joyful and inspiring board game about gardening for food and fun.
Players feed the soil, plant seeds, nurture the plants, have harvest festivals, and help each
other through natural disasters! Plant the largest garden and save the most seeds and you are
the winner."
Magazines
All Round "All Round is
a radical magazine for children ages one to 100 and up that champions people of all ages who
love the earth. It's the kind of magazine that sparks the joy of living, whether you count
yourself among the very young, the very old, or anything in between."
Websites
Amazon Interactive "Explore
the geography of the Ecuadorian Amazon through online games and activities. Learn about the
rainforest and the Quichua people who call it home. Discover the ways in which the Quichua live
off the land. Then try your hand at running a community-based ecotourism project along the Río
Napo."
Bucket
Buddies "Students around the United States and other countries will collect
samples from local ponds to answer the question: Are the organisms found in pond water the same
all over the world?" A fun bi-annual project.
Cloud Forest Alive
Dealing with
Endangered Species An online matching pairs card game from the San Diego Zoo. (More games from
the San Diego Zoo.) (post #385) |