We have some great new arrivals this week at the Naturalist Center! Among our crisp new DVDs and books are these two plum picks, both great choices for teachers (or parents):

Asphalt to Ecosystems Cover Image

Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation / Sharon Gamson Danks. Oakland, CA : New Village Press,   c2010. 276 pages, color illustrations

Naturalist Center LB3251.D36 2010

Danks is a local designer who shares examples from around the world. She highlights innovative creations such as an outdoor area (complete with sink) for learning about cooking and a boulder mountain with a rappelling area. This book includes an extensive reference section. It is meant to inspire teachers and parents, as well as designers. Creative thinkers may be able to incorporate concepts for use in their own backyards.


Choice, Control & Change cover image

Choice, Control & Change: Using Science to Make Food & Activity Decisions / Pamela A. Koch, Isobel R. Contento, Angela Calabrese Barton. New York, NY: Teachers College, Columbia University, c2010. 288 pages, black & white illustrations (LiFE series; 3)

Naturalist Center GE196 .K63 2010

Recommended for use with grades 6-8.

The Linking Food and the Environment (LiFE) Series integrates the study of food with personal and environmental health, using inquiry-based learning principles. Choice, Control, & Change focuses on activities that allow the student to make informed, scientifically sound decisions about personal food choices. Lesson plans include supplemental teacher material, student pages, homework questions and assessment tools. The book opens with a science standards matrix.


Take some time to devour these and other great new titles the next time you stop by the Naturalist Center. Academy Members and California teachers can check out five books for three weeks and two DVDs or other media for one week, with one renewal possible.

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