Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children

by Donald Cook (Illustrator), Carol Petrash

Spark children's imagination with over 90 environment-friendly activities. These instantaneous art and nature activities encourage the understanding and appreciation of the earth and other living things.

Genres: Parenting, Environment, Nonfiction, Nature, Teaching, Childrens, Crafts

206 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jaimie Franchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently borrowed this from a friend and read it cover to cover on a greyhound bus ride last week. I can't believe I'm able to say this, but even after all the kids' craft books I've read, I got many new ideas from this book, some of which we've already successfully tried. The intro chapters have great ideas as well.

[lisa z · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved staying at home with ramona and levi possibly the only thing i've excelled at thus far. our world was filled with endless possibilities of things to be made out of our meager pantry or thrift store art supplies. in the summer we would search the beach for pebbles in the fall we would collect red and yellow leafs as though they were gold, bring them home and carefully inspect and identify them and paste them perfectly onto construction paper books tied with red string. this is one of the most loved books in my library

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The best book I have read of its kind by far - don't let the cheesy 70s cover scare you. Lots of really wonderful simple projects that a four year old is capable of doing but are still interesting to a nine year old (and their mom). These are not throw-away projects either - they are lasting or useful. Examples include beeswax candle-making, walnut or bark boats, folding paper boxes, drying apples, and indoor seasonal displays. I also enjoyed the "supplying the missing links" sections which give fun ideas for showing how things come to be - like planting a small patch of wheat, threshing, winnowing, and grinding the wheat throughout the spring and summer, then baking with it in the winter. It can also be as simple as visiting a berry patch then canning and making a shortcake when you got home. The focus is on activities that foster a feeling of connectedness to the world, a feeling of competence in the child, and a sense of awareness and wonder at all that goes into everything we have. Highly recommended.

[Rachael Lauritzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun ideas for kids, good instructions for the adults. I liked the seasonal emphasis and the section at the beginning of each season/section on what parents/teachers can do for themselves and the kids.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some fun ideas for crafts using items found in nature or that you typically have around the house. It is broken into seasons and is geared toward classroom use, but has worked well at home.

I love the ideas it includes for setting up outside play spaces!

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, the book is a bit old for my toddler, but I loved it anyway. It has some great ideas that *I* want to try; we'll see what my toddler thinks of it in a year.

[Carrie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful ideas for bringing nature into our children's lives.