Sharing Nature with Children, 20th Anniversary Edition

by Joseph Bharat Cornell

As Joseph Cornell’s classic book reached its 20th anniversary, Cornell drew upon a wealth of experience in nature education to significantly revise and expand his book. 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. Recommended by Boy Scouts of America, American Camping Association, National Audubon Society and many others.

Genres: Parenting, Nature, Education, Nonfiction, Science, School, Family

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

Joseph Bharat Cornell is a famous nature educator in the United States. He wrote the book "Sharing Nature with Children" in the early 1970s to promote outdoor learning.

He founded the "Sharing Nature Foundation" in 1979 to promote nature education.

(adapted from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Velma · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in high school, as a camp counselor at a since-shuttered Girl Scout camp in Utah's Uinta Mountains, this book was my constant companion. I used it to educate 6-9th grader girls about the natural environment and their experiences in it. Tucked inside are my crudely-rendered drawings we used to play "What Animal Am I?", and there's one of my childhood bookplates mounted inside.

My favorite nature games to share were the simple ones designed to increase sensory awareness: "Blind Walk", "Sounds", "Meet a Tree". One of the strengths of this guidebook is the way it is structured, categorizing the activities into Calm/Reflective, Active/Observational, and Energetic/Playful "mood" groups, helping identify the best time and place for each exercise. Each activity is also identifies what science concepts it illuminates (eg., camouflage, food chain, predation, identification), as well as the emotional knowledge it seeks to foster (eg., empathy, patience, trust, interdependence).

More than 30 years after first publication, Cornell's work continues to be relevant.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cornell also wrote a book for adults called Listening to Nature.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister recommended this book, and I liked it so much I bought my own copy. There are a few really good and easy activities to get kids out in nature, and many pretty good activities. Then there are a few that seem like liabilities in this day and age, like hiking blindfolded in woods.
Still, well worth the time.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the games provided are for young children. As a high school science teacher I would love to have seen more ideas for teenagers.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas for interpretive games and thought-provoking activities for children visiting parks, etc. I look forward to using and further adapting a few of them!

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great activities for children 5 and up to encourage their connection and interest in nature. With some thought, a few of the activities can be adapted for younger children.

[Laura Flett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read for anyone working with kids outdoors that needs programming ideas! Highly recommend his activities for nature awareness.

[Akhil Jain]

Reco by How to connect with nature by Schooloflife

[Sarah Parkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this was published in 1979, it doesn’t feel dated at all. It’s full of wonderful ideas that I will use as a Forest School Practitioner.

[SweetCorn03]

so 70s

[Dylan Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide for games, activities, and ideas for spending time in nature with kids.

[AnandaTashie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really lovely book about, well, sharing nature with children. As the foreword says, "In fact, nothing will suffice, short of teaching people to love."

The activities are divided among four focuses: awaken enthusiasm, focus attention, direct experience, and share inspiration. These caught my eye: heartbeat of a tree (p 25), role playing (33), sounds and colors (40), duplication (48), micro hike (50), webbing (60), what animal am I? (75), tree silhouettes (83), animal parts (90), bat and moth (109), bird calling (114), folding poem (150).

"Through watching nature in silence, we discover within ourselves the feelings of relatedness with whatever we see - plants, animals, stones, Earth and sky."

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but I only actually will use about 15 of the 42 activities in this book. I was a bit disappointed in a lot of the activities.

The content outside of the activities of this book is pretty thin, but still worth reading. I just started the sequel to this book (Sharing the Joy of Nature), and I already feel like I'm getting a lot more useable info.

Regardless, this book is a quick read and there ARE activities worth having this book for...I just thought it would have a larger concentration and quantity of awesome games, but most of them were just ok or meh. But the good ones are good, so again, worth checking this book out. I've used several of these games with children and they are quite fun!

[NanCcan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not realize how important it had been to me that I grew up in the woods, with creeks, hills, rocks, critters, etc. to entertain us - until I had children of my own. Playing outdoors is more interesting and less stressful than TV or other electronic devices. Too many of us "don't have time" to enjoy nature these days. This book will inspire you to make time for that! You will find that each activity will be only a starting point, and that you and your children will forget that you had set aside only a short time to spend outdoors; you'll be fascinated and want to go on and on and on. And when you do come back indoors, you will feel rejuvenated, soothed, and happier.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

My household rented a little farm near my hometown for part of the Christmas holiday, and when we found some animal tracks we couldn't identify, my Mom dug up some nature books for us. Several were helpful with the tracks (a fox, we think), but this little book captivated me and I read it cover to cover. What a wonderful resource for anyone who is around children and wants to help them experience the world around them more broadly!

[Tom Romig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would that the world were populated with millions of Joseph Cornells. He is a bright, endlessly curious, joyful naturalist who gently leads city types like me to a grander, more magical world than we'd imagined. Alas, I can go only so far given that I've lived so long under appreciating nature, glad that it's there but happy that it keeps its place. Perhaps with Cornell's nudging I'll encourage my grandchildren to plunge in.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The copy I read had extremely dated photos--from the 1970s! The book is about games that educators and parents can play with their kids out in nature. I think the best plan is to take your kids for a walk on nature trails and let them explore to their own devices. Just keep an eye out for the poison ivy.

[Deanna]

I realized after a wonderful big Sur Camping trip with my little one, Ella, that it's time to dust off this old classic and re-read it. She's just the right age now to really begin to enjoy the natural world around her - and I've had a recent taste of how fun it is to do this with her.

[Tukang Kueh Keren · Rating 4 out of 5]

dulu baca buku ini karena terpaksa, soalnya menyangkut urusan dapur ngebul...hihihi. Tapi sekarang berasa banget manfaatnya buat mengenalkan alam buat anakku. Buku yang keren...apalagi kalo trus dipraktekkan sambil jalan-jalan sekeluarga.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was not impressed with the games in this book. Some of them seem so far out it left me wondering What? Huh? I'm Sorry Come Again? Maybe someone was smoking a little too much when coming up with these games and they seemed 'fun' at the time. Don't buy it...check it out at a library if you must.

[Anya Ballinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this as a guide book for my outdoor education Day Camps. All the games are so educational and can be related back to some theme. I also appreciate the forward, where he reminds the teacher to observe and listen.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted a book that would help me experience nature with my child. Unfortunately, this book is aimed more for professionals, like teachers and scout leaders. It sort of assumes that you have a basic knowledge of the outdoors (which I don't).

[Brittany Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book with lots of games to play mostly with groups of children in order to discover nature. There are a few that could be used if you’re just a homeschool mom like myself with a few kids running around.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some great ideas and suggestions on how to instill a love of the outdoors in children. I love the activity ideas in here.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative activites to help children appreciate and empathize with nature.

[Suzanne hanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy is a pro! What exciting ideas. I have tried a few with my children and look forward to doing many more activities.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph's flow lessons work really well. My co-workers and I have tried most of the activities with kids in 5th and 6th grade with success.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to start doing some of the games they suggested once my kids are at the suggested age range. We already started by introducing and letting him just play / explore in nature. A good book.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more useful for camp counselors and teachers than parents, but I did feel like I got a few good ideas for games and discussion.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas. I read it for my job as a part-time naturalist. I dog-eared lots of pages that I will use in the future. It's a little hippy, but definitely has good ideas.