Bringing The Outside In

A rollicking book that reminds young readers to go outside and play! “We’re bringing the outside in, oh, bringing the outside in. . . .” Nothing takes the place of splashing in a puddle or jumping into a pile of autumn leaves. Along with the mud and sand that gets tracked indoors come memories that live forever! Mary McKenna Siddals has written a joyous anthem that encourages children to play in the dirt. It will surely resonate with today’s overscheduled as well as sedentary kids, and their parents.

Offers nature-based experiences to encourage educators and young children to bring the natural world into the early childhood classroom. Each hands-on, open-ended, and sensory oriented experience is designed to spark discovery and imagination; encourage conversations and collaborations; allow young children to develop a sense of wonder and get to know the natural world inch-by-inch and bit-by-bit; and preserve the joys of childhood.

The reading that we value in school is becoming further and further distanced from the literacy students experience in their outside lives. Inside the classroom, we ask our students to immerse themselves in print texts and write purposefully. Once out the door, they are text-messaging, blogging, engaging in online multi-player games, and expertly integrating words, images, and music to create original texts. Can we import these textual spaces and literacies into English class to help re-connect students who don't see themselves as readers and writers? English educator Sara Kajder's answer is an emphatic "yes," and in Bringing the Outside In she demonstrates myriad ways to employ students' outside talents in the classroom. Drawing on multiple examples of student work, she shows how she adapts the curriculum to incorporate an expanded definition of literacy and literacy tools. Sara offers teachers guidance on how to extend their repertoire of teaching strategies, and help kids connect their natural curiosity and skills as readers and writers of both print and electronic texts, while keeping reading and writing at the center of the curriculum. Keying in on the visual aspects of literacy, and building upon students' growing interest in using words and images from their lives to read and write for authentic reasons and authentic audiences--integrating such strategies as digital storytelling, visual think-alouds, visual literature circles, and others into English class--Sara and her kids redefine what it means to be literate in today's world. By adding visual components to class activities and projects integrating tools ranging from pencils and paper to "weblogs" and "wikis," even reluctant students can become engaged and see themselves as readers and writers for the first time.

Rewild Your Home offers ways to improve both your home space and headspace using elements and inspiration from the natural world. By using simple biophilic design tips and weaving natural elements into your home, you can make your indoor living, sleeping and working areas more healthy, happy and relaxing. From wild swimming to forest bathing and wildlife gardening, being outside in nature can lift our spirits, refresh our minds and soothe our souls. And that essential connection to the wild can also be brought into your home. From maximising natural views, greening up windowsills and balconies and inviting wildlife up close, to the use of wild colours, materials and patterns, interiors expert Victoria Harrison looks at creative ways to link your living spaces to the outdoors. There are quick and fun projects sprinkled throughout, and plenty of practical ideas to inspire, whether you live in a rented urban apartment or a family home.

“With the twinned calamities of climate change and mass extinction weighing heavier and heavier on my nature-besotted soul, here were concrete, affordable actions that I could take, that anyone could take, to help our wild neighbors thrive in the built human environment. And it all starts with nothing more than a seed. Bringing Nature Home is a miracle: a book that summons butterflies." —Margaret Renkl, The Washington Post As development and habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. In his groundbreaking book Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy reveals the unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife—native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. Luckily, there is an important and simple step we can all take to help reverse this alarming trend: everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity by simply choosing native plants. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical and achievable recommendations, we can all make a difference.

_____________ "Everything you need to know about keeping plants in your house... lovely pictures, tips, tricks... I love it." (Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella) Love plants, but short on outdoor space? Keen to fill your home with greenery but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you've been labelled a house-plant serial killer? Then this is the book for you. With stunning photography and expert step-by-step tips, Bring The Outside In reveals everything you need to know to help your plants thrive, from dramatic statement foliage and miniature citrus trees to table-top terrariums and hanging planters. With chapters on orchids, cacti, herb gardens and chilli plants, your home will be flourishing in no time.

The National Quality Standard requires services to develop children's understanding of the natural world, and to share and celebrate this growing understanding. The Early Years Learning Framework and My Time, Our Place emphasises the need for educators to support children to become socially responsible and to show respect for the environment. When we bring the outside in, children are provided with more connections with nature, and their educators are given additional opportunities for intentional teaching about the environment. This video: Outlines regulatory requirements Identifies links to NQS Looks at ways to include natural elements indoors Shares inspirational examples Discusses educators' practices Educators will feel confident they know how to bring the outside in, and how to include families and the community in this process.

Learn to find the happiness that is natural to you, and enjoy better relationships, better health, more success and a longer life. The peculiar thing about us humans is, we spend a lot of time working to find people and things that will make us happy. In fact, we seem to spend the majority of our time doing this. However, there is no guarantee that any of this effort will work. There are lots of people who have hordes of people around them, and who have lots of things, but have been unable to make themselves happy. The truth is, happiness can be had with little effort. Have you ever been happy for no reason at all? Of course you have. Without anything changing in life, happiness just appears. We see it in young children all the time. In fact, we expect to see it in children. If you happen to ask a smiling child why he or she is so happy, at best the answer may be, “Because.” For an adult this may be an unsatisfying answer, but for the child it is the truth -- happiness exists “just because.” As we age we seem to lose touch with happiness-for-no-reason-at-all. We see a world where everyone is striving for stuff, striving for popularity, striving, striving, striving. The natural fount of happiness we once enjoyed disappears as we join them. However, that happiness is not gone. All that happened is we lost our connection to it. This book is about recovering that connection. We all grow up believing that if we work hard, and if we are good people, we will enjoy good relationships with others, good health, success and a long life. Obviously this is not true. There are a lot of rich old people who are not happy. What we have, what we do, and the other circumstances of our lives do not provide authentic happiness. Instead, happiness comes from inside of us, and all by itself enables us to have secure relationships, good health, more success and longer lives. So, what is the secret of being happy? Being happy is a little like flipping a switch. When it’s on you are happy and when it’s off you are not. It’s so easy. How else can you explain being happy for no reason. What you need to do is learn to turn it on, and keep it turned on. This book discusses seven practices that help you do that. There is a lot of wisdom available about how to be happy. Most of it is thousands of years old, but some is quite new. The seven practices we will look at incorporate this wisdom to help you learn how to turn on happiness in your life. This kind of happiness does not require changing anything in your life. All you have to do is learn to turn it on.

From the hosts of Bravo's Backyard Envy comes a beautifully photographed guide to converting your outdoor space into an enviable oasis, whether you have a backyard, brownstone patio, or three-season porch. Dubbed the "plantfluencers" by the New York Times, Mel Brasier, Garrett Magee, and James DeSantis, owners of the Manscapers landscaping company, do more than plant, mulch, and manicure a garden; they look at the space just as interior designers do a room, considering the aesthetics and the way people live in it. Now they show you how to apply familiar interior design principles to your outdoors, including: • Deciding on a concept to help direct the mood of your space • "Zoning" your space into functional areas, such as for lounging, cooking, or entertaining • Defining the areas with furniture and hardscaping like fencing, decking, pools, planters, pergolas, and pathways • Bringing in the green, including plants that are both functional (privacy shrubs and shade trees) and decorative (pretty perennials, climbers, and textural grasses) • Adding the finishing touches: the pillows, throws, hurricane lanterns, and other details that will make you want to linger long after sunset Plus, you'll have information on hiring a contractor and landscaper and the specific materials and plants the Manscapers love to use in their designs. No matter how big or small your exterior space, this ultimate guide to landscape design will help you bring the comfort of the indoors outside.