Product Description

Earthwise is full of practical ideas for nature crafts and seasonal activities to encourage young children to be aware of their environment. The activities are carefully written and beautifully illustrated, and will encourage children to develop a respect for nature, the earth and all living creatures. Children will learn about their dependence on the earth's produce (by taking stalks of wheat and turning them into bread-flour); how to create and not just consume (by making their own gifts); how to make butter and grow food (even in the city); and how to make outdoor playhouses from natural materials. The book also contains seasonal suggestions for making a more Earth-friendly home and classroom, and a comprehensive list of resources and suppliers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16524 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
'How do parents and childminders keep their sanity over the long school holidays? Answer: invest in a book like this. It is jam-packed with ideas for simple activities using natural materials found everywhere. This is well worth the GBP8.99 price. It is an investment for life.' -- Jackie Harris, Worcester Evening News, 21 August 2004 'A wonderful and very original craft book. These seasonal activities are brilliantly thought out and easy to follow. Wonderful.' -- Hilary Woolf, Education Otherwise, October 2004 'In writing Earthwise, it is as though Carol Petrash took the idea of making a daisy chain and allowed it to blossom into a myriad of activities that are not only satisfying and fun, but serve to connect both children and adults to the living Earth. Whether you live in a bustling metropolis or in the quiet of the woods, you will be able to find the materials you need to experience the creative bounty of nature. Anyone who enters this magical kingdom with Ms. Petrash will find refreshment for the adult soul and a gentle guiding hand for the growing child.' -- Bob and Nancy's Bookshop (www.waldorfbooks.com) 'Seasonal, hands-on nature crafts designed to enhance community, dependence on the earth and how we need to respect all that it provides for us.' -- Skipping Stones 'More than 100 classroom activities designed to help children grow into 'the sense of wonder'. A fine resource for people working with young children.' -- Earth Ethics 'A treasure-trove of earth-friendly activities which will foster respect for the environment as well as for good old-fashioned thrift. With idea after do-able idea, this is a real find.' -- Children's Book Review Service 'Readers familiar with the Waldorf school will recognize certain gentle components of that system of ideas: the use of beeswax, watercolours and carded wool; a preference for wooden toys. A sense of peace and centredness is fostered through the book.' -- Holistic Education Review 'So holistic is this handy book that it sets out a comprehensive introduction on how to plan an earth-friendly environment for all these activities, with an excellent section on planning a growing area, so you can help children grow their own materials and really get stuck in to the process from beginning to end.' -- Jackie Harris, Worcester Evening News, 21 August 2004 'Arranged around the seasons, this book is full of useful information and project ideas ... It makes a great source book and covers lots of practical projects with ideas for creating natural toys, play areas, gardening, butter-making, basket-weaving, mobiles and beeswax modelling amongst many others.' -- Start Magazine

About the Author
Carol Petrash has over fifteen years experience in teaching pre-school children. She has been active in environmental projects for many years, including organic gardening and recycling.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book giving environmental activites for children
I first picked up 'Earthwise' by Carol Petrash when visitng a friend, and after browsing through it, decided this book is a 'must have'.

Divided into Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, the book guides you through various crafts and activites appropriate to the season. All are related in some way to the world in which we live, and aim to increase childrens' awareness of their natural environment. Ideas range from building a tepee, to cooking, drawing and painting. I particularly liked the gift section for Christmas, and the ideas for using apples during Autumn - particularly helpful if you have a glut of apples from a tree in your garden! Each activity is graded by age - many being suitable for children from 2 years of age. You are given a full list of everything you need and detailed instructions, and there are charming line drawings to illustrate to process.

I would recommend this book to any parent of pre-school or primary age children, and also to play group leaders and teachers as a valuable resource to enhance the learning experience of children.

Great for young children
This is a great resource book for young kids for some simple projects. Lots of ideas for all seasons. I would say the projects are suitable for up to 6 yr olds. Kids older than this may want something a little more substantial.

Gets you a little bit back to nature
A lovely book full of wonderful ideas involving the great outdoors and natural materials.

includes recipes.

ideas are fantastic when you guiltily realise that most toys your kid owns are battery operated ...!