LTER Schoolyard Children's Book Series

More than any other single skill, the ability to read and read well allows children to succeed in school, learn about the world, and function in society (National Children's LIteracy). The LTER Schoolyard Children's Book Series is one component of the Schoolyard educational activities of the LTER network. At the LTER site level, each of these children's books provide a resource for developing environmental empathy and understanding LTER ecology and environmental science for elementary age children.

This informational workshop will provide an overview of the Book Series and a synopsis of the findings and recommendations of the LTER Schoolyard Children's Book Series Workshop, held in February 2011. This workshop focused on 1) development of associated educational materials that can be used in informal settings as well as in classrooms and 2) strategies for using bilingual books to reach out to underserved children. Prof. David Sobell, a leading scholar in the field of environmental education for children, was the keynote speaker at the workshop, and a DVD of his presentation and others will be available at the ASM. The workshop will solicit additional input from the participants on the recommendations from the workshop.

At the workshop, we will showcase the recently book "One Night in the Everglades" (FCE-LTER) which was published in English and Spanish. This aspect of the session will include a presentation by the publisher of the series, Rick Rinehart, on new developments in children's science literature and the value of coordinating with National Parks. In addition, LTER scientists involved in the books currently in the publication process will give overviews of the outreach components of these books, highlighting the importance of engagement with local educational organizations during the development of a book project.