Earlier this month we introduced a new stream of this blog aiming to bring to attention to some of the longer, more in-depth, sometimes freely available, materials being produced that support outdoor- and nature-based practices, starting with the special issue of Barnardo’s free to download Childlinks magazine focusing on nature-based preschools.
This week we want to bring your attention to a newly published, lovingly prepared, free to download, Nature Storytelling Playbook that aims to highlight the exciting, fruitful and influential interface between story and nature. As Australian author Tania Maloney says on the cover, “The special place where nature and story meet is a powerful place for children and for our planet”.
Tania shares a passion for children’s picture books that inspire and encourage young children to build their relationship with all aspects of our natural world, and her playbook includes 20 of the books that she loves and uses in her nature programme Nurture in Nature Australia, usefully mapping these onto some core aspects of early childhood care and education.
They’re rich in fun, great stories and represent and celebrate diversity and inclusion in the outdoors across cultures, abilities, genders and ages AND you can easily link them to different areas of curriculum.
Use this link to get your copy. Tania’s Nature Storytelling Playbook is a wonderful prelude to her upcoming virtual Campference: Where Nature Meets Story, running online from 1st to 7th November this year, and she will be sharing information about this fabulous multi-national event on this blog in a couple of weeks’ time – do keep an eye out for this!
Contents of the playbook are as follows:
What’s inside: Where the wild stories are
Chapter 1: What’s on my nature book nook bookshelf
Chapter 2: What’s in my bucketful of nature: storytelling
Chapter 3: What’s in my nature storytelling planner
Adventure awaits: Your nature storytelling journey
You can find lots of posts on this blog too that bring together collections of children’s books on a range of nature-oriented themes:
- dandelions,
- rocks,
- clouds,
- birds,
- rain,
- and of course the 5 weeks of 30 Days Wild 2021, with 6 books each day on the themes of creatures; earth and stone; plants and growing; trees and sticks; weather and seasons; gratitude and giving back – start here for week 1.