Outdoor learning environments : spaces for exploration, discovery and risk-taking in the early years

[Outdoor Learning Environments] cover

Why do childhood play and learning in the outdoors matter? The short answer is because then we are less likely to destroy it. Good habits start early. With knowledge and habits established in a young generation, the outdoor paradise of the Pacific Northwest will be here for us in the future.

Nature inspires curiosity, learning, and renewal. In a time of widespread tech addictions, expanding cities such as Seattle, and changing behavior and cultural values, connecting with the outdoors contributes in unique and important ways to our health, well-being, and survival in the long run.

Outdoor Learning Environments: Spaces for Exploration, Discovery and Risk Taking In the Early Years guides educators, policy makers and community builders to developing positive and engaging outdoor learning environments for children. Editors Helen Little, Sue Elliott and Shirley Wyver, as well as other authors, researchers and practitioners, present a range of ideas drawn from contemporary education theories, research and practice. Australia is the location of the publication, but it could be anywhere in the world.

The book highlights how educators interweave learning and the environment, beyond management-style supervision. Positive approaches to risk-taking are considered, with risk-taking defined as events, behaviors and consequences that are associated with some degree of uncertainty about the outcomes. Designing and planning for outdoor learning are included in a way that incorporates children’s voices and cultural perspectives. Education for sustaining a healthy environment is explored. The editors, at the same time, address the issue of ensuring that outdoor spaces and equipment align with relevant regulations and safety requirements.

Outdoor Learning Environments opens minds of children and caring adults to the wonders and realities of our environment and to working collaboratively toward sustainable futures with wisdom and heart.

Excerpted from the October 2019 Leaflet Volume 6, Issue 10.

The Tree Book: Superior Selections for Landscapes, Streetscapes, and Gardens

Michael Dirr is the guru of woody plants. Beginning in 1975, his “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” – through six editions as of 2009 – has been required reading for any horticultural student. These books are very technical and rely on line drawings to illustrate their subjects.

Working with Timber Press, Dirr changed directions in 1997 with the publication of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” Described by the author as “a photographic essay that profiles and highlights the most common woody landscape plants,” this proved an excellent way to reach a more general gardening audience. This style continued with “Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs” (2012).

While this last book will remain an important reference because of its inclusion of shrubs and helpful lists of selection criteria, the photographic essay approach reached a new height with the publication of “The Tree Book.” For the first time, it is written with a co-author, Keith Warren. While Dirr is from the southeast, spending his academic career at the University of Georgia, Warren is a retired tree breeder and nurseryman from Oregon. His voice makes this new book especially valuable to gardeners in the Pacific Northwest.

Photographs are still the eye-grabbers of this huge book (940 pages!), but the text has been expanded to achieve the right balance of being informative without excess detail, and is often very funny. Reading about Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum), I learned that in its native Georgia it can reach 60’, but “in the dry summers of the West, a 20’ height is a big tree.” The authors claim this as a favorite species, looking good in all seasons, with the best in the fall: “Like a drum roll, the fall color comes on slowly and intensifies, finally reaching a crescendo.”

The authors do an excellent job of highlighting the best of new cultivars or selections of their subjects. For example, I learned of nine cultivars of one my favorite trees, the Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) – I only knew of one! There is even a newly available species, Parrotia subaequalis, which in Oregon has fall color that “is consistently brilliant red, brighter than P. persica.”

This is a reference book and not available to check out from the Miller Library. However, if you are planting new trees, or want to learn more about trees, I recommend visiting the library and seeking out this book.

Published in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Fall 2019

Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

[Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants] cover

Can plants heal our bodies? Searching for answers to this basic question, Scott Kloos provides a revealing excursion in “Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness”, published by Timber Press in 2017. This comprehensive field guide and reference work covers Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.

Kloos shares what he has learned from more than two decades of wildcrafting and working with plant medicine. He runs his own school as well as a folk medicine business. In helping people understand traditional uses of medicinal plants, he acknowledges some level of uncertainty and risk involved. Self-treatment is strongly not recommended; consulting a qualified practitioner is advised.

In the book, Kloos first describes basic botanical concepts, tools for harvesting, formulas for making medicine, ethical and sustainable wildcrafting practices, herbal safety, and a breakdown of the harvesting season. Photographs taken by Kloos accompany the plants he profiles. He provides detailed descriptions of each plant: their growth habits, parts of the plant, identifying characteristics, where one is likely to find the plant, the best time of year to harvest, and how to harvest the plant. Medicinal uses of the plant and methods of preparing each part of the plant as medicine are described. Cautionary notes throughout the book alert readers regarding such matters as toxicity, dosage precautions, and uses with other medications or during pregnancy. It is imperative to consider potentially harmful effects of an herb.

For thousands of years, plants have been the chief source of medicine around the world. Healers have prescribed many cures from the flora around them. Nevertheless, there is a lot we don’t know. It is important to let your doctor and other health practitioners know which herbal remedies you are considering taking. Meanwhile, reading this book can help you cultivate a more healthy respect for the wild, bonding with the living world in all it offers us.

Excerpted from the August 2019 Leaflet Volume 6, Issue 8.

My Hair is a Garden

[My Hair is a Garden] cover

Can we tend to our sense of self the way we tend to a garden? Can a garden teach us self-acceptance and resilience? Cozbi Cabrera’s picture book, My Hair is a Garden, demonstrates the way a little girl who is teased for her appearance takes heart in the kind guidance of an older neighbor who is a gardener. A garden contains beauty in many forms, and a tree is not better than a ground cover: “They’re both beautiful […] even though they’re so different.” The neighbor teaches the girl practical lessons in caring for her hair, but more importantly and subtly, she sows in her the seeds of self-confidence.

Elizabeth and Her German Garden

[Elizabeth and Her German Garden] cover

Here is light summer reading, in which the main attraction is Elizabeth’s delight in her garden. Billed as a novel, the text reads as a year of journal entries by Elizabeth, and the situation follows von Arnim’s life situation as wife of a German baron. She was born Mary Annette Beauchamp (later changing her name to Elizabeth) in Australia and raised in England. She describes convincing her husband to spend more time in their country estate, which had been neglected for 25 years. There was no garden left, and she had no experience as a gardener but was eager to have one. The book describes her efforts and failures and renewed efforts, particularly with roses but with many other plants as well, flowers, bushes, and trees. Patience and failure, she says, are the lot of the gardener. The garden becomes her place of refuge and delight, as she spends most of her days outdoors.

The reader will need to return to the world of Downton Abbey, except that the point of view is restricted to the upstairs, not the downstairs. There is much talk of problems with cooks, maids, and, of course, gardeners. Von Arnim writes with a light touch and includes many set pieces such as sleighing to church wrapped in furs, and Christmas with the children, especially the staff children.

Most frustrating for her is that she can’t do the gardening herself. A baroness must not garden. She must hire gardeners and tell them what to do, not an easy task. Once she sneaks out when no one is looking and digs a little. Her work, then, consists of ordering seeds and supervising. But she loves being in the garden as it develops, and resists going to town, much to the amazement of German women visitors, who think city life is far superior (as in Jane Austen novels). Her husband, known to us only as “the Man of Wrath,” does not seem wrathful, just scornful of women, whom he regards as children. Elizabeth does not contest with him, she just acts independently. He does not approve of large expenses for gardens, so she buys seeds with her “pin money” and frets that she may have to cut back ordering dresses for herself.

The reader won’t learn how to plant a garden from this book but will have fun seeing Elizabeth’s grow and sharing her pleasure.

Say “Yes!” to Kids with Disabilities

[Say Yes! to Kids with Disabilities] cover

We have shared values and aspirations for all children. What are some of the ways for parents, teachers and community members to plan and carry out a welcoming, engaging, inclusive environment for children with disabilities? Say “Yes!” to Kids with Disabilities: Stories and Strategies for Including ALL Kids provides a guide.</P

Read this guide to find out more about the why and the how of creating a positive sense of belonging, building friendships, community, and empathy for others. That’s inclusion. Education equity is a child’s human right. Every learner matters equally.
Following the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, this guide was prepared by a collaboration of King County Best Starts for Kids Initiative, Public Health Seattle & King County, and Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, along with a strong, dedicated group of parents, volunteers, and children with special needs. The Seattle Children’s PlayGarden was achieved through this collaboration so that child and family can truly enjoy going to the park. Fragrance garden activities heighten interactions with the senses, which nourish everyone. The PlayGarden and the guide offer ideas for creative experiences that are not only accessible, but are inclusive.

The authors bring a range of professional expertise to the guide. Elizabeth Bullard has an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from Indiana University. Hannah Gallagher completed a Teaching Residency program in Education for Environment and Community (EEC) from IslandWood and in 2016 received her Master in Education and a Nonprofit Management certificate from the University of Washington. Adana Protonentis studied Political Science and Organizational Leadership at Seattle University and has a background in civil litigation. She has a child with a disability and brings first–hand knowledge and parent advocacy to the program.

Sections of the guide say “Yes!” at parks, playgrounds, soccer, dance, zoos, museums, festivals, ball games, sporting events, to inclusion every day. Inclusion Every Day offers adaptions and considerations that align with core principles of Universal Design for Learning. UDL is an educational framework that shows the way to develop flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences. This guide addresses flexible means, methods, and materials giving all children equal opportunity to learn and to express themselves creatively. Adaptation and accommodation combine to meet the needs of each child. Say ‘Yes!’ to Kids with Disabilities helps to assure that everyone is served with these strategies. The focus is on the experience that leads to greater and more meaningful participation in community life.

Best wildflower hikes, Washington

Best wildflower hikes of Washington book cover I was surprised to learn that Art Kruckeberg co-authored “Best Wildflower Hikes Washington”, one of his last book publications (2004). His contribution is primarily found in “Art’s Notes,” extra tidbits on the floral treasures of the fifty hikes described.

His wry comments are a highlight, including this from a description of the Chiwaukum Creek trail east of Stevens Pass: “The stunning wildflower encountered early on the trail is the showy lewisia, Lewisia tweedyi, a.k.a. ‘Tweedy’s lewisia’—a rather redundant common name…we thank stars that it was not named the state flower of Washington, for collectors might have brought it to extinction.”

Excerpted from the Summer 2019 Arboretum Bulletin.

Best wildflower hikes Western Washington

Best wildflower hikes of western Washington book cover “Best Wildflower Hikes Western Washington by Peter Stekel is a good choice for the Seattle area native plant fancier. It provides a list of favorite hikes, many in or near our three national parks. Others are for easy, lowland hiking, including trails on the San Juan Islands. Each will take you past areas where wildflowers are prominent in season, or to especially good stands of native trees. A thorough introduction provides guidance on essential things to bring, including equipment such as hiking poles. Other sections help you choose the best trails for children and/or dogs, and even give advice on trail etiquette.

The tone here is more casual than in plant guidebooks. In a description of the hike to Panorama Point in Mount Rainier National Park, the author encourages that “a further 0.2 mile of huffing and puffing, and you’ll be rewarded with dizzying views down in the valley of the Nisqually Glacier.” Elsewhere, he is quite political: “Are you tired of all these fees? Then, do something about it!”

There is enthusiasm in Stekel’s writing and he is especially keen on the Columbia River Gorge. “If your timing is right, your eyes will be overwhelmed by acres and acres of yellows, blues, reds, and greens—that, and awe-inspiring views of the mighty ‘River of the West’ making its way to the sea.”

Excerpted from the Summer 2019 Arboretum Bulletin.

Plants of Northern California

Plant of Northern California book cover “Plants of Northern California” by Eva Begley includes non-flowering plants such as conifers and ferns. The scope is essentially north of a line from San Francisco to Sacramento, west of the Sierra Nevada range, and south of the Oregon border.

This is not arranged by flower color. The author explains: “In short, dear reader, you may find it hard to identify all the plants you encounter in northern California, and you certainly won’t find every one in this book. By organizing the book according to families, though, rather than flower color, I hope to help you at least to place many plants not included here in their correct family or genus.”

Without a field test, I can’t comment on this approach for identification, but I did find it effective for reading through the book, allowing me to concentrate on all the species in a single genus. For example, being able to read about all the monkey flowers (Mimulus species), in their wide array of colors, in one place gave me a greater appreciation for the genus that includes annuals, perennials, or even shrubs. The writing is very engaging, although I did balk at Rhododendron macrophyllum, the state flower of Washington, being called a “California Rhododendron.” Harrumph!

Excerpted from the Summer 2019 Arboretum Bulletin.

Wildflowers of Oregon

Wildflowers of Oregon book cover Damian Fagan is a University of Washington graduate in botany who now lives in Oregon. His “Wildflowers of Oregon” introduces 400 of the most common wildflowers from across that state, arranged by colors. The majority of these are herbaceous plants, but trees and shrubs with prominent flowers are included. Most of these range northward into Washington and even British Columbia, making this a useful reference throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Comments with each flower typically include the source of the botanical name. For example, I learned that Tellima (as in Tellima grandiflora, or Fringecups) “is an anagram of Mitella, another genus in the Saxifrage Family.” Other notes discuss ethnobotanical uses, or hints on distinguishing between similar species.

I would recommend this book for the more casual observer. A glossary is provided, but the descriptions mostly use non-technical terms. The selected species are the most commonly seen and the single photograph along with the descriptive text will suffice in most cases for identification – there are no keys. The author co-dedicates the book to the memory of Art Kruckeberg.

Excerpted from the Summer 2019 Arboretum Bulletin.