"Fewer children are in contact with the natural world than at any point in human history," said Gary Paul Nabhan, Director of Science Outreach at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. Nabhan will speak at "Urban Children, Science, and Nature," a three-day conference at The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx which will focus on restoring urban children's connection with the natural world while opening their minds to the wonders of nature and science. The October 9-11 conference will investigate policies, programs, and design strategies that further children's access to and appreciation of nature and science in urban places.
Urban Children, Science, and Nature, sponsored by The New York Botanical Garden and supported in part by the National Science Foundation, will bring together leading policymakers, researchers, designers, and practitioners to define strategies that make nature accessible to urban children and introduce them to the feast of discovery that is natural science. This kind of experiential learning promotes an emotional attachment to the natural world and a greater understanding, awareness, and respect for the environment. Children who interact with nature are more likely to grow up as adults concerned with the preservation of the earth's resources. The speakers will include John H. Falk, Founder of the Institute for Learning Innovation and co-author of The Museum Experience, Robin C. Moore, author of Creating Environments for Nature's Way of Learning, and Eileen Adams, author of Young People's Participation in Environmental Planning.
"Children learn about the world through their senses by playfully interacting with their surroundings," said Robin C. Moore. "What better place to be motivated to play and learn than in a garden -- here, real science can be an adventure!" The New York Botanical Garden has met the challenge of making nature accessible to urban children with the Children's Adventure Project, three garden sites set up as lively, innovative, hands-on, knees-on, and minds-on interactive museums of nature right in the middle of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. The Everett Children's Adventure Garden, a 12-acre indoor and outdoor wonderland with 40 activities for visitors to investigate plants and follow in the footsteps of scientists; the Mitsubishi Wild Wetland Trail, a fascinating natural ecosystem with engaging exhibits along the way; and the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, where people of all ages dig, plant, tend, and harvest, are all wonderful opportunities for children to get hooked on nature and science!
The registration fee is $275 until August 15, $325 after. For information, please contact Marge Kiely, Public Programs, The New York Botanical Garden; telephone: 718-817-8157; email: Mkiely@nybg.org.
The New York Botanical Garden website for the Everett Children's Adventure Garden is http://www.nybg.org/events/ecag.html. The New York Botanical Garden website for the Family Garden is http://www.gardenparty.org/family.htm.
The New York Botanical Garden