David Sobel (1) (1949–)
Author of Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years
For other authors named David Sobel, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
David Sobel, senior faculty in the Education Department of Antioch University New England, consults and speaks widely on environmental education. He is the author of six previous books and more than sixty articles focused on children and nature for publications including Orion, Encounters, Sierra, show more and Sanctuary. He lives in Harrisville, New Hampshire. show less
Image credit: Antioch University New England
Series
Works by David Sobel
Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education (Nature Literacy Series, Vol. 1) (Nature Literacy) (1996) 113 copies
Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood (1993) 42 copies
Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning (2015) 42 copies, 1 review
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1949
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Williams College (BA|English)
Antioch University New England (MEd) - Occupations
- professor
- Short biography
- Received a BA from Williams College and an MEd from Antioch University New England. He was co-founder of the Harrisville Children’s Center in Harrisville, New Hampshire, and has served as a publicly elected school board member in both Nelson and Harrisville, New Hampshire. He has served as a staff development and science curriculum consultant to schools in New Hampshire and Vermont and has been a guest speaker and workshop leader for a variety of school and environmental organizations. He serves on the editorial board of the Holistic Education Review and is the author of Children’s Special Places and many articles on children and nature. He is currently at work on two books on developmental psychology and ecoliteracy.
- Places of residence
- Keene, New Hampshire, USA
- Map Location
- USA
Members
Reviews
David Sobel and his contributors show the benefits of play, specifically in a natural setting, for young children. Differences in American and European attitudes are discussed. While curriculum is given a little bit of treatment, the book is more of an overview on running such a program. While I agree with the author that children are probably not playing enough, I'm not certain that this movement has the complete solution to the problem. A copy of the book was received for my library in show more exchange for a full review that will appear in a future issue of The Christian Librarian. show less
Really liked the intro chapters to each section, which talked about outside play in terms of child development. The memoir chapters got a bit to magic realism for me at times, but I still recommend this to anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the need to foster childhood connection to place.
In a post-NCLB world, educators and parents will be looking for alternatives. We thought we should bring this curricular focus to your attention as one alternative. Based around nature mysticism, Sobel proposes a curriculum that centers itself in a union with nature in an effort to lessen man’s footprint. While the entire perspective may be a bit much for most, there are enough interesting ideas here for nature study so that the volume is worth examination.
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 7
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 633
- Popularity
- #39,815
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 87
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 1