Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation

437 Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 21 No. 2 (Winter 2011) ISSN: 1546-2250 Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation Danks, Sharon (2010). Oakland, CA: New Village Press; 288 pages. $39.95. ISBN 0976605481. “At the heart of the ecological schooyard philosophy is the concept of raising children to become land stewards” (243). Sharon Danks has given us brilliantly illustrated examples of this philosophy in action in schoolyards around the world in her stunning book, Asphalt to Ecosystems. I cannot remember any book that has made me long so much to return to age seven, to magically enter a book’s photographs and to try out the many natural, creative play and learning spaces that Danks documents. Her professional knowledge as an environmental planner working with school communities to design and build naturalized play and educational spaces makes this work a true tool for anyone wishing to inspire local schools to become places where school grounds reflect a living sustainability ethic. Danks opens with the reasons that schoolyards need to be places for creative engagement with the natural world for children and youth of all ages. Whether they are toddlers smelling the lavender, elementary aged children growing a vegetable garden to enhance their snack and lunch time, or teens creating a natural woodlands and wetlands for their high school science and art classes, these activities educate and engage children in caring for nature while they play and learn. We did not evolve with asphalt but with biological diversity, and nature is our natural habitat. The many colorful photos on every page reflect the ways various countries embody their own perceptions of nature and how children can interact with it. The Scandinavian countries do not have the litigious society of North America, and therefore their schoolyards include small forests, streams, and waterfalls where children can climb trees and make little dams. Child-made public art glows with life in many North American and British school yards where children 438 collaborate with local artists to tile benches, paint murals and weave willows into fences and arches for their school gardens. In Japan, mini rice paddies with traditional bridges grace elementary schoolyards. Cultural identity finds expression in art and garden traditions in each country represented. Danks not only addresses schoolyards, but also energy and design issues in school buildings: adequate natural light, renewable energy, water conservation and even design for water purification and reuse . Children in such environments learn a whole-system understanding of healthy ecosystems. This book will inspire children, teachers, parents, architects and landscape architects to brainstorm what they want for their schools. Danks emphasizes the importance of participatory planning processes to support long-term stewardship—and wisely uses the word stewardship, rather than maintenance, for the approach to caring for these beautiful sites once they exist. The only piece missing from this useful book is how to create school policy supporting sustainability education in states or provinces that lack a philosophy integrating outdoor learning, buildings and landscape design with curricular and health goals. Perhaps Delaine Eastin, California’s Director of Education, in successfully passing legislation requiring and funding school gardens, would write a “How to Create Sustainability Policies for Schools” guide. Asphalt to Ecosystems belongs on every school superintendent’s and every state board of education director’s desk so that all children can have the chance to experience learning and playing in dynamic, living environments that inspire them to life-long stewardship. Reviewer Information Pevec Illène Illène Pevec has been working with all ages of young people in Canada, the U.S. and Brazil to develop gardens since 1998. Her research into how gardening impacts young people has been concurrent. She recently completed her doctoral degree at the University of Colorado Denver with research into adolescent' gardeners' experiences. ...

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