WASHINGTON – The public is invited to a free workshop at the Department of the Interior on May 7, 2008 with Professor Marcia Eames-Sheavly from Cornell University, who will share how to engage young people in outdoor spaces such as gardens and parks. This workshop will provide educators, parents, childcare providers and park and garden professionals with ideas and concepts to help them get kids outside and involved in the natural world. Due to limited space, reservations are required and may be made by calling (202) 208-5805.
Marcia Eames-Sheavly works as a leader and coordinator of garden-based learning programs for community and youth development. She also supervises independent studies that focus on art and garden-based learning. She has received the American Horticultural Society’s 2005 Jane L. Taylor Award for her efforts in encouraging the development of youth gardens. Eames-Sheavly has been involved in an extraordinary number of horticultural teaching activities and youth garden workshops at Cornell University, where she works as a professor. She has worked with 4-H youth development within the garden-based learning arena, and has also published many works on children’s gardens.
About the Annual Rachel Carson Lecture: In July of 1956 Rachel Carson (1907-1964) wrote an article in Woman’s Home Companion magazine titled “Help your Child to Wonder,” later published as “The Sense of Wonder”, which discussed ways to engage a child out of doors, in nature, to ensure a life long interest in the natural world. In 2007 (the centennial anniversary of Rachel Carson’s birth) the Cultural Resources and Events Division of the Department of the Interior University instituted the annual Rachel Carson lecture to increase children’s activity in nature.
| Who: | Professor Marcia Eames-Sheavly, Cornell University |
| What: | Workshop on engaging young people in outdoor spaces |
| When: | Wednesday, May 7, 2008 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. |
| Where: | Rachel Carson Room, DOI Main Interior Building |
| Media: | All credentialed media are invited to attend and photograph the event. |
RSVP REQUIRED: (202) 208-5805
Special Assistance - For those in need of special assistance (such as an interpreter for the hearing impaired) or inquiries regarding the handicapped entrance, please notify Brenda Woods at (202) 208-3617 in advance of the workshop. Special needs will be accommodated whenever possible.