Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum

The Wakefield Estate is very excited  to invite our members and the wider community to an evening lecture by noted environmental educator David Sobel, senior faculty member in the Education Department and Director of the Center for Place-Based Education at Antioch University New England.

William Wordsworth suggested that the natural world is "appareled with celestial light" in childhood, meaning that nature is perceived differently by children than by adults. David Sobel believes there is a critical period in middle childhood when children are biologically programmed to bond with the natural world. If this bonding occurs, it sets the individual on a path of environmental values and commitment. Parents and educators should take advantage of this openness in childhood and provide frequent opportunities for children to adventurously be at-one in nature. In this talk, Sobel will present a bit of provocative research, a dash of theory, a lot of parenting stories, and a look at how the parent/child/nature relationship changes from early childhood to early adulthood. 

David Sobel has spent his career researching and consulting about child development and place-based education. He has authored seven books and more than 60 articles focused on children and nature for educators, parents, environmentalists and school administrators in the last 25 years. He was identified as one of the "gurus and rock stars of environmental education" in a feature article in Teacher magazine and as one of the 2007 Daring Dozen educational leaders in Edutopia magazine. The lecture will take place at 6:00pm in the Thacher school auditorium - admission: $10. Reservations are required. RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .