The Sky Above and the Mud Below: Lessons from Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens

David Sobel’s follow-up to Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens walks readers through the nitty-gritty facts of running a nature-based program.

Organized around nine themes, each chapter begins with an overview from the author, followed by case studies from diverse early childhood programs, ranging from those that serve at-risk children to public preschools to university farm programs to Waldorf schools.

Sample newsletters in each chapter show how real programs have tackled tough questions and sticky situations. The programs featured in these newsletters are from across the United States: Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Vermont, California, Michigan, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Indiana.

David Sobel has spent the last twenty-five years working in the field of child development, place-based education, and parenting with nature. He currently serves as Senior Faculty in the Education Department at Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire. His expertise and passion led to being identified as one of the “gurus and rock stars of environmental education” by Teacher magazine and one of the 2007 Daring Dozen educational leaders in Edutopia magazine. David is the author of Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens and The Sky Above and the Mud Below.