Investigates the impact of a horticultural therapy program on 48 county jail inmates. Examines the changes in psychosocial functioning of the participants while in treatment and in post-release. Explores the clinical relevance of horticultural therapy in cultivating healthy self-development. (MKA)

Identifies core journals in environmental geology and explores facets of interdisciplinarity to consider the visibility of this field to collection-development librarians. Intercitation analysis of citing and cited patterns in 1995 articles revealed the journal network of environmental geology. Titles clustered into three categories:…

Introduces activities to reinforce the concept of and problems involved with introduced, nonnative or alien species. Provides seven vignettes about seven different plant and animal species that have become or currently are near ecological disasters. (CCM)

Raises several questions about information technology. After arguing for the importance of physical place and presence in how people construct meaning, form personal biographies and public histories, and develop living communities, the article contrasts this with the consequences of the abstractions of place and presence in virtual, on-line…

Discusses a project that uses nature to teach students about texture. Explains that students collect items from nature with interesting textures, learn about those items, create a collage using those items, and draw the most interesting part of their collages. (CMK)

Provides information on Edward Hopper, focusing on his use of watercolors. Explores five of his watercolor paintings: (1) "The Mansard Roof"; (2) "House on Pamet River"; (3) "Light at Two Lights"; (4) "Saltillo Mansion"; and (5) "Roofs of Washington Square." Addresses the exhibition "Edward…

Offers activities to expand children's knowledge and thinking about weather. Includes basic weather vocabulary. Arranges activities by type of weather (bright and clear, windy, or harsh and cold) and by type of involvement (intellectual, movement and health, social, or art and creativity). Activities are matched to age levels. (DLH)

Discusses acoustical demands in public libraries to consider during the design and construction process of new or renovated library space. Topics include intrusive noises; overly reverberant spaces; lack of speech privacy; sound transmission class; noise criteria; reverberation time and noise reduction coefficient; space planning; sound systems;…

A survey of 120 administrators (59 aged 60+, 61 aged 35-50) found that both groups had similar perceptions of the association between office design and work activities. Older and younger workers ranked certain design features differently, and they had different perceptions of the privacy features of the work environment. (SK)

Discusses environmental hazards, the problems of misinformation and contradictory information, and the problems for children in sorting out fact from hearsay. Includes tips for protecting children from environmental hazards and describes a program at the University of Washington that develops curriculum materials and other teacher resources. (PVD)

Describes an approach to teaching journalism students about descriptive writing by examining physical environments. Students go outdoors to find flowers about which to research, write, and sketch. Students are encouraged to become aware of their surroundings and think about physical details that bring hard news stories to life. Knowledge of nature…

In this article, the authors discuss how children develop their motor skills at different age levels. Newborn's movements are jerky and uncoordinated. Spending lots of floor time with a baby lying on her back or stomach helps her develop coordination, balance, and muscle strength during her earliest months. As locomotion enters a baby's life, she…

Poor children confront widespread environmental inequities. Compared with their economically advantaged counterparts, they are exposed to more family turmoil, violence, separation from their families, instability, and chaotic households. Poor children experience less social support, and their parents are less responsive and more authoritarian.…

Much has been written about how the design and condition of physical facilities affects student achievement, but schools need to place more emphasis on the importance of furniture in enhancing the facility and improving student performance. Furniture and color are major ingredients in establishing a positive learning environment. Furnishing a…

The American Great Plains has gained and shed various regional meanings since Euro-American exploration began. From a desert to a garden to a dust bowl to a breadbasket, this region's identity has shifted radically and dramatically over the last 200 years. In the mid-1980s unusual things were happening on the Plains that suggested yet another…