Exploring Nature With Young Children
Rachel Carson’s Sense of Wonder Provides Ideas, Inspiration
Aug 19, 2009
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) is most known for her books, Silent Spring, and The Sea Around Us. The Sense of Wonder was her last book, published posthumously in 1965 (Harper & Row Publishers, NY). In the book, she tells how she introduced her nephew, Roger, to the sea and woods in Maine. The advice in this book is more relevant than ever, as statistics show that many children today are nature deprived.
Have Fun with Child Outdoors, Rather Than Teach
Discovering the outdoors with a child should be fun and entertaining, writes Carson. Adults should share nature with a child, as they would with a friend, casually pointing out interesting sights and sounds. The focus should not be on scientifically naming the flora and fauna. It is more important for children to make an emotional connection with nature.
Explore Nature in the Rain and at Night
When learning about the earth, sea and sky, adults should let a child get dirty, wet and stay up late, says Carson. Take the child on a discovery hike on a rainy or foggy day and see how the droplets of water transform the forest. The ferns and pines sparkle in the rain. Uses a telescope pointed toward the moon, during annual bird migrations, and watch the silhouettes of birds as they pass by the moon.
Use All Senses to Discover the Environment
The miniscule is often most fascinating to young children, so bring along a magnifying glass when hiking in the woods or walking on the beach. A magnifying glass can open up new worlds in the grains of sand, mosses and flowers.
People don’t use their sense of hearing enough, writes Carson. She suggests taking a flashlight to find the source of night insect music.
Feel the different textures in nature; Carson tells of Roger’s delight in jumping barefoot on a springy bed of reindeer moss, a lichen.
Use Imagination to Share the Natural World
Carson tells of a game she played with Roger. They would seek out all the littlest pine tree sprouts and say that they were Christmas trees for squirrels, field mice or other critters, depending on their size.
Nature is Everywhere, Even in the City
Those who are not fortunate enough to have a summer home in Maine, as Carson did, can still teach children an appreciation for the environment. Carson suggests taking the child to a park or nearby preserve or just spend time gazing at a setting sun or the night sky. Children can watch birds just about anywhere.
The Value of Nature and a Sense of Wonder
Carson believed that many people lose their sense of wonder if it is not nurtured in childhood. She believed children and adults need nature. She wrote that knowledge of the natural world is important because it can help people find inner contentment and excitement for living. It can be a source of strength during troubled times. “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature . . . “ wrote Carson.
Carson Quote Urges Bonding with Nature
A poignant quote by Carson urges that a child’s sense of wonder be kept intact. She writes that she wishes she could ask the good fairy to give a gift to all children and that would be “a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.”
Child Needs Adult to Share the Joy of Nature
Without the guidance of a good fairy, children need at least one adult to explore the excitement and mystery of nature with them, said Carson. Sharing the wonders of the earth, waters and sky can also help renew the sense of wonder and beauty for the adult.
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