Think back to a time when you felt connected to nature as a child. What did you observe or discover? Who was with you? What was meaningful about that experience? How did it shape how you interact with nature as an adult?
“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. …If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder…he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”
– Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) is one of the most respected voices in conservation. She is best known for her work as a marine biologist. Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring helped draw attention to the harmful ecologic impacts of DDT and other pesticides on insects and throughout the food chain. In Silent Spring Carson presented research on the physiological and environmental effects of pesticides in a way that combined “scientific knowledge and poetic writing.”
Walking Mountains can help you to play the role of the nature-exploring companion
to a child and find ways for both of you to discover the world around you.
However, Rachel Carson also influenced conservation in a very different way: connecting children with nature. Her essay, The Sense of Wonder, which was written in the 1950s, is a foundational document about how to help children experience nature. According to Carson, children need to maintain and build upon their inherent curiosity of nature—and they need the company of an adult who will explore their discoveries alongside them and help to nurture their interests, questions, and observations. Adults can help children use their senses to be curious and receptive to the world around them. These curiosity skills stay with children throughout their lives. Carson emphasized the importance of the experience and thought that it was okay for students to learn about scientific knowledge as they grew older.
At Walking Mountains we carry on Rachel Carson’s work. The concept of a sense of wonder is so foundational that it is written in the organization’s mission: to awaken a sense of wonder and inspire environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education. Like Carson, we believe that those early childhood experiences in nature help to create lifelong connections and curiosity about the world around us. We also believe that child-like wonder exists in every person, which is why we offer opportunities to people of all ages.
Walking Mountains can help you to play the role of the nature-exploring companion to a child and find ways for both of you to discover the world around you. The summer calendar on walkingmountains.org is overflowing with fun experiences every day. This summer at the Walking Mountains Avon Tang Campus a series of seven art pieces called “Wonder Seekers” by local artist Alice Feagan will be on display. Each piece highlights a different part of nature with adults and children exploring together. Each piece has prompts to invite the viewer to also explore the nature surrounding them. Whether you explore nature alone, with other adults, or with children, nurture the joy of simply being outdoors and find wonder in the mysteries that nature offers.
According to Rachel Carson, “The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea and sky and their amazing life.” Make time for yourself this summer to slow down, to find a quiet place in the forest, near a stream, or at a mountain peak to sit, listen, look, and wonder. Follow your inner child to look closely at a flower, observe life under a log, or watch the water babbling through a creek. What do you observe, discover, and wonder? What exciting new curiosities do you find?
Lara Carlson is the Senior Programs Director at Walking Mountains. While exploring outdoors, she enjoys following her inner child to see what new things she will observe and discover.