Taking It Home, Session 16: Using Our Senses of Wonder

In "World of Wonder," a Tapestry of Faith program

Wisdom begins in wonder. — Socrates, Greek philosopher

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we celebrated our time together with an outdoor Wonder Walk. We used our senses and our "wonder skills" of slowing down, paying attention, and observing nature. We talked about the quote from Socrates and what it means. The yarn around your child's wrist is a part of the interdependent web we created today and throughout this program.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... what your child remembers from this program. In what ways was your child—and your family—changed by this experience? Do you do something differently now than before the program, to celebrate or protect our interdependent web of life? For example, have you begun composting, created a garden?

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Share the stories from World of Wonder as a family. Find the stories on the Tapestry of Faith website. Make a booklet of the stories and ask family members to illustrate them.

A Family Adventure. Get outside in nature as much as you can!

A Family Ritual. Make spending time in nature a priority for your family. Develop a ritual to celebrate your place in the interdependent web of all existence.

Resources for extending the themes of World of Wonder:

Books

Broda, Herbert W., Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning: Using the Outdoors as an Instructional Tool, K-8

Bucklin-Sporer, Arden, How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers

Burns, Loree Griffin, Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard

Carson, Rachel, A Sense of Wonder

Casey, Dawn and Wilson, Anne, Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

Chiras, Dan, EcoKids: Raising Children Who Care for the Earth

Christopher, Todd, Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids

Cornell, Joseph B., Sharing Nature with Children (I and II)

Gaylie, Veronica, The Learning Garden

Goleman,Daniel; Bennett, Lisa; and Barlow, Zenobia, Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence

Louv, Richard, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder and The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder

Stone, Michael K., Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability

Ward, Jennifer, I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature

Weil, Zoe, Above All Be Kind and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life

Websites

Center for Ecoliteracy

Children and Nature Network

Humane Education

National Wildlife Foundation's "Green Hour" campaign

Nature Conservancy

Nature Rocks

No Child Left Inside; statewide initiatives in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan

Northwest Earth Institute