In school, much of our work is focused on getting things right. During my years as a math and science teacher, many students would beg me to just tell them the answer so they could move on. However, this is not what the process of learning really looks like. Despite efforts otherwise, learning is a non-linear, messy process that often can be approached in multiple ways. Finding ways to support students understanding requires modeling for them the ways to discover answers and how to grapple with the questions that these solutions often lead us to.

And what better space to show this than in nature. As Dr. Ian Malcolm famously says in Jurassic Park “Life…uhhh…finds a way”. So too can our learning find its way. Both in formal classroom settings and informal clubs/community groups, I have found that using nature as a lens for learning can help guide and strengthen us as learners – at any age – in three key ways: curiosity, creativity, and connection.

Curious &

Curiouser… Learning how to navigate questions is one of the toughest things – especially when we have so many. The natural curiosity of children, particularly in their younger years, is an asset that should be encouraged, not forced into boxes. The more often we ask “why?”, the more we are going to develop a deeper understanding of the world around us. Subjects such as math and science are often taught as though there is a set way of doing things. But we are discovering new information across fields all the time! One of my favorite things is learning about new discoveries in science – from the depths of our oceans to the farthest visible reaches of our galaxy.

We do not need to understand it all in detail, but it can help us make new connections between what we know now and what we have learned previously. As a math teacher, I started my career with lessons that looked much the way they did when I was a student, but quickly saw a shift towards using visuals to understand what the relationships between numbers means – after all mathematics is about representing the patterns and relationships that exist between things in this world.

When we spend time learning outdoors, these experiences often lead to questions… which lead to even more questions. And in a world where answers are often viewed as at our fingertips, it can feel easy to jump into using tools to “find the ‘right’ answer”. But when we do this, the flow of questions stays at the surface, rather than digging into the roots and connections that lie deeper below.

Sometimes when I am out on a walk, my questions flow through my brain in a steady stream and I still have to fight the temptation to immediately seek out the answer. Curiosity is an exercise in joy and an opening to new possibilities within the world. Sometimes, I will go on walks and simply write down the questions that come to mind. Then I follow the ones that jump out at me at a later time.

I am also still coming to terms with the idea that it is okay to not immediately know the answer. Leading nature walks through the forest, I thought I needed to know every plant and animal I might encounter. Even with a lifetime of work, that could be an impossible feat. Instead, I have found the power of curiosity and working with others to find out the answers. What do we notice about it? Is there something that sets it apart from other similar plants, animals, or fungi?

Having questions is not a bad thing and doesn’t show that a lack of understanding, but rather the deeply rooted quality of curiosity as a living being. It is something we share with many other birds and mammals who will also investigate their environments and share what they have learned with others. Curiosity is vital to learning- the more we learn about and understand something, the more questions we may discover. It can help open us to possibilities that we otherwise might not have been, which leads to…

Creative &

artistic are often used as synonyms, but creativity is so much more than that. It allows us to look at things in new ways. Often, there is more than one way to see or approach something and a change in perspective makes a big difference. When growing a plant, there are particular resources it will need to thrive – water, air, sunlight… Growing as a learner requires having the tools you need to access the information. And each of us does not need the same tools.

As someone who nature journals more often, I have seen the power of using visuals to understand the world. But these can come in many forms – from fully colored, detailed drawings to simple pencil sketches or notes. The point isn’t having a pretty picture, but rather capturing the experience. Using pencil, pen, or color to ask questions, make connections, and develop a sense of place. In learning the same is true – there is power in words AND pictures AND numbers – all working together to communicate and share understanding with others.

Nature too can be creative. Flowers have developed colors or patterns that when viewed in UV light are more alluring to pollinators or will signal when pollination has already occurred. Raccoons and squirrels are well-known for their resourcefulness when it comes to obtaining food, a skill which leads them to success as the urban-wildland boundaries begin to blur. These strengths and adaptations to solving problems can be viewed as creating conflict with humans or other animals. Or they can be seen as a showcase of creativity in how to navigate the difficulties they encounter. With the latter, we can begin to see the importance of a sense of feeling…

Connected

helps us continue to learn. It can be all too easy in the modern world to find comfort in a screen and easy answers, especially when the outdoors feels inaccessible. Or that digital spaces are used to tear us apart from the world around us, rather than bring us closer. Like any tool, it is a matter of how it is used.

One thing that I have learned about as I have spent more time learning about and being out in nature is that EVERYTHING is networks. EVERYTHING is connected. Branches and connections are all around us – from the flow of water through rivers and streams, to the tangled system of fungi and roots beneath our soil, to the network of cells, tissues, and organs which branch through our bodies. These connections are essential to life itself.

If you take certain types of trees out of the forest and plant them elsewhere, they will fail to thrive because the connection between them and their ecosystem has been broken. They rely on the network of mycellium and roots of other trees and plants to support their growth and well-being.

And we rely on the network around us to thrive. We are not only dependent on the health of the ecosystems in which we live and work, but also on the well-being of those around us. Learning requires an openness to learning from others. When I became a teacher, I thought I had learned what I needed. But in reality, my students and our community teach me new things all the time. Technology is a way of solving problems and building connections if we allow it to help build our knowledge and our networks -rather than tear connections further apart. A forest stands stronger when it supports the ecosystem together, rather than trying to stand alone – and so do we.

Curiosity, Creativity, and Connection

If we let it, nature can be a valuable teacher. It can help us discover ourselves, the world around us, and all the changes shaping both all the time. We can find our voice through pen or screen to share what we learn with others. And be shaped by the world around us at the same time. To be curious, creative, and connected is not only a key element of what it is to be human – it is key to what it means to be alive. And to share our curiosities and creativity with others helps them and us to grow and realize that we are not apart from nature, but a part of it.

Challenge:

Find something this week outside that catches your curiosity and follow it. Write down the questions it leads you to and follow them. Use words or pictures or numbers to capture what lead you there and where it leads you next. And then share it – with family, a friend, or a member of your community (in-person or online). Remember there is no right or wrong way to be a naturalist – there is only being a student of natural history and being willing to care for the world around you as you learn more.