Noodle Use, Outside

One of the true joys of having children is experiencing their awe. My youngest is fascinated by everything. It’s not unusual to get the same question over and over again. It’s not that he doesn’t understand, but often he wants the more in-depth explanation I give when he persists.

Last week he was playing with the “worms” forming on the birch tree outside, and this week he’s watching the bumble bees in the flowering bush, and we talked about how soon we can throw helicopters from the maple off the deck. We love to go out and see and smell the changes in the flowers. Two weeks ago the first crocuses popped up, last week daffodils and grape hyacinths, this week the first tulips and hyacinths. Same with birds, the first to show up were the robins, yesterday we saw barn swallows, and we anxiously await the orioles and hummingbirds.

My 5 year old is making discoveries in nature all his own as well. A few days ago he found a bird’s nest in a tree in our yard, yesterday he found a swarm of ants and proceeded to stomp them (very cautiously remembering the biting ants he stomped one year). In school they had a whole session on eggs last week and he delights in telling me all the different things born out of eggs – yesterday it was eels. He also likes to share which is his current favorite flower (of course it’s the one that is his favorite color – red tulips.) He notices when things change in our yard including the appearance of plants that were not there last week, the garlic bulbs beginning to grow, and a lone miniature daffodil that seemed a bit out of place.

The other night, while it was still light out the youngest saw the moon and decided to lay down in the grass and gaze at it. We joined him, feeling the green grass and solid ground beneath us, while observing the awesome vastness above. By connecting with the earth we were connecting with each other.

Being out in nature can tune us into the powers of observation. Not only the observations of the physical surroundings, but also the natural course of change, and our relationship to change and each other; surprisingly at the same time it grounds us in the present moment, persuades us to enjoy the here and now in all its beauty. By discover nature we can discover life.