SENSE OF WONDER

Rachel Carson (1956,1998). The Sense of Wonder.

Carson (a biologist) is best know for her work Silent Spring that provides scientific evidence for pollutants (like ddt) destroying the ecosystem and eventually destroying all life on the earth...

the Sense of Wonder edition published in 1998 adds photos (worthy of contemplation--so beautiful) taken by Nick Kelsh to the original work.

The primary purpose of the book is to assist children in their growing sense of wonder for nature, not in the sense of identifying and memorizing names of plants and birds, but in the sense of journeying with children, showing not telling, enjoying excitement, curiosity, and the sense of wonder of the natural world. 

Those who develop this sense of wonder Carson maintains will "dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth...are never alone or weary of life...their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and renewed excitement....[they] find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts" (p. 100).

This sense of wonder is FREE

go out before dawn with a child and listen for the first birdsong, the next song, and so on until the entire orchestra is singing in the bright light of the dawning sun...

go out into the night of late spring or summer and listen for the separate instruments in the orchestra of the dark...locate the individual players with a flashlight...

imagine what the clouds in the sky could be...

use a magnifying glass to discover other worlds in pond water or a teaspoon of earth.