Cultivating Wonder

Guest Opinion

By Lauren Teichner | Sept. 28, 2024

My five-year-old daughter has recently been asking me to tell her bedtime stories from my childhood, especially from my time at overnight camp. As soon as I share one, more memories come flooding back: the time I did a solo overnight in the woods and found myself scarily close to a bobcat; kayaking with my friends at twilight on the lake; wandering along the trail behind my cabin, stopping to watch a bee land on a flower; cupping my hands around my ears on a night hike, flashlights off (of course), to hear the symphony of the woods amplified in the quiet darkness.

As a kid growing up in the bustling streets of downtown Chicago, camp was my deep-summer happy place. There, I could play outside from sunrise to sunset, experiencing the cool crispness of the morning air, the warmth of the midday sun, and the sticky heat of the evening. It was a place where I could hear the constant chorus of crickets and locusts, watch the light filter through the trees, and see the wind ripple across the lake—things I could rarely, if ever, experience in the tiny confines of my paved backyard.

These experiences made their way deep into my bones and gifted me a profound sense of wonder that has stayed with me into adulthood and I hope to pass on to my kids.

As we quickly approach an election that has significant implications for climate policy, there is no better time to reflect on the role our children will play in shaping the future of our planet. It is our responsibility as parents and caregivers to prepare our kids of all ages to become informed and passionate stewards of the natural world.

Though the election and its consequences may seem distant from the daily grind of our lives—especially if yours is anything like mine, revolving around making lunches, folding laundry, and trying to finish a day’s work before school lets out—we actually have the power to take political action in the small, everyday moments in which we foster a connection between our kids and the earth.

Here in northern Michigan, we are lucky to live among some of the most diverse and breathtaking ecosystems in the country. By encouraging our kids to explore and play freely outdoors, especially without the distraction of screens, we engage in a quiet but truly revolutionary act: cultivating in them a sense of wonder and responsibility for the natural world.

But what is this sense of wonder, and why is it so important? Merriam-Webster defines wonder as “rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience.” Wonder comes from observing, exploring, listening, appreciating, and simply being present in the moment. In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, wonder can be an antidote to screens and boredom. Wonder can deepen our kids’ sense of self, place, interconnectedness, and belonging. Hopefully, wonder can also set our kids on a path of planetary protection.

Others have described this idea far more beautifully than I ever could. Rachel Carson, the renowned biologist and writer whose work sparked the environmental movement of the 1960s, wrote, “If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.”

We must enrich our children’s soil with a love of nature, so that when the seeds of knowledge are eventually planted, especially ones containing some tough realities about our changing planet, these seeds will blossom into a lifelong call to defend, protect, and nurture the earth.

Revolutionary change does not always come from sweeping policies or distant government—it often begins in our own backyards, in our gardens, on the nature trail, in the taste of a hand-picked tomato, in the feel of dirt under fingernails, in the smell of the compost pile, in identifying the chickadee’s call. It is through these small, personal connections, these everyday acts of wonder and exploration, that we prepare the next generation to carry the torch of environmental stewardship.

As I recount my camp memories to my daughter, I realize that these stories are more than just tales of adventure; they are pieces of the larger puzzle of my life and how I came to be who I am. They are the roots of my own connection to nature, the beginnings of my sense of responsibility to protect it, and the foundation I hope to instill in my children.

Future generations are relying on us to take these small yet revolutionary steps, which are entirely within our reach.

Lauren Teichner is a public interest environmental attorney in Traverse City and co-organizer of Northern Michigan Climate Families.