One of the most important gifts parents can give their children is the ability to look at the natural world with wonder. Or more correctly, parents can recognize children’s natural curiosity and expand on it. The world is a wonder-full place in children’s eyes. But too often in our hurry to get tasks accomplished we rush past little miracles without a second glance.

It’s summer. Take time to help your little ones absorb the wonder of our beautiful world. Take a close look at that leaf. It’s a whole world of lifelines. Examine a feather under a magnifying glass. Notice how the shaft is lined with barbs which in turn hold barbules with tiny hooklets on the ends to keep the feathers all lined up properly. Wow. Who knew?

Or examine a teaspoon of sand under magnification. You’ll enter a little world of all manner of shapes and colors. That plain tan-colored sand is really a beautiful world of it’s own.

And that’s just examining natural things and going smaller. Think of looking at the sky and going bigger!

Wonder at the scope and beauty and mystery of our world leads to creative thinking. Creative thinking happens when facts are connected together in new and different ways. Encourage children to talk about, draw or write about the beautiful things they examine.

Slow down. Go on a nature walk with your children and stop to look, look deeper and imagine. Take the time to wonder.