Science Leadership Academy

Hannah Feldman
Blog Post 7

I have been reading A Walk in the Woods, as you may know, and while Bill Bryson, the author, tries not to inject too many facts and science, there is quite a bit of information. However, I am not going to talk about those parts of the book in this entry.

This entry is for nature.

Nature, the natural world, is what we humans are from. Much as we may attempt to distance ourselves from nature with fiberglass and concrete, without it we would cease to exist. Sorprendo a la naturaleza (Just to add some interdisciplinary learning – sorprender is a Spanish vocab word this week!).

I marvel at nature. Have you ever stood in the middle of the woods and just looked up at the trees? It is humbling.

I had the privilege to attend an elementary school with a wonderful program – once a week each grade went out to a Girl Scout camp in the woods for the whole day. In the younger grades, we mostly just ran around and made forts and had loads of fun. However, we also learned about the plants we saw, and took time to appreciate the natural setting that was so different from our own urban environment.

I will always remember the hours I spent sitting by a creek, shaded by tall stately trees, writing poetry about the sheer beauty of my surroundings.

We need to slow down and appreciate the splendor of nature. I know I need to remember this so as to remember why I care about this topic. No issue is devoid of emotion, and every so often we all need to remind ourselves why we care.

Photo Credit: denis collette on Flickr