Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Carson , Rachel (1998-05-11), The Sense of Wonder, HarperCollins, Retrieved on 2011-06-12
Folksonomies: education wonder children Memes
12 JUN 2011
The Perpetual Renewal That Comes From the Natural World
Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, ... 1 
notes
notesThose who enjoy its endless mysteries are never at a loss of interest in life.
12 JUN 2011
Looking One's Imminent Death with Curiosity
I like to remember the distinguished Swedish oceanographer, Otto Pettersson, who died a few years ago at the age of ninety-three, in full possession of his keen mental powers. His son has related in a recent book how intensely his father enjoyed every new experience, every new discovery concerning the world about him.
"He was an incurable romantic," the son wrote, "intensely in love with life and with the mysteries of the universe." When he realized he had not much longer to enjoy the earthl... 1 notes
notesAn oceanographer is curious as to what it will be like.
12 JUN 2011
If We Only Saw the Stars One Night Every 100 Years
We lay and looked up at the sky and the millions of stars that blazed in darkness. The night was so still that we could hear the buoy on the ledges out beyond the mouth of the bay. Once or twice a word spoken by someone on the far shore was carried across the clear air. A few lights burned in the cottages. Otherwise, there was no reminder of other human life....
It occurred to me that if this were a sight that could be seen only once in a century or even once in a human generation, this litt...
2 Everyone would come out to wonder at them. Instead we never look at them.
12 JUN 2011
Teaching Children Wonder Does Not Require a Scientific Ba...
A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfa...
1 Just appreciating the wind, or admiring nature in without explanation is enough to instill a sense of wonder.
29 AUG 2011
Adults Should Share in Children's Discovery to Relive The...
If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. 1 notes
notesCleveland Abbe quote about the importance of children having an adult companion to share the child's experiences of discovery and mystery.
12 JUN 2011
The Night Listening Game
The sound of the insect orchestra swells and throbs night after night, from midsummer until autumn ends and the frosty nights make the tiny players stiff and numb, and finally the last note is stilled in the long cold. An hour of hunting out the small musicians by flashlight is an adventure any child would love. It gives him a sense of the night's myster and beauty, and of how alive it is with watchful eyes and little, waiting forms.
The game is to listen, not so much to the full orchestra, ...Where a child is taught to distinguish the individual sounds of the insects from the swarm and seek them out to identify by flashlight.
