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Students learn the definition of wonder and how to notice things in the world that make them curious.
Have you ever looked at a tiny ant carrying a huge crumb and thought, 'How is he so strong?' or looked at the moon and wondered why it follows you home?
Have you ever felt a 'spark' in your brain when you see something new? That feeling is called wonder. Wonder is like a delicious soup made of two ingredients: surprise and curiosity. Surprise is the 'Wow!' you feel when you see a rainbow. Curiosity is the 'How?' or 'Why?' that makes you want to learn more. When we wonder, we stop being bored and start being explorers. Even if we see tree every day, we can wonder why its leaves change color or how high it can grow. Wondering is the first step to becoming a scientist or a philosopher!
Quick Check
What are the two 'ingredients' that make up the feeling of wonder?
Answer
The two ingredients are surprise and curiosity.
Nature is the best place to practice your wonder powers. You don't need a spaceship to find amazing things; you just need to look closely. You can find wonder in the way a spider spins a web that looks like a -pointed star, or how a heavy rock stays still while a light feather flies away. When we notice these things, we are practicing observation. The more we observe, the more questions we have. For example, if you see different types of birds, you might wonder why their beaks are different shapes.
Let's look at a tiny seed. 1. First, we feel surprise that something so small can turn into a big sunflower. 2. Next, we feel curiosity: 'How does it drink water?' 3. We have found wonder in just tiny seed!
Quick Check
Name one thing outside that makes you feel 'Wow!'
Answer
Answers will vary, such as a rainbow, a tall tree, or a fuzzy caterpillar.
Why should we care about wonder? Because noticing the world makes our lives more exciting! When we pay attention, we see things that others might miss. This is called being mindful. People who wonder are usually better at solving problems because they are always asking questions. If you have minutes of free time, using those minutes to wonder about the clouds or the wind actually exercises your brain. It makes you a kinder person, too, because you start to care about the beautiful world we all share.
Imagine it starts to rain. 1. A 'noticer' sees the ripples in a puddle. 2. They wonder: 'Where did this water come from?' 3. They realize that the world is full of hidden cycles, like the water cycle, which is like a giant -way trip from the ground to the sky and back!
Think about a giant oak tree. 1. If the tree is years old, it was alive before your parents were born! 2. How does it stay standing in a storm? 3. By wondering about the roots we cannot see, we learn that the most important parts of things are sometimes hidden.
What is the best definition of wonder?
Where is a great place to find things to wonder about?
Noticing the world around you can make you a better learner.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, look out your window and try to find thing that makes you feel curious. Can you remember the word for that feeling?
Practice Activity
Draw a 'Wonder Map' of your backyard or a park. Draw things that made you say 'Wow!'