Trees are the Earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.
– Rabindranath Tagore

Sandra Duncan, author of the book, The Honeycomb Hypothesis: How Infants, Toddlers and Two-Year-Olds Learn Through Nature Play, offers metaphors from nature to richly illustrate how infants and toddlers learn best through movement and open-ended exploration. She and her co-authors provide multiple examples of hands-on nature experiences which meaningfully support young children as they learn through play.

In an article of the same name as the book, Duncan explains why “problematic pedagogy” (which includes an overemphasis on direct instruction of specific facts or skills) can lead educators astray. She writes:

“There needs to be a shift in pedagogical paradigms from focusing on the acquisition of knowledge of basic facts such as shapes, colors, and alphabet, to a pedagogical emphasis on offering children opportunities for developing meaningful understandings.”

As this week moves from Earth Day to Arbor Day, we invite you to remember the many Exchange resources, such as the Nature Explore Exchange Reflections designed to help educators make learning with nature a joyful part of children’s daily lives.