Get Out: 10 ?s on the Hoof

Do worms have eyes?

Do fish sleep?

Where do all the bugs go in winter?

Can birds fly upside down?

Why is the moon following me?

Why is the sky blue?

These are just some of the questions I've heard kids ask over the years. My husband, when he was a kid himself, looking at old family pictures with his dad asked, "Was the world back and white when you were little?" And my husband's sister is famous for her four-year-old question:  "Dad, are farts bubbles?" to which he replied, "Maybe only in the bathtub."



Kids have lots of questions (and adults usually have more questions than they let on). Get outside with a kid, and after a while the questions start. It seems that the younger the kid, the more questions. Ironically, as kids get older, go to school and see more of the world, the questions seem to fall off. Why? Perhaps school and technology have a the unfortunate side effect of taking a bit of the power of wonder away from kids. If teachers and technologies always have the answers, then kids are like empty containers always waiting to be filled up with information. Great teachers are facilitators of course, not bucket fillers, and they aim to help kids build their own tools for inquiry. But even the greatest teachers have to teach to tests and work within a school system full of deadlines and benchmarks and we all--adults included--seem to have a little less time to wonder.




After years of taking people for all ages on meandering walks and purposeful hikes, I've learned that questions are much more important than answers and wonder is something we can all practise. When young people get in the habit of wondering and discover the adventure in asking, they access a superpower: curiosity. Personal curiosity drives inquiry, creating the habits of mind--observation, comparison, differentiation, hypothetical and critical thinking, imagination!--that define a learner. To wonder is to activate the power of your own brain, to become the hero in your own story.


Invention, innovation, cures, philosophies, policies-- they all start with wondering.

There is much to get in the way of wondering these days. Curiosity can be diminished instead of amplified by technologies that offer lots of answers. Why is the sky blue? Google it and find out. Technology is awesome and has the power to propel us faster into discovery, but, like a crutch, when you've hurt yourself, if used too much, it can inhibit the development of your strength-- it'll take longer to walk on your own if you keep leaning on that crutch. If a child learns to turn to Siri with every question, she is not exercising the power of her own brain, building those cognitive thinking skills and the critical habits of mind of inquiry. Most of all, she is losing the joy and freedom to wonder.



Fortunately we can balance the awesome resources at our fingertips with real time experiences that stimulate our senses, place us specifically in a moment in time on this earth, bring our awareness to our relationship with the planet and help us practise questioning. Wonder can be accessed by standing up, stepping away from your device and walking out the door. Wonder is available right now, with no monthly bill.



Once outside, you can play a simple game with yourself, or your young friends:  10 Questions.

• As you walk, invite yourself and your friends to think of 10 questions about anything you encounter outside. 

• It is more powerful to wonder about things you do not know the answer to. If a young friend asks a question and you think you know the answer, bite your tongue for now. Instead, respond with a question. If a kid says, "Why is the sky blue?" you might say, "I wonder what makes it blue? What do you think?" Invite other friends to entertain the same question. 

• If you are feeling anxious about not having all the answers, just let that go. One of the most powerful things an adult can say to a child is, "I don't know, but we can try to find out." See the difference? You are helping a kid build confidence in her potential to figure things out. And you are casting yourself as a wonderer too. 

• If you happen to have a PhD in physics, or be an "expert," great. I'm sure you have some very big questions to mull over yourself. But if you know why the sky looks blue, and you are with a kid who asks, use your own brain power to ask questions that keep opening possibilities for that kid: "What else is blue in the world? Is the sky always blue? What other colors can it be? What about when it rains or snows?"

• If you want to really reinforce your commitment to following through, take a notebook along and jot down the questions and ideas you have or hear (when you document what others say, you are acknowledging the value of their thoughts in a powerful way--this is a great confidence-builder when you are with kids).

• Back at home base, you can make a plan to keep searching for answers:  "Now, do we think we know why the sky looks blue today?" Revisit the ideas together. Keep the discussion rolling. Ask: "How can we get more information? How can we find out more?"

• You or your friends might be ready to jump on the phone-- hold off for a little bit, you have some room to grow here. You can ask: "Who might know more about this? What kind of people think about the sky? Where could we find them?"

• Now you and your friends are the "search engines," and just maybe you can hold out a little bit longer. Consider the power of inviting young friends to go old school, contacting an actual human being and composing an email to introduce themselves and ask their questions. Consider of the powerful potential of connecting with another person:  more questions, more curiosity, communication skill development, mentorship, self-advocacy, empowerment.

So go take a walk, and wonder.

(If you are still wondering about worms and eyes, go find a worm and take a look)