24 AESTHETICS EXCHANGE MAY/JUNE 2010 Reprinted with permission from Exchange magazine. Visit us at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864. Multiple use copy agreement available for educators by request.
Aesthetics and a sense of wonder
✦by . Ruth A Wilson
Rachel Carson (1956) — scientist, writer, Some might say that emotions are what Wonder as a way of knowing and environmentalist — tells us that “A make life worth living. Yet some emo- child’s world is fresh and new and beauti- tions (such as anger, jealousy, disgust, and We usually relate the concept of truth ful, full of wonder and excitement” (p. 42). sadness) may leave us feeling miserable. to something that conforms to fact or Many of us have heard and been inspired Wonder is different; it is an emotion which actuality; something that can be proven by these words, but may not have a clear uplifts and inspires. We can count on or arrived at through rational thought. idea about what wonder really is. This wonder to enrich and ennoble our lives. We can thank poets, like Keats, to give us isn’t surprising, because wonder in differ- As Carson (1956) says, wonder can serve other ideas about the meaning of truth. ent contexts can mean different things. As “as an unfailing antidote against the By equating beauty and truth and linking used by Carson, wonder refers to a “clear- boredom and disenchantments of later this to a type of knowing, Keats’ words eyed vision,” a “true instinct for what is years, the sterile preoccupation with things can help us appreciate another aspect of beautiful and awe-inspiring” (p. 42). that are artificial, the alienation from the wonder — that is, wonder as a way of Wonder in this context is something sources of our strength” (p. 43). knowing. The type of knowing associated we feel (an emotion), but also a ‘way of with wonder isn’t primarily about think- knowing’ based on intuition or natural We experience wonder as a spark inside of ing; it’s more intuitive than rational and instinct. us — a spark which lights up our life and involves a “direct knowing” (Hart, 2005). Wonder as an emotion stirs our imagination. We also experience wonder as an emotion that takes us outside Children and wonder Emotions are what give zest to life, and of ourselves and into a realm that is greater quality and meaning to our existence. than ourselves. When strongly felt, this The sense of wonder seems to be much experience of “being outside of ourselves” Dr. Ruth Wilson has been working in more pronounced in children than in the field of environmental education — and outside of time — is sometimes adults (Carson, 1956; Hart, 2005). Reflec- for young children for over 20 years. referred to as ecstasy and is accompanied tions of this can be seen in the way young Prior to her retirement from Bowling by intense joy or delight (Hart, 2005). children respond to and interact with Green State University in Ohio, certain elements of nature. Watch young Dr. Wilson directed several major children as it begins to snow or as they projects focusing on connecting young children with Beauty seems to play a special role in nature. Her most recent book, Nature and Young awakening our sense of wonder and al- play in a pile of leaves. You’ll witness Children: Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in lowing us to experience ‘self-forgetting’ an abundance of exuberance and joy. Natural Environments, was published in 2008. moments of great joy and ecstasy (John- You’ll see children wholly engaged in the son, 2002). Beauty can also lead us to an now, and you’ll find them responding Dr. Wilson lives in Olympia, Washington, with her understanding of truth. The poet, John with their whole bodies. They’ll laugh, husband, Fred. They’ve worked together on several projects developing environmental stories and songs to Keats, writes, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty dance, run, listen, and perhaps even taste. share with young children. Dr. Wilson can be contacted — that is all ye know on earth, and all ye Adults, on the other hand, are more likely at [email protected]. need to know.” to respond with thoughts about what AESTHETICS 25 MAY/JUNE 2010 EXCHANGE comes next and will spend little time im- resent beauty through the mediums of natural environment, whether in physi- mersing themselves in the moment and art, dance, and music. These efforts are cal manifestations or social realms, early in the sensory experiences of what is hap- based on the understanding that putting aesthetic experiences are powerful and pening around them. Adults see the snow children in touch with beauty will enrich can have lasting significance (Kemple & and think of shoveling the driveway or their lives and foster their sense of won- Johnson, 2002). become anxious about driving on icy der. Aesthetic experiences do, indeed, roads. They see the leaves and think of all provide these benefits for children. But Living with wonder the raking they’ll have to do. there are other benefits, as well — some quite powerful in their potential impact For many of us, that marvelous gift Children’s way of relating to the world on both children and society. of wonder we enjoyed when we were corresponds to their unique way of know- children becomes “dimmed and even ing the world — that is, a way based Providing aesthetic experiences and lost before we reach adulthood” (Carson, more on wonder than analytical thought. fostering their sense of wonder can help 1956, p. 42). Perhaps this concern is what Children know the world — especially children see ‘potential beauty’ as well prompted Abraham Heschel to write, the natural environment — in a deep as the beauty being experienced in the “I did not ask for success; I asked for and direct manner, not as a background moment. While children gain inspiration wonder” (Heschel, 1983). for events. For children, the natural and enjoyment from being in touch with world is never formal or abstract, nor beauty, their ‘sense of possibility’ can To keep the spark of wonder burning is it a scene or a landscape (Cobb, 1977; also be nurtured and strengthened. This in our daily lives, it may be helpful Sebba, 1991). Unfortunately, this way sense of possibility enables children to to consider how children experience of knowing the world tends to dissipate see a future different from what currently wonder. They remain present in the over time. During the early stages of exists, including the possibility of seeing now; they open all their senses to what cognitive development—when learning is beauty in places now filled with ugliness, they’re experiencing; and they engage dependent on concrete perceptual experi- and seeing peace and harmony in places their hearts — not just their minds — as ences — perception conducts thought. now filled with anger and discord. Along they experience and reflect on the world With adults, however, perception obeys with this sense of possibility is the moti- around them. With some effort, we can thought (Sebba, 1991; Wilson, 2010). With vation to encourage further beauty into do this, too. When taking a walk, for this shift, the sense of wonder usually existence. Words of the Sufi poet, Rumi, example, (or just spending time out- diminishes rather quickly. remind us of this possibility: “Let the doors) we can make a conscious effort beauty we love be what we do” (Rumi, to really ‘take in’ everything around us. Adults would do well to recognize and 1997). We can make a point of noticing sounds, honor children’s way of knowing and scents, colors, temperatures, patterns of strive to keep the children’s and their Aesthetics includes the capacity to sense, light and shadow, the shape of clouds, own sense of wonder alive. Wonder, as appreciate, and respond emotionally to the presence and behavior of insects, Carson (1956) says, can serve as a life- beauty in both human creations and the subtle changes from one place to another. long source of joy and enrichment. Won- natural environment (Kemple & Johnson, Such concentrated attention can help us der can also stimulate the imagination 2002). When we reflect on the sources of see and experience things in new ways. and serve as motivation for further learn- beauty, we often limit our thinking to the It can help us find beauty in ordinary, ing (Cobb, 1977; Wilson, 2008). It may physical manifestations of it — whether overlooked places and experience inspi- even be possible that it is only through this is in human creations or the natural ration and wonder in what otherwise is wonder that we can come to know the environment. There are, of course, social considered commonplace. world as it really is (Wilson, 2008). aspects to each, as well; and these social aspects can manifest great beauty and Another way to keep the spark of won- Children, wonder, and awaken a sense of wonder. Examples of der alive is to surround ourselves with aesthetic experiences human generosity and kindness come beauty. In The Little Prince, we read that to mind, as do the social behaviors of el- since something is beautiful, it is truly In working with young children, we often ephants and dolphins. Certainly, the com- useful acknowledge the importance of aesthetic plex workings of bees and the dedication (de Saint-Exupéry, 1943). That which is development. We provide opportunities evident as birds feed and protect their beautiful may not always be useful in the for them to experience beauty; we draw young are other examples of beauty in sense of what is most efficient or most attention to beautiful things; and we the social aspects of the natural environ- readily available. But things and places encourage children to create and rep- ment. Whether in human creations or the of beauty can be useful to us in ways 26 AESTHETICS EXCHANGE MAY/JUNE 2010
which efficiency and expediency can Heschel, A. (1983). I asked for wonder. never offer. The architect, Frank Lloyd Chestnut Ridge, NY: Crossroad Publish- Wright, once noted that if we fool- ing. ishly ignore beauty, we will soon find ourselves without it. And a life without Johnson, B. (2002). On the spiritual beauty, he said, is impoverished. Invest- benefits of wilderness. International ing in beauty, he noted, would give us Journal of Wilderness, 8(3), 28-32. something of value that would remain with us all the days of our lives. Keats, J. Ode on a Grecian Urn. http://www.bartleby.com/101/625.html We know some things of beauty — like (retrieved January 22, 2010). kittens, fresh flowers, and warm oatmeal cookies — may not always retain their Kemple, K. M., & Johnson, C. A. (2002). freshness. Having once experienced From the inside out: Nurturing aesthetic their beauty, however, can enrich our response to nature in the primary grades. lives over a long period of time. As Childhood Education, 78(4) (retrieved on- Louise Chawla (1990) once noted, the line May, 23, 2009). spaces and views which we experience as children become inner landscapes or Rumi, J. (1997). The essential Rumi. “ecstatic memories” which then remain San Francisco: HarperOne. with us “like radioactive jewels buried within us, emitting energy across the Sebba, R. (1991). The landscapes of child- years of our life” (Chawla, 1990, p. 18). hood — The reflection of childhood’s It would seem that ‘ecstatic memories’ environment in adult memories and in and the energy they impart need not children’s attitudes. Environment and be confined to what we experience as Behavior, 23(4), 395-422. children. Perhaps deep encounters with beauty — experienced at any age — can Wilson, R. A. (2008). Nature and young reap similar benefits. children — encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments. London: References Routledge.
Carson, R. (1956). The sense of wonder. Wilson, R. A. (retrieved 1/21/2010) New York: Harper & Row. http://www.earlychildhoodnews. com/earlychildhood/article_view. Recommended Reading Chawla, L. (1990). Ecstatic places. aspx?ArticleId=70 for Fostering Wonder Children’s Environments Quarterly, 7(4), 18-23. For Children Cobb, E. (1977). The ecology of imagina- All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila tion in childhood. New York: Columbia Hamanaka University Press. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown de Saint-Exupéry, A. (1943). The Little Frederick by Leo Lionni Prince. Orlando: Harcourt Books. The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Hart, T. (2005). Spiritual experiences and Baylor and Peter Parnall capacities of children and youth. In E. C. Rhehlkepartain, P. E. King, l. Wagener, For Adults and P. L. Benson (Eds.). The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood The Sense of Wonder by Rachel and Adolescence, pp. 163-178. Thousand Carson Oaks: Sage Publications.