[callout]Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do.[/callout]
We’ll continue our series of blogs about what’s good about the eight smarts with a look at the naturalist intelligence. I know nature smart is good because it’s not one of my strengths and I often wish it was.
What’s good about being nature smart?
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Nature-smart people think with patterns and have an ability to remember the patterns. For example, that’s how they remember which woodpecker is which. At my brother’s birdfeeder, they all look the same to me, but my sister-in-law knows which is which.
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Nature-smart kids enjoy being outside. Fresh air and sunshine is good for all of us and too many kids are spending all their time inside playing with handheld devices. Nature-smart kids will find reasons to be outside.
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Exploring outside is a common adventure for kids with nature-smart strengths. They can learn a lot with their eyes and hands. The same is true for adults. I enjoyed a botanical garden near Kansas City with a very nature-smart friend. She had me touching things I never would have touched on my own and learning about the age of plants by noticing details on their stems.
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These kids will enjoy and do well in courses about plants, animals, and all things in nature. This will include courses like biology and earth science and sections of courses such as when young children learn about flowers and mammals.
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Nature-smart abilities can help in the motivation and studying for certain history topics such as when explorers discovered the Grand Canyon, how Native Americans track animals, how sailors navigate with the stars, and how bricks were made in the early days.
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These children will enjoy pets of all kinds and will often be motivated to take care of them.
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Nature-smart kids will enjoy the zoo, botanical garden, park, and outdoor festivals.
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Nature will often calm these children and adults. They may know contentment better than others of us because of the peace they get in touch with.
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Nature-smart people with Christian faith will often worship well and pray deeply while walking in forests and along the ocean coast. They’ll connect well with God as Creator and enjoy passages such as Psalm 23 and heroes such as Jonah and Noah.
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Coupled with their logic-smart abilities, these may be the people who invent new seeds that can withstand droughts better and accurately predict earthquakes and when volcanoes may erupt.
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Helping with chores outside may be more likely for these kids. They may enjoy weeding with you, planting and harvesting vegetables from your backyard garden, washing your car, and sweeping out the garage.
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They can also serve and volunteer because of their abilities. They may be the first to sign up for the church outdoor work crew. They may arrange flowers for centerpieces for grandparent’s day at their school. They may help out at a local pet shelter.
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There are many careers children with these strengths can enjoy and do well in.
What else have you noticed about nature-smart kids?
Investing in your children, to help them develop their nature-smart abilities, is time well spent!
