Have you lost the natural curiosity you had growing up? If you no longer look for the rainbow in a fountain’s spray or marvel at the way the barbs on a feather fit together, you may need a refresher course. Try these ideas for starters, and then generate your own list.
Wonder Where Your Child-Like Wonder Went?
Trail a column of ants to see where they're headed
See if you can make a wine glass “sing” by rubbing a wet finger around the rim
Wonder at the way water beads up on dry earth
Check out the crescent-shaped shadows of leaves during the next solar eclipse
Notice the shimmer of colors on a pigeon's neck
Follow individual raindrops as they merge into bigger and bigger drops and finally
form rivulets on a windshield
Watch gnats cloud together at sundown
Study the cell structures in leaves
Marvel at the intricate sculpture of snow as it melts
Clap your hands near a corrugated building or fence and listen to the echo
Take a stick and swirl the rainbow pattern of an oily film on a puddle
Notice the puff of sand that ant lions toss up while they dig away at the bottom of
their funnel death traps
Examine the gecko-like cups that ivy uses to cling to a wall
Look for the “green flash” at sunset
Scrutinize the different ages of lichen that have taken up residence on a stone
wall
Listen to the raucous cry of a grackle and its mate's answering call
Play with an opal and watch the colors change
Wear a headlamp and search for the green reflection from spider's eyes at night
Watch sap ooze from a tree's scar
Flick the leaf of a mimosa tree or gently heat it and watch it close up
Study the pattern on the pad of your dog's paw
Check out worm tracks in the mud or just under the bark on firewood
Get a black light and discover what fluoresces (scorpions, e.g.)
