Nature Mind Reflections

Enchanted by Snow, Rediscovering Wonder in the Natural World

November 2025

It was the first snow of the year, early November, and the energy from the students was palpable. There was a buzz so strong I could feel the vibrations coming off the kids. Students couldn’t wait to get outside. The plan was simple, use nature to make letters in the snow, finding sticks to write their names or leaves to create the first words they were learning.

One adult remarked, “I don’t know how this is going to go. They’ll be distracted by the snow.” I paused at the word distracted. They are children. This is their first snow. The word carried such a negative connotation. Then I remembered a word I had recently heard on a podcast about someone feeling something magical when a dragonfly landed on them. That word was enchanted.

The children were not distracted, they were enchanted. And isn’t that a beautiful thing? As adults, when was the last time you felt truly enchanted? I’m not talking about the kind of enchantment in Disney movies, under a spell or controlled by magic. I mean the enchantment where you stop, take a breath, and are completely captivated through all your senses. Where your whole body is almost fired up with curiosity, awe, and wonder.

This is the space that nature provides. Nature reconnects us, re-roots us with the world around us. I love the word enchantment because there is something profoundly healing about the natural world. It can make me feel whole when I am missing something, healthy when I am ill, in community when I am lonely. Nature guides my attention to what matters in the moment, gifting me with daily experiences of wonder. The awe is all around. The meditative sound of moving water, the bright colors of fall leaves, the delicate touch of a dragonfly, or the grateful presence of a huge buck shared with students.

Nature may seem magical simply because there is so much we don’t know. So many things we can’t see or understand, yet at every turn there is an opportunity for curiosity. Nature continually pulls us in, reminding us that we are part of the natural world, and the natural world is part of us.

The students were not distracted. They were enchanted by the snow. They were tuned in to the invitation of nature. They were learning that as long as you respect the natural world, that invitation will always be there. I could see it, hear it, and feel it through their awe, joy, wonder, and enchantment.

While Disney may lead in commercial enchantment, I prefer to stop, slow down, and allow myself to be enchanted by nature. The entire day I was reminded of this by watching my students. They caught snowflakes on their tongues, marveled at birds flying in the snow, and wondered how they could do that. They were curious why snow melted on the blacktop but not the grass. They removed mittens to feel snow melt between their fingers, sought the perfect snowflake, and found beauty in its pattern. They packed snow into solid snowballs, threw them, and watched them smash to the ground. They expressed genuine concern for animals we had seen just days before, questioning whether they would be safe. They discussed, hypothesized, wondered, and theorized all while learning to move their bodies to stay warm and accept a little discomfort.

Every time I step into the natural world, I want to be re-enchanted with the same wonder and awe that I witness in my students. What a gift it is to see the world through their eyes.

Growing Nature-Based Learning: Supporting Students, Teachers, and Academic Success 

October 2025

As an educator, there’s nothing more powerful than seeing a student’s eyes light up with curiosity the moment when a question sparks, a connection is made, and learning becomes something alive. Nature-Based Learning (NBL) offers those moments every day, and it’s something every student deserves access to, no matter their background, age, demographic, or school.

Teaching with nature isn’t just a different way to learn it’s a way to meet students where they are. Many of our children carry stress, anxiety, or experiences that make learning inside a classroom difficult. Nature offers a space for them to breathe, reset, feel free, and connect with themselves, with others, and with the world around them. These experiences support mental health in profound ways, giving students a sense of calm, agency, and confidence. This isn’t just for students, it’s for teachers, too. In classrooms today, educators are experiencing overwhelming stress and pressure. NBL gives teachers a chance to see their students in a new way, to reconnect with the joy of teaching, and to find space for themselves to feel grounded and supported.

But NBL is not just about calm or reflection it’s about wonder. Watching students explore, ask questions, and discover the world firsthand is nothing short of magical. Their minds expand in ways a worksheet or lecture simply can’t replicate. Every butterfly, puddle, or tree becomes a chance to engage imagination, curiosity, and joy for both students and teachers. They become shared experiences that are catalyst for connection and learning. And importantly, these experiences support students in meeting high academic standards, because learning in nature can deepen understanding, strengthen critical thinking, and make concepts more meaningful and memorable.

Equity is at the heart of this work. Every student deserves access to these experiences, regardless of their neighborhood, school resources, or personal circumstances. Supporting teachers to bring NBL into classrooms ensures that no child misses out on the power nature has to support learning and growth.

Now is the time to grow Nature-Based Learning, but teachers cannot do this alone. Our schools need systemic change to support educators: time for planning and collaboration, professional development in NBL practices, access to resources, and policies that recognize the value of experiential, nature-based learning. Systems must shift to reimagine what learning looks like and how we measure it, so that curiosity, creativity, and deep understanding are valued as much as traditional academic outcomes. Without this support, even the most passionate teacher can’t sustain these practices, and students miss out on transformative learning experiences.

Supporting teachers is how we make this possible. When educators feel prepared and empowered, the impact ripples far beyond the classroom. Students grow in knowledge, resilience, empathy, and connection. They learn to wonder, to question, and to care, not just about their lessons, but about the world and their place in it.

At the heart of NBL is a simple truth: learning is at its most powerful when it’s joyful, accessible, and alive. Every child deserves the chance to experience that spark. Every teacher deserves the support to make it happen. I’ve seen it firsthand: when we empower teachers, students thrive. They write more, explore more, and connect more, with each other, with their communities, and with the planet.

If you’re a teacher, coach, or administrator wondering how to bring Nature-Based Learning into your school, you don’t have to figure it out alone. There is a vast community of brilliant educators ready to share knowledge and experience. What I’ve learned over the past four years growing a program that truly engages every student can be expanded everywhere. Together, we can bring the joy, curiosity, and power of nature into every classroom, supporting students, teachers, and high-quality learning outcomes for all.

Rooted Beginnings

September 2025

My earliest memories are filled with nature. I can still picture myself as a child, sitting under the shade of a willow tree, watching the way the light danced through the leaves, creek walking, looking for critters under rocks and climbing to the tops of trees. Those moments in nature gave me a sense of peace and wonder that has stayed with me ever since. Nature became my refuge, my teacher, and my constant companion.

Years later, as a classroom science teacher, I noticed something that troubled me. My students often struggled to connect with the content I loved teaching. I could see their disconnect when it came to the natural world, a distance I couldn’t quite name. 

One day, while listening to a podcast with author Richard Louv, I heard him speak about nature deficit disorder. The idea that our growing disconnection from the outdoors impacts learning, health, and well-being. I suddenly understood what had been missing. My students weren’t disengaged because they didn’t care about science. They were disconnected because they hadn’t been given the chance to build a relationship with nature itself. Without that lived experience of wonder, the science content felt abstract. Words on a page instead of a living, breathing world.

That realization changed the way I taught. I began to see nature not just as content but as context. Nature could be the teacher and as the space where learning, curiosity, and well-being could take root. Every step outdoors became a way to bridge the gap, to bring life back into science, and to help students rediscover their natural sense of wonder.

I wasn’t alone in this shift. Alongside fellow New York State Master Teachers, I helped create the Eco Health and Wellness Professional Learning Team (PLT), a community of educators exploring nature-based learning practices together. Through that work, I found not only support and inspiration but also the courage to reimagine what education could look like when we remove the walls and educate with nature.

This blog, Nature Mind Reflections, is where I’ll share stories from that journey: lessons learned alongside students, reflections on what happens when we let nature be the teacher, and ideas for weaving the outdoors into our pedagogy and daily life.