Key Takeaways:

• Argues that nurturing a child’s sense of awe and curiosity about nature is foundational for emotional health and future environmental ethics.
• Encourages adults to share direct experiences—night walks, tidepool explorations, storms—rather than relying on lectures or textbooks to teach about the natural world.
• Suggests that a deep emotional bond with nature in childhood is what later motivates people to defend ecosystems against exploitation and pollution.