Exploring the Wonders of Nature Through Story
The unique features of the duck-billed platypus make it an easy subject for creating a funny and entertaining story for kids. Sure it is a mammal that lays eggs, has a bill like a duck and a tail like a beaver. But did you also know the males are venomous?
Once upon a time, there was a young boy who wanted to understand everything. His favorite thing to do was be out in nature. He explored the fields and forests around his home. By observing the animals, he was able to classify them into different groups based on how they looked and acted. He saw that birds laid eggs and had feathers, reptiles also laid eggs but had scales, and mammals gave birth to live young and had fur or hair.
One day, as the young boy was by a river, he thought he saw a beaver swimming past him. However, as the boy watched more closely, he saw that the beaver tail was attached to a creature that looked like a hairy duck. The boy had never seen such an animal before, so he followed it and found that the animal led him to a nest with an egg nestled inside. The animal lay beside the egg and looked up at the boy. Curious, the boy asked, “What are you? You have fur, but you lay eggs. You have a beak like a duck, but a tail like a beaver? You are not like anything I have ever seen.” The animal looked back at the boy and said, “I am me. I am a duck-billed platypus, and I am myself.”
Nature Stories
My youngest child is at an age where he is curious about everything. He loves nature, animals, and is always asking, “how does that work?” Jen also has a child who loves animals and wants to learn more about them every chance he gets. How do we answer their questions and feed their curiosity? We tell them nature stories.
We find that in telling this type of nonfiction story with our kids, nature stories are like the platypus, they are unique. Usually, they end up being fiction and nonfiction at the same time. And we find them to be a great tool to teach our kids about the world around them and feed their inherent curiosity.
There are many ways to tell a nature tale. The first way is to personify the plant, animal, or natural process you are trying to explain, just like we did in the platypus story above. The water cycle can be told as a voyage and return story with a water droplet as the main character who freezes, falls to earth, melts, and returns to its home in the sky. A volcano could start life as an angry youth and age into a sleeping giant that only wakes when provoked. Within a story, you can give just about anything the power to talk with children and tell them about their lives in the wild.
Another way to tell nature stories is to build bespoke characters that you and your children, use on multiple storytelling occasions. You create your own mini-series with multiple episodes. You can borrow from shows like “Wild Kratts,” “Octonauts,” and “Storybots” that see recurring characters learn about different creatures and natural phenomena during each show. Your child(ren) could become the main character(s) who go on adventures around the world night after night to learn about various flora and fauna. All that is required is a bit of knowledge about the topic and some creativity to weave a fun story. We suggest you find out what your child is interested in and do a very quick online search for a few basic facts about the topic that you can insert into your story. I tell this type of story frequently and hone in on what the animal (or plant) eats, where they live, and characteristics or behaviors that make them unique.
If you have a child who can’t get enough nature facts and need more inspiration for your own stories, turn to books like “Who Would Win?” that pit one animal against another after outlining information about the creatures. Or, for a gentler option, look to books like those by Eric Carle’s “Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar,” “The Very Busy Spider,” and “The Very Quiet Cricket.” Whatever style of story you choose, nature tales are great ways to feed your child’s curiosity and give them a choice in the stories you share.
