What If You're a Nature Smart Natural?

Maybe your child has been a vegetarian since the age of 6, takes care of the family cat, and recycles anything he/she can get their hands on. What else can you do? Your child can always learn more about environmental causes around the world and take advantage of volunteer opportunities where you live. Your child's Nature Smart skills can help build the other intelligences. Below are some Nature Smart ideas you can help your child understand and develop the other intelligences in school and in life according to You're Smart Than You Think, by Thomas Armstrong, PhD.

1. Word Smart: Raise awareness about environmental causes that are important to the child by encouraging him/her to making presentations in class, writing letters to the editor, or making up raps. Your child can write poetry about the favorite things in nature or keep a journal about what he/she observes in nature.

2. Music Smart: Your child may already hear music in nature, so try having him/her listen for nature in music. Let nature inspire your child to make music with improvised instruments ( Example - sticks, stones in a container, or water in a glass).

3. Logic Smart: Ask your child questions about and look for answers in nature. Those observation skills that makes your child so good at solving math or logic problems. Or he/she can combine math and logic with nature by looking for examples of math and patterns in nature and then researching to come up with their own theories.

4. Picture Smart: Have your child pay attention to what they see in nature. (Example - colors, patterns, and textures). Suggest your child use these things in nature to practice art skills (Examples - favorite flowers, make a model of a favorite place in nature, or draw your cat or dog).

5. Body Smart: Encourage your child to get out in nature as an excuse to get some exercise. (Examples - hike, bike, run, skate, or walk in nature). There are other ways to get active in nature like digging a garden, training a dog, or helping to clean up your favorite park where he/she plays or runs.

6. People Smart: You can have your child use the things that are important to him/her like animals, the environment, or gardening to reach out to others. A good way to get started is by volunteering time and energy to work with others on environmental causes.

7. Self Smart: Have your child use nature to help him/her to understand what they are feeling. Have your child pay attention to what he/she is thinking about the next time they are taking a walk in nature.