Critical thinking is not just for the schoolroom or the home classroom. You can teach a child to think critically while having fun outdoors.

Since a critical thinker analyzes evidence in order to make good decisions or to effectively communicate ideas, just think of all the opportunities to teach critical thinking while hiking, fishing, or simply walking through the woods. “Which path would be the best one to take, easier to climb, or get us to our destination quicker? Why do you think so?” Or watch the life forms around you... the insects, the fishes, the squirrels... take a really close look at how they move, what they are attempting to accomplish with their activities, and what their habitat is like. Ask your child to describe what he thinks is going on, why he thinks these creature do things the way they do, how they survive. Don’t just point out the squirrel collecting acorns or the way the fish swim, but let your child think and talk about his own ideas and impressions as to what, when, where, how, and why. Later, only after the child has experienced the magic of the live experience, you can go to the library and get a book and learn about the actual facts and details, but having the nature experience first makes the book learning so much more exciting and compelling.

One of my personal favorite outdoor nature activities, especially in summertime, is taking a child out to look at the night sky, the stars, the constellations, and just the incredible vastness of the universe beyond our earth. The possibilities for discussion to spark both critical and imaginative thinking are innumerable; you can speculate and simultaneously think critically with your child about the patterns, the distances, the possibility of other intelligent life out there, and the future of space travel. Depending on the child’s age, you can together think critically about issues that touch not only on astronomy, but on math, on history, on religion, and much, much more.

The world really IS one giant classroom. In modern daily life, many of us tend to lose touch with all the lessons that can be taught outside. The natural world is a great place to experience with the senses while stretching the mind.