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Astronauts, working in space, say ‘Everything is connected’, seeing our planet from space has changed how they see our world. Do you agree, do you think 'everything is connected'? According to astronaut, John Glenn, one of the first people to see our planet from space, the most powerful quality in an astronaut is … curiosity. Why do you think he said this? Can you explore our planet with different eyes? Where will your curiosity take you???
How often do you stop to notice the little things? The raindrops dangling from a patch of moss on an old wall? The crumbling bark and outstretched roots of a tree? A sunny patch of lawn? The cracks in a paving stone? Or maybe what lurks beneath an old stone or lump of deadwood?
Your challenge this week is to explore a tiny patch of nature, somewhere you’ve walked past a thousand times before, and see it through different eyes.
Use all your senses. What can you see? How many different textures can you find – bumpy, spongey, slimey, smooth? Close your eyes – what does it smell like? Have you noticed that it smells differently after it’s rained? What sounds can you hear? Maybe you could take some photographs through ‘different eyes’ – an ant’s-eye view? A bird’s-eye view? How many insects or plants can you identify? Click here for a WWF activity sheet for some other ideas to spark your curiosity.
Remember to HIT THE RED BUTTON and tell us when you’ve done some micro nature exploration!
Astronauts have been living and working way in space, on board the International Space Station, for more than twenty years. They can look down on our planet from 250 miles away! This really means seeing the earth with different eyes – and it has completely changed the way many of them feel: ‘Our planet is home to each and every one of us. We are totally dependent on planet Earth, but its wellbeing now depends on us.’ ‘We’re all in this together.’ ‘We belong to Earth and not vice versa’ ‘When you see how thin that atmosphere is… you think we really have to take care of it’. If you’d like to see our planet as it appears from the International Space Station, you might like this 3 minute European Space Agency video or this amazing 30 minute film released by NASA in January 2021 https://youtu.be/DIkqs9_FK28
How does looking at our natural world from so far away compare to an ant’s eye view??
When you have explored your tiny patch of nature using all your senses, don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON!
