Coyote Teaching: The Art of Questioning

Should we re-home this cute little fuzzy caterpillar?

As an educator, I always feel very fortunate to witness how a child-led open discussion sparks curiosity in others by asking questions, observing, and seeking evidence to support their ideas:

This Monday, we found some fuzzy American dagger moth (Acronicta americana) caterpillars falling off the trees… The gentle children expressed their worries towards the lost caterpillars and would love to give them new homes. “Should we bring them home?” “But what should we feed it?” “Do we have branches for them to hang and form a cocoon?” "Will it take forever to become a moth?" "Do they feel tired to go all the way back to the tree?"

After some back-and-forth conversations, they came up with the burning question: "Isn't nature more home than our home to insects?" Then, more discussion/debate carried on... Finally, they all agreed that the caterpillars were already “home”, so they better not go to a human home with any of us… Two children suggested that we could build some insect hotels and leaf shelters on the ground to maximise their comfort.. "Why would you do that?" "Because the insects could hide inside and rest... so they will have energy to crawl back to their tree homes!" "Oh, also protect them from the hungry squirrels and birds?" "Yes!"

How delightful to see how children achieve such a perfectly-balanced idea based on their caring nature and their respect for nature after an authentic and open conversation!

Let's spare more quality time, safe space and genuine encouragement for children to question and discuss about "things" calmly and intelligently. They need to form a culture of questioning among themselves, and so do we... More on Coyote's Art of Questioning: https://wildernessawareness.org/articles/the-art-of-questioning/