The document lists 10 examples of connecting with nature that bring awe, take one out of their everyday mindset, balance engagement of senses, and make one feel part of something greater. The examples include solo time in nature, playing outside as a child, adventuring with friends engaging senses and flow, being barefoot on grass, stories of nature in art, domesticated animals, pieces of nature indoors, sleeping under stars, wildlife encounters, and mountaintop views.

1. Top 10 Examples of Connecting
People to Nature
Brooks Barron
EDUC302
4/8/15

2. Criteria for Selection
• I chose examples of connecting that:
– Bring me awe + put my human life in perspective
– Take me out of my everyday mindset
– Balance each other (i.e. some can be done at
almost any time or place, others require effort)
– Engage all senses
– Enrich my relationships with people and other
beings
– Make me feel like I’m part of something much
greater than myself

3. #1: Solo time in nature
• When I am by myself in nature for an
extended period of time, with no distractions,
is when I feel most connected to nature
• These times never fail to bring me new
perspectives and creative ideas
• They also help me relax, live in the present,
and feel fully alive

4. #2: Playing outside as a child
• Children have a wonderful innate ability to
play in nature – before they are taught that it
is “wrong” to be dirty, etc.
• Nature is a magical playground with endless
possibilities, a truth which seems especially
clear to young people – so connecting with
nature as a child can lead to a life-long
practice

5. #3: Adventuring with friends
• There are few better ways I know to connect
with other people than being out together in
nature – especially if there is a sense of
exploration, adventure, and a foray into the
unknown
• Nature provides great opportunities for flow –
to get us out of our everyday mindset (i.e.
skiing, mountain biking, trail running)

6. #4: Being barefoot on the grass
• An amazing and unique feeling to sense the
grass and soil beneath you – is it cold? Warm?
Wet? Dry?
• A simple and powerful way to connect with
nature almost anywhere

7. #5: Stories of nature in art
• Books, poems, movies, plays, paintings, and
other forms of art allow us to connect with
nature no matter where we are
• They also broaden our understanding of what
it means to connect with nature by showing
us how someone else experiences it

8. #6: Domesticated animals
• Everyone has had that pet who they love so
deeply and connect with in a way too strong
to describe in words
• To me, this embodies the experience of
connecting with nature in an open and
trusting way
• Dogs, cats, horses, birds, etc.

9. #7: Pieces of nature indoors
• A small plant, rock, pinecone, or other artifact
from nature can bring a differentiated energy
to an indoor place – especially if one makes an
effort to notice and experience that energy

10. #8: Sleeping under the stars
• A star-filled sky makes me feel so small, and
makes me put my life (and the human world)
in perspective
• It also fills me with awe and reminds me that I
am a part of something incredible at a scale I
can barely imagine

11. #9: Wildlife encounters
• Your heart races, you catch your breath, you
look the animal in the eye – are they a threat?
Will they run? What do they think of me?
• These encounters remind us how it feels to be
wildlife ourselves

12. #10: A mountaintop view
• Seeing the world from above provides new
perspective and reminds us how gorgeous our
planet is
• Wind in the face, short of breath, and views in
every direction – I can never get enough of
this.