Dr. Matt Ritter is a botany professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he studies California’s native plants and trees in the urban forest. He’s the author of several books, including the funniest and best-selling guide to California’s urban forest, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us. He won the Cal Poly Excellence in Teaching Award and the International Society of Arboriculture Award for Excellence in Education. He’s an avid woodworker, mason, and gardener.
This Earth Day, I would like to share about the importance of teaching children of all ages to notice the organisms around them and be fascinated by their details. In children and adults, curiosity leads to appreciation. Young people can learn to value non-human life and ultimately protect it, and it all begins with imagination. If we can help develop a learning pattern of awe and intrigue, kids'
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