Every once in a while I happen upon a wonderful quote that involves children and my belief that they should be free to explore, play and use their imaginations.  If I can, I’ll share these with you.

I don’t usually get a chance to listen to my favorite podcasts, but recently I was driving without my children and listened to this wonderful interview with Oceanographer Sylvia Earle on On Being with Krista Tippett.  (If you haven’t tuned into this program before, you need to.)  I loved what Dr. Earle said early in the interview about her childhood experiences and how it led her to the work she does now.  I find that there’s a theme among scientists when I hear them being interviewed: it always starts in early childhood.  

This is a quote from the transcript:

Ms. Tippett: …So it’s clear to me that you discovered the natural world in general and water in particular and the ocean in your earliest life. I mean, this seems from as far back as you can remember to have been part of you and your imagination.

Dr. Earle: Um, a critter person. Children generally start out that way, given a chance to explore even in their own back yard. So often, the adults around them will say, oh, don’t touch that beetle or, ugh, an earthworm, or caterpillars, yuck. My parents were different….

Be sure to listen to the whole interview or read the transcript by clicking here.

This episode was especially enjoyable to me because my family and I have taken an interest in the ocean, and we are currently watching the Discovery Channel’s series Blue Planet for the second time on Netflix.  Many of Dr. Earl’s sentiments overlapped what we have learned through these wonderful documentaries.