Wonder Wagons Allow Preschoolers to Explore Nature

Seasonal transitions bring a sense of wonder and excitement for young children. Temperatures rise and fall, weather conditions transform, and nature reveals new sights and sounds. Wonder Wagons are a perfect way for teachers to take advantage of their students’ curiosity and interest during the changing seasons. By providing materials that support exploration in the natural environment, these mobile tool kits help students “roll” into outdoor learning.

My 4K—what we call pre-kindergarten here in Wisconsin—students always light up with anticipation whenever they spot the Outdoor Classroom card on our daily schedule. They know this special card means we will grab our Wonder Wagon, walk to our designated outdoor learning space in the woods, and use our tools to uncover the wonders of the forest. With each journey, my students explore as scientists, artists, and adventurers.

Getting started with a wonder wagon

First, get your hands on a wagon—a Wonder Wagon is simply a storage container on wheels filled with hands-on tools that encourage children to explore and take a closer look at their outdoor surroundings. You could use a wagon, personal shopping cart, or laundry basket. You may already have one at home. Otherwise, ask your family, friends, and student families for a hand-me-down wagon.

Next, gather the tools that will enhance your students’ outdoor learning experiences and pop them into your Wonder Wagon, and find a space to store your Wonder Wagon when it is not in use.

You can store materials like these in a Wonder Wagon:

• Magnifying glasses
• Binoculars
• Insect catching nets
• Clear specimen containers (we use plastic baby food containers)
• Insect house
• Nature collection boards (simply wrap large rubber bands around cardboard flats)
• Nature scavenger hunts
• Blank paper or notebooks, clipboards, writing utensils
• Nonfiction, informational books on topics that students may explore outdoors
• Baby wipes, hand sanitizer, plastic bags (for students who want to clean up Mother Earth)

Designing a learning experience

Keep your eye on the weather forecast in order to seize those opportunities to get outside and explore nature. In some regions, weather can vary drastically (especially for us here in Wisconsin). Wonder Wagons allow classroom communities to be ready when the weather is best suited for outdoor learning. When teachers and students make use of Wonder Wagons during outdoor exploration, the list of positive outcomes is endless.

Through Wonder Wagons, children can do the following:

• Explore real-world science topics—like seasons, plant growth, animal behavior, and weather patterns—in a meaningful way
• Become more comfortable being outdoors
• Gain a sense of self-direction in their learning
• Engage through hands-on experiences in the natural world
• Develop genuine curiosity and a desire to learn more
• Participate in rich discussions that build their language and vocabulary
• Practice asking and answering questions
• Benefit physically and mentally from the movement and fresh air
• Learn how to observe their surroundings
• Increase their appreciation for our planet

Wonder Wagons can be rolled to different locations, including an outdoor classroom, forest or wooded area, pond, garden, park, nature trail, or playground, or even on the sidewalk while strolling around the block. Students gather at their destination and grab their desired tools from the Wonder Wagon. They can make the most of their outdoor learning experience when they are given ample time to really explore the space and take a closer look.

During visits to our outdoor classroom over the years, my 4K friends have discovered insects galore, including butterflies, caterpillars, praying mantises, ladybugs, slugs, dragonflies, and more. My students always reach for the magnifying glasses from our Wonder Wagon whenever they spy insects. These experiences naturally make my students curious to learn more about these tiny creatures. Their questions and wonderings lead us to dig deeper into the insect world back in our classroom.

Teacher tip: Get your camera ready to snap photos of the children as they explore, as well as their discoveries that they will, no doubt, want you to capture.

Learning Extensions

When you return to your school building, invite your students to reflect on and share about their outdoor exploration while the experience is fresh in their minds. We often use the think-pair-share method. First, my students tap their brains and think independently. Next, they pair up and share their thoughts with a partner. Finally, they share out with the whole class on a voluntary basis. Record your students’ responses on chart paper so you can return to the conversation in the future. Notice which topics ignite their curiosities and enthusiasm the most.

Dig deeper into those high-interest topics by watching informational videos, reading relevant fiction stories, discussing nonfiction books, setting up themed play centers, providing hands-on provocations, inviting guests to share their knowledge, asking specialist teachers to extend the learning in their classrooms, and taking field trips, as well as encouraging additional learning at home.

My 4K friends were fascinated with clouds one year, and the binoculars from our Wonder Wagon were handy during this time. After the outdoor experience, we engaged in a weeklong interactive read aloud of the fiction book Little Cloud, by Eric Carle. Simultaneously, we watched kid-friendly informational videos and read nonfiction books about clouds. My students also engaged in play provocations, like the process art-based invitation to “create a cloud” using shaving cream and liquid glue on blue construction paper.

Seeing Wonder Wagons assembled by other educators on social media inspired me to make this idea a part of my students’ learning experience. Setting up a Wonder Wagon is simple, and once the initial assembly is done, little effort is required on the teacher’s part. Just grab and go! My hope is that this article encourages you to create a Wonder Wagon of your own in order to bring that same sense of curiosity and learning to your students. Wonder Wagons provide the resources needed to transform any outdoor space into a dynamic classroom.