A simple three-question practice (INIWIRMO) to get kids curious about the natural world

# What INIWIRMO is and why it's useful INIWIRMO stands for I Notice. I Wonder. It Reminds Me Of. It's a short, repeatable interaction adults can use with children during any outdoor moment to invite curiosity. The prompts ask kids to state a sensory observation, pose a question about it, and link it to something familiar in their life. The method was developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California.

# How to use the three prompts Keep it brief and open-ended. For each thing you or the child observe, go through the three prompts in order:

• I Notice: Describe what you see, hear, or feel. Keep the description concrete (color, movement, sound, texture).
• I Wonder: Turn that observation into a question about what might be happening, why, or how. No need to answer it immediately.
• It Reminds Me Of: Ask the child to relate the observation to a memory, feeling, or familiar image. This links new experiences to existing knowledge and emotion.

You can use the prompts literally as phrases to model sentence structure: "I notice…," "I wonder…," "It reminds me of…." That structure helps children practice describing and questioning the world around them.

Brianna Amingwa describes a moment with an American Goldfinch: she notices the bird's bouncing flight pattern and its call, wonders whether the bird is calling a mate to visit her patio birdbath, and says the sight reminds her of children running through grass on a summer day. The example shows how a single brief sighting can generate sensory detail, a natural question, and a personal connection.

# When and where to try it INIWIRMO is portable to any outdoor setting: backyard, park, sidewalk, or schoolyard. It doesn't require binoculars, apps, or prior knowledge. Try it when you see a plant, insect, cloud pattern, or hear a bird. Because the prompts are short, you can repeat them over multiple observations during one outing.

# Practical tips for adults

• Model the structure first: say your own I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of before asking the child to try. Children often mirror phrasing and length.
• Keep answers open: accept all reasonable observations, wonderings, and personal associations. The goal is curiosity, not correctness.
• Follow up sparingly: if a child's I Wonder becomes a research question, note it for later and stay in the moment. You can look up answers after the outing.
• Make it routine: use the prompt during short waits (walking to the car, lining up, snack breaks) so curiosity becomes habitual.

# How it connects to learning The three-step routine scaffolds basic scientific habits: careful observation, question-asking, and connecting new information to existing experiences. It encourages children to slow down and notice details they might otherwise miss, then use simple language to express those impressions.

# Where to learn more BirdNote's episode featuring Brianna Amingwa introduces INIWIRMO with narration and a short example. The episode credits the Lawrence Hall of Science for developing the method and points listeners to BirdNote.org for further resources and a transcript.

# Takeaway INIWIRMO is a compact, low-effort tool adults can use anywhere to prompt children to notice, wonder, and relate. Three simple questions can turn ordinary outdoor moments into opportunities for observation and curiosity.