Nature Names, A Wild Kin Story

“Storytelling is the oldest form of education.” - Terry Tempest Williams

a story our preschoolers heard before receiving their own special nature names…

Once upon a time there was a young boy named Jake.

His favorite place to be was the rocky sandy park behind his house. It was full of old oak trees that dropped acorns to the ground in the Fall, and woodpeckers that picked them up and hammered them right back into those trees.

Besides the oaks, his favorite part of the park was the creek where he would splash rocks and dig in the mud for worms. On this particular day there were no worms to be found, but Jake was mesmerized by the different colors of stones lining the creek bed—green, red, yellow. He picked each one up and examined it.

As he excitedly picked up a yellow rock with a white stripe across it, he heard something. A rustling, and perhaps a tiny voice?

“Help! Help!" Jake looked around but wasn't sure where the sound was coming from. He went back to examining his rock. There it was again... a rustling and then, “help! help!” it was so faint. Jake turned all the way around but still wasn't sure where the sound had come from. He decided to sit down and listen really hard. He knew if he cupped his hands around his ears he might be able to hear even better. He heard again, “help! help!” using his ‘deer ears’ had worked, the sound was louder, and he could tell where it was coming from farther down the creek.

Jake popped up and darted down the creek toward the noise. As he drew closer the noise grew louder and louder...  “Help!!! oh, please help me!!” Finally Jake found the maker of the noise. It was a tiny rabbit, with its foot stuck inside a rotted tree trunk.

"Oh, you poor thing! That must hurt!” said Jake as he moved toward the little bunny to help her.

“Stop! Don't come any closer! I I I don't need your help. I know about little boys like you. They chase tiny rabbits like me!”

“Oh, I would never chase you, I only want to help!” cried Jake. But the bunny refused his help and just continued to struggle pulling his little foot every which way.

Jake wasn't sure what to do so he just sat down near the little rabbit and waited. and waited, and waited.

Eventually the rabbit stopped struggling and looked over at Jake.

“Ok, you can help me. but no chasing!” she declared.

With a big grin on his face Jake hurried over to Rabbit and ever so gently held her leg while he peeled back as much rotting wood as he could until finally Rabbit's leg was free.

“My leg, my leg!!” shouted Rabbit. “Thank you little boy, you are a great friend to the animals, I'm sorry I doubted you. What is your name?”

“My name is Jake.”

“Oh that won't do, said Rabbit.”

“What do you mean?”

“You need a nature name.”

“What's a nature name?”

“A nature name is a very special name to be called in the Forest. With your nature name, all the animals and plants will know that you are a friend, you are one of us.”

“How do I get one?”

Rabbit looked around and swiftly picked up a rock in her mouth. She dropped it into Jake’s hand. Take this rock, add something of yours to it, paint, ribbon, anything you like. Then you must travel across the forest. Over the bridge, under the Oak Tree Tunnel, past the Sandstone Rocks, and the Fire Pit, until you come to the Maze, this is called the Labyrinth. Leave your rock here. There will be a new rock waiting for you. On that rock you will find your nature name.

So that night, Jake took the rock Rabbit had given him and painted it with his favorite colors. The next day he took the rock over the bridge, past the giant sandstone rocks, past the fire pit until he came upon the Labrynth. He followed the maze around and around and around until he came to the center. At the center he laid down his painted rock and there, in front of him was a single rock, and on that rock, was his nature name.

To this day all the animals and plants of the forest know Jake only by his Nature Name.