Ethan, age 3, steps into his backyard garden in big green rain boots. His sandy blond hair tickles his forehead as he carries a little basket of label cards. He looks around slowly, ready to find nature things and learn their names, one at a time, in the warm outdoor air.

Near the fence, Ethan sees a tall tree reaching up high. He walks close and puts his hand on the trunk. “This is a tree—its bark feels rough,” he says. He chooses a card and presses it gently where he can see it. The card says “TREE,” and he repeats, “Tree… tree.”

Ethan rubs the tree bark with his fingertips again. The bark is bumpy and hard, not smooth like his toy blocks. He notices the bark covers the tree like a coat. He says the word slowly, “Bark,” and then says, “Tree,” again, practicing the two words together as he stands beside the trunk.

A bright flower peeks out from a plant nearby. Ethan bends down and looks closely at the petals. “Flower smells sweet,” he says, taking a careful sniff. He picks a label card from his basket and sets it near the bloom. The card says “FLOWER.” He whispers, “Flower… flower,” smiling.

Ethan watches how the flower’s petals spread like a little star. He smells it one more time, gentle and slow. He learns that some flowers have a sweet smell, and he likes that idea. He points and says, “Flower,” then pauses, then says it again, giving the word time to sink in.

On the grass, Ethan finds a leaf that has fallen down. He picks it up and lays it flat on his palm. “Leaf is flat,” he says. He takes out a card and places it beside the leaf on a small garden stone. The card says “LEAF.” He repeats, “Leaf… leaf,” clearly.

Ethan spots a pine needle near another tree. It looks very different from the flat leaf. He carefully holds it between two fingers. “Needle is skinny,” he says. He chooses a new label card and sets it down. The card says “NEEDLE.” He repeats, “Needle… needle,” slowly.

Ethan holds the leaf in one hand and the pine needle in the other. He looks back and forth. “Leaf is flat; needle is skinny,” he says again, proud of his thinking. He puts them down side by side so he can see the difference. He repeats the words: “Leaf… needle… leaf… needle.”

Ethan notices that the flower grows from a plant, and the tree is also a kind of plant. He points carefully and says, “Plant,” then points to the big one and says, “Tree,” and points to the pretty one and says, “Flower.” He enjoys sorting them in his mind: plant things in the garden.

In his big green boots, Ethan takes slow steps between the garden patches. He watches where he walks so he does not step on leaves or flowers. He stops, looks, and names what he sees: “Tree,” “Flower,” “Leaf,” “Needle.” Each time he says a word, he pauses, then says it again.

Ethan peeks into his little basket and sees fewer label cards now. He remembers where he placed “TREE,” “FLOWER,” “LEAF,” and “NEEDLE.” He likes matching words to real things. He holds a card, traces the letters with a finger, and says the word out loud in a calm voice.

Ethan practices speaking like a careful explorer. He looks at the tree label and says, “TREE.” He looks at the flower label and says, “FLOWER.” Then “LEAF,” then “NEEDLE.” He repeats each word slowly, giving each sound a turn, and he listens to himself as the garden stays quiet around him.

When Ethan is ready to go inside, he takes one last look at the things he named. The tree stands tall, the flower smells sweet, and the leaf and needle rest side by side. He feels proud of his new nature words. With his basket in hand and boots on his feet, he heads back, still whispering, “Tree… flower… leaf… needle.”