According to Harlan Gilliam, the Science and Nature Center coordinator at Regents School in Austin, natural curiosity in our children makes education possible. In fact, it’s up to the child, and not the teacher, to learn. And real learning happens in the heart, not just the mind. So how do parents and teachers build on a child’s natural curiosity? Get some practical tips, as well enjoy hearing how Dorothy Sayers and Charlotte Mason complement one another. Harlan Gilliam will inspire you to take your students outside and really connect with God’s creation.

For the last 14 years, Harlan Gilliam has worked at Regents School of Austin as the Science and Nature Center coordinator. He grew up in Alpine, which is in the Big Bend country of Texas, surrounded by God’s glorious handiwork. He attended Alpine public schools and 2 years at Sul Ross State University where he studied music theory and composition. In 1979, Harlan moved to Austin to try his skills in the music scene. He has worked as a tile setter, a fence builder, a chef, a musician, a nurseryman, an organic farmer, and a worship leader. A voracious reader, his goal is that his students would come to appreciate and be awed by the creation and, in the process, develop a deep and lasting relationship with the Creator. Harlan is married to Lisa and they have a daughter, Sophie, who is a Regents graduate.