Our very own MTPP field technician and graduate student Natalia Mondi is delighting a global audience of children—thoughtfully answering their big, beautiful questions on a beloved kids’ podcast.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, we highly recommend experiencing the episode here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWrVpzVEpIA/
We caught up with Natalia, to talk about the joy of science communication, the brilliance of children’s curiosity, and what forests can teach all of us.
Q: What was it like answering questions from children around the world?
Natalia: It was genuinely one of the most joyful science conversations I’ve had. Children ask questions with such honesty and wonder—they go straight to the heart of things adults sometimes overcomplicate. There’s a freedom in the way they think, and it reminded me that some of the most profound scientific questions begin with simple curiosity.
Q: Why do you think children connect so naturally with forests and the living world?
Natalia: I think children instinctively understand relationship. They notice how things connect—birds to trees, rain to soil, salmon to rivers—without needing formal scientific language for it. In many ways, that mirrors how we think about forests in ecology: as living communities built on connection, reciprocity, and care. Kids often arrive at that understanding intuitively, which makes conversations about forests feel especially alive and meaningful.
Q: What do you hope young listeners took away from the podcast?
Natalia: More than anything, I hope they come away feeling that their questions matter. Science begins with wondering, and children are already incredible scientists in that sense. If the episode helps even one child feel more curious about the trees outside their window, the soil beneath their feet, or the hidden relationships that make ecosystems thrive, then it’s done something important.