Kids & Mother Nature
By La de Boheme
@LaDeBoheme (2004)
United States
April 26, 2013 7:57pm CST
A friend and I were on a nature trail yesterday and at the trailhead there was a wagon with clipboards, pencils and sheets of paper listing things you find in the woods. It was a nature scavenger hunt. My friend and I determined that it must be some kind of school thing, but we were looking at the list and figured it was going to be hard to find an owl and we hoped they didn't find a snake. However, as we proceeded down the trail, we saw that pictures of many of the things had been tacked to the trees, including owls and snakes.
It wasn't long before we heard the squeals of many kids and we went, "Uh-oh, here they come" and we braced ourselves for the onslaught of screaming, running kids. Well. let me tell you, these kids (8 years? 9? 10? I don't know) all had their little clipboards and pencils in their hands and they were all dead serious about marking things on their list. It was soooo cute. There were adults helping them to see and pointing out things to them and they would get all excited. I was amazed. These kids were having a ball looking around and finding things.
I thought what a perfect activity! These kids are outdoors and having fun learning about Mother Nature. Do you parents encourage your kids to participate in adventures like this? Do you take your kids on similar activities?
2 responses
@velvet53 (22528)
• Palisade, Colorado
27 Apr 13
I think that is a wonderful idea. I can see them now. They had fun and probably learned a lot.
My sons grew up being outside and in the woods a lot. We took them camping and fishing a lot. They both know how to survive if they were to get lost. They are both hunters and respect Mother Nature.
I was surprised to find out how many of my day care kids had never been fishing or seen a deer in the wild. That sure changed when they were with me.
@LaDeBoheme (2004)
• United States
28 Apr 13
That is great you did that with your sons. That is too bad about your day care kids, but unfortunately, I see that with a lot of kids today and it is sad. Their parents either don't have the time or don't care to go 'clumping in the woods', but I really believe kids love it. There are so many amazing things to see in 'real' life and not just on a boob tube.
I don't have any kids, but my nephew is an adventure guide for REI and does all sorts of extreme hiking activities. Any you know why? He has said because dad and mom (my brother and sister-in-law) used to 'drag him out on the trail' when he was a kid and he grew to love it.
@OpinionatedLady (5966)
• United States
27 Apr 13
Our state parks do this. We go to each parks visitor center and grab the lists of things to find. We have done several on school trips and a few on our own. We also do the Geo Cache ting. My older kids love this and carry small wooden coins to leave in the caches they find. We love these things
@LaDeBoheme (2004)
• United States
27 Apr 13
The state parks in VA have geocaches also, things like the Tree-mendous Adventure. I've even done some of these. Everyone loves a geocache, it's a shame they aren't allowed on federal property -- the national parks.
There are also geocache adventures like the Star-Spangled Banner Trail and the Captain John Smith Trail where you visit and find caches at related historic sites throughout VA, MD, DE and you can earn a GC coin when you visit and log a certain number of them.
I mostly waymark, but when I do geocache (I'm a big kid), I love the ones at historic places. Not only do the kids find 'hidden treasure', they can learn something too, and it's fun!
