Now that the heat is going away, we are spending even more time outdoors. I find it extremely important to teach my daughter about the environment around her, and how to take care of it. This morning we went for a hike on the nearby Natchez Trace. This is the second official “hike” she’s gone on with me and I was afraid we’d already taught her poor lessons about nature. Thanks goodness my sister came to the rescue. She’s been going to school for, well, years – I call her the tenured student. She’s studied geology, teaching, and biology; she’s worked as a tutor, homeschool teacher, nanny, camp counselor, nature guide; and she’s more patient than I have been as of late. If it wasn’t for my sweet sister, I’m not sure I’d have the desire to take my daughter back on a hike anytime soon.
So what could be so hard about taking a six year old hiking on a nature trail? She got upset when I told her she could not take home some leaves and sticks to save in her nature box. The girl talked and talked and talked, then talked some more, as we were hiking – interrupting all the conversations we older gals would have. She wanted to stop at every water crossing for snacks and drinks. It was a special treat for her, but it was frustrating to stop every 15 minutes for a break. We quickly learned that we’d have to work around the Kid’s desires. I don’t feel the need to leave her at home for these shorter hikes, but we quickly found some tools to keep her interested in the world around her instead of the “plans” she’d made. Ahh, it’s tough having a perfectionist as a child, but even more difficult when you’re a perfectionist and idealist yourself!
My little sister, she who is seven years younger than myself, she without her own children, she who’s been going to school for just this thing for, well, forever… she showed me how to manage my own daughter on a hike and I love her for all of it! In my excitement to spend time out in nature, exercising my tired bones and spending time with my sister, I’d forgotten that part of the reason of taking my daughter with was to teach her something.
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Get them thinking about the world around them by engaging their brains.
- Ask children about what they see.
- Why would a plant grow in one place instead of another?
- Why should we cross streams on rocks instead of tromping through the water, overturning every rock we come across?
- Why is it important to stay on the trail?
- What can your children see that is significant of the season?
- Count the different sounds you hear.
- birds, bugs, water, wind through trees, raindrops, sticks breaking, nuts falling.
- Have the children guess what could be making those sounds. What type of bird do you think is singing? Do you think that squirrel is angry with us? And so on
- Can you imagine why it would be so important for an animal to have good senses?
- Why is it important to take only photographs and memories with you?
- Imagine someone coming into your house and moving all of your food and furniture around. How would that make you feel?
- Even items that aren’t food for animals can be food for other things like mushrooms, trees, and so on. The circle of life affects all organisms.
Having my sister with us on our hike today gave me insight of how to teach my own child about the world around us. What techniques and tricks do you use with children when out in the wild?
That is an awesome caterpillar!! 🙂
This has been a fabulous year for caterpillars. I’ve never seen a fuzzy one quite so vibrant. Unfortunately the adult form isn’t quite as vivid, but their bodies are amazing!
Great post! I have a hard time setting aside my own agends when I plan a hike—but sometimes the things they discover are just as (if not more) important than my grown-up agenda.
I h ave a hard time setting aside my agendas most days! I think outdoor days are most difficult because I love them most.
What is that last picture?
jean,
It’s an type of silkworm moth called Spotted Apatelodes (Apatelodes torrefacta). http://bugguide.net/node/view/4765/bgimage
Wonderful pictures and memories! Back when I was in high school multiple years ago, we had the opportunity to teach elementary students about our nearby natural settings. We had a variety of activities that we’d do…..giving them a compass and having them learn how to use one, helping guide hikes with kids hanging onto a rope, seeing how many different types of plant life kids could find, doing tree “reliefs” (piece of paper against the trunk rubbing a crayon over top to see how the barks differ), taking water samples to put under microscopes to look for organisms, drawing & teaching about the general ecosystem and levels of growth, taking local guide books and seeing how many items the kids could notice, nature journals/drawings…..
Thanks for the compliments and the wonderful ideas!
I have thought a lot about some of the ideas that you touch on in this post. At Burning Man and other Burning events, the principle of Leaving No Trace is very important. Especially on the dry lake bed of the Black Rock Desert, where Burning Man is held, any impact at all is immensely magnified. My girlfriend has expressed the idea that Leaving No Trace is incompatible with calling a place “home,” as many burners refer to Black Rock City. “Home,” she says, “is where you leave a trace.” That idea resonates with me. I made a wallow for my pigs at home. I put a house and a barn there. I mow the grass instead of leaving it to grow as it will. I dig garden beds and plant vegetables. I cut saplings and pick up sticks for bean poles and tomato cages. I turn fallen trees into firewood instead of letting them rot.
I think there is a lot of value in the mantra of taking only pictures and memories, and leaving only footprints. I think the underlying message is to be extremely mindful of what you take and leave, especially when you are not in a place that you call “home.” At the same time, I think that idea expresses a potentially-harmful distinction between nature as a place we preserve and protect and nature as a place we live in.
I completely agree, Joshua. There is a fine line between making your mark at home and damaging the surrounding habitats for native creatures. I think sometimes we humans take for granted the places we live. We forget that we’re sharing our own living spaces with other creatures that serve imporant purposes. We put out poisons to rid ourselves of rodents and insects, we poison our crops, we cut down “weeds” and remove all signs of biodiversity – all in the name of making a home pretty.
I’m fortunate to live in the country on several acres and feel that I try to allow plenty of space, habitat, and food for the local critters. I know I’d have a difficult time living in a neighborhood (especially one with a HOA) and try to find balance for all of my neighbors, both critters and humans alike. Here, though, I can leave plant litter lie, save some berries and crops for the critters, and attempt not to horde nature just for my own purposes.
I can’t help but go back to Native American concepts and try to respect the earth that we live on – the earth that incorporates all living things.