Sharing the Love of Nature with Children

Over scheduled,overwhelmed and over saturated. Unfortunately most of us, young and old, fit this description.Sadly, many people I know spend days,even weeks, without ever venturing out to enjoy some time with nature.How can we take the time out of our increasingly busy and over scheduled lives to reconnect with the wondrous world around us?How can we teach our children that the great outdoors has magic to offer and gifts to reveal?

Here are some tips on how to share a love of nature with a child in your life.

Start Small - Sharing nature and appreciating it's beauty does not necessarily mean going on a 10 day family camping trip in the Catskills. Children connect with small things. Start in your own backyard or local park. Start to take notice of the birds that visit your yard, pay attention to the activity of the squirrels, notice the phases of the moon and the location and brightness of the stars. Point these things out to your child(ren). Call them to the window to watch the squirrel gathering in the fall. We've been known to pull the car to the side of the road to watch a red tailed hawk in flight. It's the little things that paint the bigger picture.

Make it fun - Every spring we go salamander hunting. The ground is wet, the weather is perfect. This is one of my children's favorite activities. Walking through the woods, lifting old logs, waiting for a treasure to present itself. Even the most jaded child can't help but behold the wonder of these tiny jewel like creatures.
Kids love a treasure Hunt. How many different birds can you spot? How many different leaves? Can we find a turtle? a snake? a toad?

Water,Water,Water- Children love water. Find a pond, a stream, a river, a brook, the ocean. Wear old clothes invest in some nets and buckets what can you catch? However,Be gentle and teach them to return their treasures to their natural home.