Children are the future of our outdoor heritage. Without the ability getting children involved outdoors, the things that we love and cherish as a nation, wild animals and wild places, will begin to dwindle. The importance of this has been emphasized through attempts at children recruitment through programs such as youth hunts, free fishing weekends and the hunting apprenticeships we have seen pop up in almost every state and providence in North America. As parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles we have the responsibility, as well as the pleasure of teaching today’s youth the importance of our natural world. Here are a few activities that we can share with our children to help them engage in the outdoors.
Shed Hunting- Every year as the cold winters hit, and the testosterone from the fall mating season fades away, antlered animals such as deer, elk and moose, shed their antlers. As the winter turns to spring, and snow begins to melt, there are few better activities to shake our children from cabin fever than searching for those antlers. Its the real world version of Where’s Waldo, as antlers can be found in almost any terrain that inhabits these animals.
For infants, this is a simple time to strap them to your back and take off into the field. Even though they probably have little recognition of the actual events that are taking place, the impact of having familiarity of the smells and sounds of being in the field, will have lasting impacts.
Toddlers, especially self sufficient ones, who would rather walk than be carried are a little trickier. What I recommend is to predetermine the path you are planning to walk, and plant a few previously found sheds in plain sight. Make sure you walk by each one, making it easy for your young child to find each one on their own. It might seem a bit manipulative, but it will maximize the few short minutes of their attention span, and allow them to have some success in the field.
This is a good opportunity for older children to learn why antlers are found in certain areas. Whether it be along food edges, bedding areas, or travel corridors, it gives you the opportunity to explain the reason deer frequent an area, and allow your child to begin to understand deer patterns on their own.
Fishing- During the early spring, when pan fish such as blue gill and crappie are on their beds, there is no easier way to getting children involved outdoors, than catching their first fish. Throwing a hook and bobber tipped with a piece of worm over a bed is the most simple way to help a beginner catch their first fish. When they reel in that first fish, make sure they know that it is the coolest fish you have ever seen. Take it home, clean it and eat it. That fish, regardless of the size or species is the best tasting fish you had ever had.
The entire process of catching and eating will begin to teach your child where food comes from, and give them a sense of pride, that they are contributing to dinner.
Searching for Fawns- One of my favorite experiences to share with children is looking for fawns. In the late spring, when does begin to drop their fawns, there is no better opportunity to get your children out hiking in the woods. Focus on areas with high deer populations, and when you bump a doe, watch what she does. If she bounds off 15-20 yards and stops, seemingly not wanting to leave, there is a good chance she has a newborn fawn bedded closely. Scourer the area with your child, and you might run into one tucked away behind a stump or along tall grass. While there is no proof that touching a fawn will force their mother to abandon them, it is good practice to leave the fawn untouched.
Wildlife biologist and author Shane Mahoney, often references the notion that if you had a preschool classroom filled with the most amazing toys that have ever been manufactured, and you brought an animal into the classroom, every child would abandon those toys and be drawn to the animal. Giving your child that close proximity to a wild animal, in its own environment, is even more engaging.
Scavenger Hunt- Scavenger hunts are a great way of getting children involved outdoors throughout the year. You can make one up, using things that are specific to your area, or you could simply Google one. The list should be comprised of things that will take multiple trips to multiple different areas in order to complete.
I often find that using those items to create a type of mural on their bedroom wall, helps bring excitement in finding the items. There is nothing cooler to a young child (and to the proud parent in this case) than to hang a turkey feather, or deer skull on the bedroom wall. Don’t be surprised, every weekend if your kids are dragging you outdoors so that they can add more items to their bedroom.
Hunting- One of my first memories in the outdoors, was when my dad had taken me hunting. I had gotten up early with him, and we walked out in the dark and sat down against a big tree that wasn’t more than a few hundred yards from the cabin. Looking back now, I realize that it wasn’t about hunting, but rather about me. We sat by that tree for maybe an hour, but my dad showed me how to sit still and quiet, and gave me the opportunity to be submersed in the hunting experience. If we had seen a deer, it would have been awesome, but even though we didn’t, I felt like I was apart of hunting.
He filled his pockets with hard candy, that kept me entertained, and when my fingers got cold, he allowed me shove my hands in his fleece pockets to warm up. He had sacrificed a day of hunting in order to allow me to experience a day in the woods with him. Those are the days memories are made of.
Hunting Morels- In the early spring, when the weather becomes wet and humid, morel mushrooms literally begin to pop up everywhere. Taken your children on a little nature walk, focusing around oak, elm, or aspen trees. Morels are easy to spot and pick and are incredible table fare. Its no wonder that outdoorsmen keep their favorite spots a secret.
Free Time- giving children the opportunity to have time to explore the outdoors and all that encompasses it, without supervision, is possibly the most important time for a child in the woods. It gives them the opportunity to find insects and bird nests and build forts and expand their imagination, things they would otherwise not have to ability to do under constructive tasks.
There truly is nothing more fulfilling than taking a child into the outdoors. Watching them experience new adventures, and discovering wild places, is an opportunity to watch your child grow up in front of your very eyes. Before long, they will be dragging you on outdoor excursions of their own.