After reading Richard Louv’s book and seeing him speak, I’ve vowed to do more things with the kids in nature. I know, I know, we live on a farm, so we’re practically camping every night, but there’s something magical about an organized activity with friends. So this week we headed out for a “scavenger hunt” in the woods. We found a trail that was 6/10 of a mile long, and I had made up a picture list of things to look for. Each child took a list and a pen and we headed out on our hike.
The kids had a fabulous time. One by one we found most of the items, and with each one the kids came running and crowded around to see what had been discovered. Shep and Andrew pooped out a bit at the end, but they held in there like champs. I’m discovering that four is the magic age for these sorts of adventures, as none of the four-year-olds issued a single complaint about the distance or being tired.
I, of course, forgot my camera for the hike. But I took a few photos of the kids and the geese we ran into after we ate lunch, which was nowhere near as picturesque or charming, but I’ll take what I can get.