My son, Ty, is an honest-to-goodness nature lover. Right now he is particularly taken with birds. Last fall he begged me to get a bird feeder for the yard...I made this purchase with something less than zeal. He is a typical 5 yr old & his whims swing wildly from moment to moment....day to day but this bird thing has really stuck.
Here we are six months later & he peeks out the window diligently looking for different birds & keeping a sharp eye on the feeder, concerned that the big black grackles are keeping away a small mommy & daddy finch we haven't seen in a bit. He is single-minded in his interest. He will not be swayed. We have borrowed book after book from the library to pour over the pages in hopes of identifying all the feathered friends we spot in the yard.
Yesterday, we went to our local park, Tanglewood, and explored their "nature viewing area". Not much to write home about....a small marshy area with a dozen or more different birdhouses staked out. He was in his glory. Armed with his backpack & his library books, he watched for the birds & tried the to identify them all. After dutifully walking along, Abby was getting itchy to head home and my mention of a lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant had her walking at an especially brisk pace. When Ty was dragging behind, she yelled back...."Stop looking at those little bugs & hurry up!" He replied, "It's nature Abby!!!!"
It was so great to watch this....I think love & respect for nature is a great gift we can all give to our kids. How wonderful to turn off the tv, go outside and listen to the bees buzzing and the birds chirping. I'm thrilled at his love for all creatures and want to nurture that as best I can. There will be plenty of time for texting and internet and email. Let's get off the grid and enjoy all that Mother Nature has provided for us....right outside our back doors.
Here we are six months later & he peeks out the window diligently looking for different birds & keeping a sharp eye on the feeder, concerned that the big black grackles are keeping away a small mommy & daddy finch we haven't seen in a bit. He is single-minded in his interest. He will not be swayed. We have borrowed book after book from the library to pour over the pages in hopes of identifying all the feathered friends we spot in the yard.
Yesterday, we went to our local park, Tanglewood, and explored their "nature viewing area". Not much to write home about....a small marshy area with a dozen or more different birdhouses staked out. He was in his glory. Armed with his backpack & his library books, he watched for the birds & tried the to identify them all. After dutifully walking along, Abby was getting itchy to head home and my mention of a lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant had her walking at an especially brisk pace. When Ty was dragging behind, she yelled back...."Stop looking at those little bugs & hurry up!" He replied, "It's nature Abby!!!!"
It was so great to watch this....I think love & respect for nature is a great gift we can all give to our kids. How wonderful to turn off the tv, go outside and listen to the bees buzzing and the birds chirping. I'm thrilled at his love for all creatures and want to nurture that as best I can. There will be plenty of time for texting and internet and email. Let's get off the grid and enjoy all that Mother Nature has provided for us....right outside our back doors.
