Best way to expose kids to some nature related activities

[Anonymous]

I & DH are not outdoorsy and physical active, but I am willing to get myself out to expose kids to fishing, boating, camping, and some nature survival skills. It is not like I find these activities fun or useful, but I just do not want to rule them out from kids life because parents do not have these interests. I have never done any of these mentioned above because I am from a foreign populated city. Is joining scout or joining summer outdoor camp the best, most budgeted and easy way to do it? Or should parents find some family oriented outdoor club to join from eventrite to find our own groups? Do they have a paid professional guide like that in dmv area to lead a few families to do these things altogether as experiences, like provide us a list of things to bring & buy, and we follow the guide for a few days in nature?

[Anonymous]

Most regional parks have nature centers. Start a garden. Go on a hike

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most regional parks have nature centers. Start a garden. Go on a hike

And many of the nature centers offer free (or cheap) activities for kids. Good place to start.

[Anonymous]

I'd start slow, OP. Fishing, boating, and camping - let alone survival skills! - are not things most urban Americans do, so your kid won't be alone if you don't expose them to these things. That said I do all these things and love them and my kid loves them. But that's us, and it is okay to be different!

Scouts are a great place to start. Walking outside in a park is also great. Start with paved paths, and if you like it go on a walk with dirt paths. You don't need any gear. Bring a water bottle and your phone and you are all set. But if you want to essentially outsource all of it, and just have your kid exposed, try scouts and/or an outdoors summer camp.

[Anonymous]

Definitely start with looking at the programs offered at nature centers. And, just go for walks in the woods, throw rocks in the stream, build stuff with sticks. This nature playground at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale is great: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/hidden-oaks/nature-playce

Yes, boy scouts will have a lot of outdoor activities and eventually "survival skills". Girls scouts may offer some of that but depends a lot on who is leading the group (IME, my DD loved that stuff but her troop did very little so if we were starting now I'd have her join a co-ed boy scout troop).

If they are up for a sleepaway camp -- this one is great for outdoorsy stuff (starts at age 8) http://www.burgundycenter.org/

[Anonymous]

I'd go on a hike.

Or rent a cabin in the woods versus camping. For a cabin you just bring linens instead of a tent and sleeping bags.

[Anonymous]

We hike a couple times a month in Rock Creek Park. We also visit nature centers in regional, state, and national parks. We often include outdoor activities on vacations -- hiking, visiting a national park, etc. Our kid does an outdoorsy camp every summer. You could also look into scouting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd start slow, OP. Fishing, boating, and camping - let alone survival skills! - are not things most urban Americans do, so your kid won't be alone if you don't expose them to these things. That said I do all these things and love them and my kid loves them. But that's us, and it is okay to be different!

Scouts are a great place to start. Walking outside in a park is also great. Start with paved paths, and if you like it go on a walk with dirt paths. You don't need any gear. Bring a water bottle and your phone and you are all set. But if you want to essentially outsource all of it, and just have your kid exposed, try scouts and/or an outdoors summer camp.

I agree with the bolded. This was how we started. We just went for a little walk every Sunday morning and took notice of plants, insects, and animal tracks. Over time, we started getting more adventurous.

[Anonymous]

Get an annual pass for your state parks. Make a goal of going to a lot of them this year. Go to the ranger programs or family programs.

Have fun outside and don't start with boating or survival skills.

[Anonymous]

Go morel hunting! It is fun, and they are very distinctive so you won’t get poisoned. Just remember they have hollow stems, so you don’t grab the wrong mushroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go morel hunting! It is fun, and they are very distinctive so you won’t get poisoned. Just remember they have hollow stems, so you don’t grab the wrong mushroom.

Geezuz. If I told my kids we were going morel picking this weekend, they'd slice my throat in my sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most regional parks have nature centers. Start a garden. Go on a hike

And many of the nature centers offer free (or cheap) activities for kids. Good place to start.

Absolutely! As things open up, I imagine they will be offering more and more options. My kids are teens now, but I fondly remember going on guided walks looking for salamanders and flying squirrels, meeting animals up close, and sitting around a bonfire, all courtesy of nature centers.

As for camping, it might be simplest to find out if any of your friends with kids enjoy camping, and plan an easy outing together. We did our earliest camping at Little Bennett Campground (Montgomery County), and in the past they offered "Camper Ready Camping": "For an additional rental fee per night, plus the site fee (two-night minimum), your campsite will come all set up for you, with a four-person tent, two camp chairs, a propane stove, and a lantern. Bring your own bedding, cooking gear, and food supplies, and your campsite will be waiting for you to enjoy sleeping under the stars. One week’s notice is preferred." If campgrounds don't offer that in the future, places like REI do rentals and can help you get set up. One night of camping in a place nearby can be a great way to start, as you don't have to plan too many meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go morel hunting! It is fun, and they are very distinctive so you won’t get poisoned. Just remember they have hollow stems, so you don’t grab the wrong mushroom.

Geezuz. If I told my kids we were going morel picking this weekend, they'd slice my throat in my sleep.

Hunting. Picking implies they are easy to find. They aren’t.

Maybe they’d be more interested if you said they go for $50/lb. and you’ll let them spend that amount on video games if they find a pound.

I do think it is fun and interesting to teach kids about nature and what you can find and eat. Last weekend I sent mine out to pick dandelions and made dandelion jelly. Also we are drying wild onions for chives.

There is so much out there to learn, being bored by that is so basic.

[Anonymous]

I've never fished, boated or camped. I mean, I've been in a paddle boat a couple of times throughout my life. But there's nothing magical about doing these things. I have zero desire to and would have been MISERABLE if my parents had made me do them. I was never an outdoorsy sort of kid. I was a "sit in the A/C and read a book or put on a play" kind of kid.

[Anonymous]

I second the local nature centers. Many of them have weekend programs (Watkins is usually around $3pp) and summer camps. My kids LOVED nature camp, but I could never work the schedule to get them back.