The Stars and Stripes and awesome clouds

Let's G.O. - First Time Fishing

I met my husband, Outdoor Guy, during my tenure at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, our state's agency responsible for conserving and managing wildlife.  We live at a fish hatchery where Outdoor Guy works as the assistant manager.  So as you can imagine, wildlife and the outdoors are a big part of our lives. We both hunt and fish, and I love outdoor photography.  But while we want Wyokiddo to spend time outside, we didn't want to force our interests on her.  Especially too soon.  We both know parents who drag their kids along hunting, fishing, hiking, etc., regardless if it's an age appropriate activity or something the child is actually interested in.  In my opinion, this is setting yourself up for a frustrating day and a good way to inadvertently discourage your child from enjoying the same things you do.

But this weekend, the timing seemed right for Wyokiddo's first try at fishing.  She'd shown interest after seeing boys fishing in the community pond.  We've even "fished" here at home with sticks in puddles.  And now that summer seems to have arrived in Wyoming, we loaded up the truck and headed to a local lake for some fishing.

Wyokiddo actually did a little fishing, with help from me or Outdoor Guy.  He set her up with a inexpensive fishing pole we had in the garage, attached a worm and bobber and did the casting.  Wyokiddo watched the line and did her version of fishing, which was dipping her fishing pole in the water over and over again.  We took turns watching her and doing some fishing of our own.  Outdoor Guy caught a few and I mostly caught some rays.

When Wyokiddo was bored of fishing, it was time for some serious sand play.  She built some sandcastles with Outdoor Guy, splashed ino the lake and threw sticks.  The dirtier the better in this little girl's book!

In all, we probably spent more time getting ready to go and driving to the lake than we actually did on the water.  But this trip was all about Wyokiddo and exposing her to something we love to do.  It didn't matter that she was fishing correctly or that we only caught two fish over the course of a few hours.  We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon outside as a family.

So here are a few pointers for sharing your love of the outdoors with your kids, or even exposing them to something new you can all enjoy together!

1. It's About the Kids - Plan your outing around the kids.  This isn't about catching your limit or bagging a state record.  So pick an activity, location and time-frame that is age appropriate.  Fishing was perfect for Wyokiddo, who will turn two in a few weeks.
2. The First Rule is Fun - Don't worry if your child isn't doing your activity correctly - make it fun and the skills will follow.  It doesn't matter if your kiddos are casting correctly or using the binoculars from the wrong end.  Use the opportunity to teach, but don't interrupt their fun unless it's a safety concern.
3. Have some backup activities - Outdoor Guy and I could fish for hours, but Wyokiddo's attention span just isn't that long, even with an activity she really loves.  I packed water and sand toys to go along with the fishing poles to help extend the outing.  She drifted back and forth between fishing and water fun, and Outdoor Guy and I got a few more casts in that we might have otherwise!
4. Give them their own stuff - Kiddos love to imitate!  Make your little one feel special with their own age appropriate gear or equipment.  It's okay if it's not up to your standards, this is about making them part of the activity.  Consider a fishing pole, boots, tackle box or fishing license, like the one I made Wyokiddo for our next trip.  

And, in the end, it's the moments like these that matter...

Owlets!

My favorite story lead of all time belongs to Ray Hageman, voice of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.  "Sometimes, you find the neatest things in trees."

That was Ray's lead into a story about a Wyoming Game Warden caught a wild lynx in a tree outside Cheyenne (lynx are NOT native to the area, this one had traveled across all of Colorado to get there).  I didn't see a lynx, but these great-horned owlets were pretty amazing!

Not the Last Child in the Woods - Let's G.O. (Get Outside!)

When I worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, I was involved in many discussions about how to get and keep kids involved in the outdoors.  The Game and Fish is mostly funded by folks buying hunting and fishing licenses, so the future of the agency depended on a society that placed value on outdoor spaces and experiences.  I attended several presentations on a book called Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv.  The book does a good job of painting the picture of just how disconnected many of us have become from nature and how that correlates to some of the more disturbing childhood trends.  His theory is that this "nature-deficit disorder" contributes to obesity, attention disorders and even depression in adults and kids alike.  If you haven't read it, it's worth checking out!

As a parent, I can see the difference out play time makes in Wyokiddo's temperament.  Not only does she enjoy the outside time, but it improves her demeanor when we are inside as well.  She sleeps better, eats better and will focus on inside activities for greater lengths of time if she's playing outside in the day.

Our outside play is a little bit of everything.  We have a sandbox, playhouse and swing, as well as a small pool and water table for the summer days.  But one of Louv's points in the book is that kids need unstructured outside play, too.  They need to float sticks down a stream, kick ant piles, dig holes, splash in puddles, etc.  Set the most basic of boundaries and let them go!  Our outside rules are no touching poop and no playing by the slough (it's a mini-canyon).  She can run, yell, throw leaves, break sticks, stomp in puddles in her boots, chase the dogs, chase the birds, eat a pine cone (not so appetizing as it turns out!) and get as dirty as she wants.

Our house sits on about several hundred acres of land, leaving us plenty of room to explore and romp.  We play in the sagebrush, the tree belt and any puddle we can find.  We feed the birds and pick up sticks and try to sneak up on rabbits in the yard for a closer look.  Sometimes I'll point out something to Wyokiddo that I think she might like.  But I consider our time outside her time to explore and experience on her own.

As summer approaches, I'd encourage you to make sure your own kiddo isn't the last child in the woods. For some ideas on getting outside and exploring beyond the playground, visit Louv's Resource Guide.