Have you ever wanted to totally immerse yourself and your kids in nature for a long period of time? How about make nature a key element of your lifestyle? …Yeah, me too.  Well here is one family that decided to actually do it!

Introducing the Jacobus Family, Mother Maggie, Father Steve and sons Will, Michael and Ryan. They are an inspiration! Together they decided to leave their familiar and comfortable surroundings in Milwaukee, WI and moved to Costa Rica. Their goal was to be absorbed in another culture and language while experiencing nature to it’s fullest. The result is an amazingly strong family bound by their learning experiences in nature.

Here at Nature For Kids we will first hear the answers Maggie Jacobus has for our Family Outing questions and then later on this week look for a highlight of the educational and interactive website, Super Natural Adventures, they’ve created to encourage kids everywhere to take part in the nature around them. As usual I’ve highlighted the portions I found particularly inspiring.

1.) What is your favorite family outing activity?  Why?

My favorite family outing activity is anything in which we are learning and exploring something new together as a family.  It could be surfing, searching for frogs in the dark, rafting, rappelling down waterfalls or feeding the homeless.  It almost doesn’t matter what the specific activity is. 

What creates the magic is the aspect of all of us doing something together in which we are all learning, trying, making mistakes, stretching our limits, achieving something new.  This creates a “team spirit” atmosphere-we are cheering each other on, helping each other, working together, accomplishing together.  It creates a shared experience, memories and a bond that deepens our family relationships.

Sometimes the activity is something that one of the boys has more expertise in than the rest of us.  This is also a positive experience, because that child gets to lead us, adults included, and be the expert.  I think kids need the opportunity to be the experts, to share what they know and to teach adults.  It gives them a tremendous sense of self-worth and self-esteem and also teaches them that they don’t have to wait to be adults to contribute to the world. 

2.) How has recreating in the outdoors benefited you and your children?

Recreating together in the outdoors has strengthened our family relationships, has kept us close as a family and has set a precedent for life-long learning and exploring together.  

I have learned so much while enjoying the outdoors with my children.  For instance, starting with our very first trip to Costa Rica in 2002 when the boys were four-, five- and seven-years-old, I learned that when I step back and don’t try to be in charge, don’t try to be Mom, the experience is so much richer.  Why?  Because a child’s sense of wonder and excitement and love of discovery–of even the simplest things–is so powerful and contagious.  Somewhere along the way, adults seem to loose that ability for child-like wonder.  Recreating outdoors with my children has given me the gift of once again looking at the world with wonder and excitement and never-ending curiosity.

Conversely, stepping back from my role as In-Charge Mom while we’re recreating outdoors together has allowed my boys to step forward as thinking, questioning, questing individuals.   They trust themselves outdoors, they have learned to take care of themselves outdoors and they feel comfortable outdoors.

Recreating together outdoors has also introduced us to new activities: our oldest son fell in love with surfing, so I decided to try it (something I never would have attempted before) just to have some understanding about his passion.  The best part was receiving tips from him as we paddled out together.  Our two oldest boys have become certified in scuba diving, joining my husband and me in one of our passions.  The youngest is anxious to get his certification when he’s old enough.  We’ve all just started experiencing rafting together and since we’re all novice, it’s fun learning it together. 

3.) What outdoor destination would you recommend to other families to visit?

I have all kinds of outdoor destination recommendations! 

I’d say that my happiest times with my children are when we are exploring the rain forest together.  There is something so tranquil, so primordial and so profound about an old forest and of course there’s always so much to learn in it and from it.  It makes for a great family adventure.

4.) What advice would you give others when it comes to recreating outdoors as a family?

I’m a big fan of eliciting opinion and getting buy-in to family activities.  I believe it eliminates (or at least minimizes!) complaining and resistance.  Our move to Costa Rica may have been a total disaster if we hadn’t asked the kids if they wanted to or not.  We actually took a family vote.  And it was unanimous.  That way, when the going got tough, the kids couldn’t blame us and say we dragged them here against their will!

I believe the same is true for outdoor recreation.  This is supposed to fun, not drudgery or mandatory.  Get family buy-in to the activity and it will be much more enjoyable.  To get started:

• I suggest that each family talk together about where they want to go for an outdoor activity, what they want to do, what they want to learn.   The adventure starts with this conversation.  Everyone in the family gets the opportunity to equally express their opinion and desires.  Kids are really impressed when they get an equal say with their parents.  And they complain less about doing someone else’s idea if they also get to do their idea at some point.
• Make a list and then set a plan for accomplishing each family member’s suggestion.  If the ideas are too far out (“I want to go to Africa!”) use that desire as a jumping off point for a discussion on a more feasible activity.  (i.e., “What interests you about going to Africa?”  “I want to see exotic animals.”  Perhaps that interest could be parlayed into a trip to the zoo in another city that has a special exhibit on African animals.)   You could also set some parameters at the outset of the conversation, such as, “The activity needs to be within a half-day’s driving distance” to avoid having to say “no” to every suggestion.
• Allow the conversation to flow and each member to share several ideas (so that you hopefully get to do-able ones!).  Try not to be critical of ideas or put limits on them.  Instead of saying, “That’s ridiculous.  We could never afford that!”  how about, “That’s not financially possible right now, but let’s put it on The List!  What else would you like to do?” (Our family has a dream list of destinations.  We may not go to some of those places for another 20 years, but how wonderful to have the vision of still recreating outdoors together in 20 years!)
• I also suggest that parents try to step out of the way when recreating outdoors together as a family.  By that I mean: don’t try to be in charge, to direct the action, to tell everyone what to do.  I’ve found that it’s easiest to let go if you are with someone else who is the expert, such as a guide, an instructor or a naturalist.  You can model asking interesting questions.  Then be quiet and listen to the guide…and to your kids. 
• Finally, I highly recommend trying new activities so that everyone is learning together.

5.) What is something new you’d like to try as a family in the outdoors?

I’d like to hike a mountain or go on a trek with my family, like to Machu Pichu or Mount Kilimanjaro.  We’re probably a few years away from that yet, but it’s been a dream for my oldest son and me since he was about seven years old.

Maggie we send you a big thank you down in Costa Rica for sharing the priceless lessons you have learned through your outdoor experiences with your family. You have inspired our family and I’m sure many of our readers here at Nature For Kids.

You can follow Maggie’s personal experiences in Costa Rica at her blog Gypsy Journalist. To read more about other families and their adventures go to our Family Outing  page.
nature for kids, family outing, Super Natural Adventures, nature, Costa Rica, rain forest, outdoors

Share

Tweet