I’ve been trying to ingrain into my children’s brains that everything in our home has a specific spot it belongs. It seems I spend my days saying things like, “your coat doesn’t belong on the floor,” and “get these legos off the dinner table.” But this lesson they are continually learning goes beyond just our house. While we were out for a walk the other day my 3-year-old son threw his sucker stick on the ground, stepped on it and kept on walking. Bright lights, bells and whistles went off in my head and I realized it was a teaching moment.
“Hey little man garbage doesn’t belong on the ground. It belongs in the garbage can,” I said. He shrugged his shoulders and picked it up without a fight. Lesson learned, right? Well today I decided to take it a bit further. My kids and I went for a walk with our gloves on and garbage sack in hand. We picked up garbage as we went. I think this drove the idea in a little further. As we walked we talked about the idea of leave no trace and the responsibilities that come along with playing outside. (I condensed it to the 6 and 3-year-old version)
Here are some subjects we hit on:
- Stay on marked trails
- Pack out what you pack in
- Leave what you find
- Be careful with fire
- Don’t bother the wildlife
Overall it’s just a matter of leaving things how you find them, by trying to have a minimal impact on your surroundings. That way others that come along the trail later can find it in the exact beautiful state that you did. By not picking that dark purple leopard lily just off the trail someone else can witness it’s popping color and point it out to their travel companion.
Fun Activity:
Last Spring I took my Cub Scout group and my kids up a trail just above our little town. We took plaster of paris and poured it into animal footprints we found. Then we hiked up the trail. By the time we returned the plaster was dry and we took the molds of the footprints out. The kids loved it, and seemed to enjoy taking a bit of nature home with them without actually taking something.
Do you have any ideas concerning Leave No Trace?
leave no trace, nature for kids, garbage, liter, outdoor activity
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Love your new background and love the idea of “Leave no trace”. I hate to walk or drive anywhere and see litter all along the path or road, it shows such disrespect for the land and surroundings. Keep up the good work!
Your Post Leave No Trace | Nature For Kids is interesting.I like reading Posts on 18 kids…Please keep posting on 18 kids.
I like your post. My kids find me very uptight sometimes. But it is important that we train them at an early age. The things that we teach them will guide them when they grow up. Continue to have fun activities with your kids!
Thanks so much! I really do hope that later in life they can reflect on our experiences outside with a happy heart!
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