Don’t be scared, that your child is “doing nothing.”
Don’t be suspicious of the “silence coming from your child.”
Be thankful, for the “nothingness” that your child might be engaged in. OR so you might think!
In fact, he might be daydreaming. “And there’s nothing wrong with daydreaming,” as I tell child of mine, a huge fan, that it has literally become a hobby. I tell him, “Through daydreaming, you can create magic, imagine big, write books, and make dreams come true!”
“It is OK to daydream,” I let him know to him. “As long as you don’t get lost for-ever, that you miss out on all your other responsibilities and activities.”
Through his quiet, he re-imagines what he has observed, dreamed of, or designs in his head. There are animals, robots, make-believe creatures, zombies, architectural structures, fruits, places. Increasingly, I am becoming more and more fascinated, and attached to his [re]imagination about the fauna and flora. How he interprets what he learns about them, incorporates them into his everyday play activities, and utilizes them to benefit our nature wanderlust!
My son the Nature Lover enjoys all things wilderness! My son knows the names of animals and plants I have never heard of, in all my eyes. My son knows features and characteristics of plenty of animals, even ones I have never heard of. He knows a lot about our environment, our waters and plant life. Little wonder, he founded “Kids Earth Patrol,” to mobilize kids in his social network protect Mother Nature, with an annual Kids Cleaning Laurel Lake, in commemoration of World Earth Day!
We have “Wild Kratts,” to thank, a children show on the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) about nature. This, from a previously sworn “Enemy of TV!”
Mommy says, “TV rots the brain,” so he would tell to all his friends and family.
Well, that is because I never exposed him to TV when he was young, unless of course he was watching videos of the super-ambitious, “Your Baby Can Read,” at six months. When we moved in Norway and South Africa, after his first birthday, we did not own a TV set in our apartment, by choice. I am typically not a TV person. Then in Uganda, I intentionally and actively kept him away from TV, due to the lack of age appropriate screening of TV shows; there weren't Children TV designated hours, nor children channels. Kids are exposed to adult TV shows anytime of day, that live a sour taste for this TV hater.
Upon return to the US, I kept him away from TV to avoid the common “TV trap” among kids in America, glued to TV for most hours of their days! Then, I learned about PBS Kids, with amazing children TV shows like, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur, Super Y, you name it all. And the more he grows, the more exciting their become —now there’s odd squad!
Child of mine is now addicted to Wild Kratts, and has learned about so many animals, animal behaviors, what they eat, their lifetime, and their powers. His addiction comes handy in a natural environment. Last Saturday, while attending a Waterfest organized by the Brodhead Creek Recreation Authority in our neighborhood, child tapped into his “nature expertise” to offer some lessons.
He identified birds by their sounds, beaks, feathers and how they glide in the air on a scavenger hunt for animals hidden in the creek. During a nature/trail walk through the creek, he identified plants and trees, and explained to me their classification, and growth patterns. He knew the conifers, the pines and deciduous trees. Using his magnifying glass, he observed leaves and flowers, and really enjoyed playing “a Spy Scientist.”
At a fish shocking demonstration, I asked why they were shocking the fish, getting them out of the water and back. My child explained to me that, fish shocking helps with testing water quality. If there are more fish, then the water is safe and of good quality. Impressively, the water expert agreed with child, and supplemented that fish shocking also takes stock of fish in our water basin.
How did he learn that? Through the “Reading Rainbow Video” he watched at school! Hello my scientist! While he is into robots, as he says, he’s not too far from water science. Sitting by the stream, watching fishers, he came up with an idea of making our own fishing rod. He found an abandoned hook, fishing line, a stick and some scattered fish food. Then, we tried our hands at designing our fishing rod, Voila! Although, we did not catch any fish…there is always a next time! Perhaps, we will go Fly Fishing next Sunday!
When, Mr. Snake chased us from the waters, where we were swimming, my Nature Lover took the first guess, “Maybe it is a rattle snake!”
Fortunately, it was not. At least, it was helpful to be with someone informed about snakes.
Although, I was the scout and driver to nature festivities in the community, child’s immense love and knowledge depository was the icing on a hot day! I had tons of fun, taking in all that nature has to give in our neighborhood, while learning from my child the specialties in our natural surrounding.
Everybody should have a Nature Lover! Nature gives us so freely!
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