By Elizabeth French
“Wow! Look at the moon!” my children exclaim one evening. As I look up, I realize I haven’t really seen the moon in ages. Yes I have looked at the moon, but not in the same awe as my child does. Having kids makes you slow down an really soak in the beauty of the little things in life.
Growing up with two ‘outdoorsy’ parents, a lot of my childhood was spent outdoors or learning about nature. Both my parents were avid campers and hikers. I learned at a young age how to rock climb, how to set up a tent for our summer camping trips, and how to give the best puppy dog eyes to get a lift on my dad’s back for our long forest treks. But spending time outside was only a small portion of the nature that I grew up with. We started our summer gardening inside in spring with trays full of seeds on the windowsill, learning how seeds grow given the right ‘ingredients’. We spent our evenings reading books about wildlife and foliage, how to identify trees by their leaves, and the role each insect and reptile played in forest ecosystems. I grew up loving animals with a father who would catch every scary spider in a cup and gently release it outside so as not to hurt it. We made a diorama of a Canadian forest in a small aquarium, complete with various leaves and rocks we collected from the local trail, and a few dead insects we found. We even poured wax into some raccoon prints we found to make a mold for our little project.
I learned about the solar system, the planets and which constellations could be seen each night. My dad took me to many stargazing meetups, where we would all huddle around a dim red light and chat about which stars were out tonight. We got to see Jupiter and Venus through a telescope. I even got my very own telescope for Christmas one year.
I grew up with my dad’s jeopardy-like knowledge of birds. We had every book about birds, with little transcriptions beside all the birds my dad had seen on his travels. As I got older, my parents exclaiming to us upstairs to come see this “neat bird on the feeder” got really old. Like most things to a teenager, I would roll my eyes and sigh. Somehow the knowledge wasn’t lost on me though.
I grew up with a passion for nature and living things. When I had kids, I knew they would be the same. They spend their summers trekking through forests and fields collecting rocks and leaves to make homes for bugs in our backyard. They point out every squirrel, rabbit, or deer they see. They pick up snails and make them condos at Grandma and Papa’s house. They helped excavate the bees at the antique shop last summer and learned about the hive and each role the bees played.
I know I only have a few years before they too will roll their eyes when I point out a Red-tailed hawk off in the distance, but right now I will relish in the love of nature that we share, I will teach them about the different types of leaves, and how everything should be treated with respect and care. They will help caterpillars cross the sidewalk safely, catch spiders and let them go outside, and save lady bugs that have tipped upside down, just like their mama.
Having my own kids, I can see why my parents would tell me about trees and flowers. Every chance I get I’m showing off my impressive knowledge of tree types, flowers, and every Canadian bird. I can now name most trees in the forest which may not be very interesting to most, but is quite impressive to a bunch of 8-year-olds on a field trip. I play *bird bingo* with myself and am constantly checking off new birds in my mental log.
There’s not a walk we go on where we don’t collect sticks and rocks. Most of which get put into our “magic garden” in our front yard. Some lucky rocks even get a coat of neon paint first. Fall leaves get glued onto artwork and framed, and flowers placed on the windowsill to enjoy for days to come. Even though walks take 3 times longer when walking with kids who stop to pick up every ‘dandelion floof’ to blow wishes down the street, every stick that looks like a magic wand, and every rock that can be painted into a cheeseburger, I wouldn’t change it for the world. My kids will grow up with the same love of nature and animals that I have, and hopefully one day can share their love with their own children.