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Nest with baby great horned owl taken with a small camera.

Look, there’s an owl nest.
Hey, check out the trout lilies.
And just ahead, there’s a homeless man sleeping.
So it goes at Turville Point Conservancy on a Saturday morning hike.

Turville Point is an green space near downtown Madison with impressive views of the state capitol building. Who knew that our hike would include social studies as well as natural science.

“Just walk by and try not to disturb his sleep,” I said. It didn’t work. “Hi, howya doing,” he said as we walked past. A few kids said hi back which I thought that was nice.

Afterwards we talked about how grateful we are to have a home. While the kids I work with have few resources, they all have more than this guy. It’s a stark bit of reality in an otherwise serene setting.

After we walked past him, we skipped stones on the water and spotted a baby owl in a huge owl nest. The kids enjoyed playing at the playground too.

Perhaps the kids went home and forgot about the man sleeping on the shores of Lake Monona, but I doubt it. I know I wont soon forget the day that the beauty of nature intersected with harshness of life.

Some kids like speed.

Kids love to go downhill.

They like the speed.
They like the thrill.
I even think that some of them like wiping out.
Speed freaks ignore cries of “slow down.”

“Snow plowing is bogus,” said Gavin, and nothing I could say would change that.

Never mind that Gavin is a first time skier and that the hill at Blackhawk Ridge doesn’t have obstacles or turns.

So how do you teach a kid like Gavin to slow down?

You don’t.

He may get it when one of two things happens: 1) he crashes into a tree or 2) he skis where the hill is more demanding. Even then, it might not matter.

When I think back, I rarely listened to adults when they cautioned me or told me to slow down.  In fact, telling some kids to slow down ensures that they won’t. I’ll remember that for next year.

Gavin prepares to head down.

Here are a few other lessons learned from Cross Country Ski Club 2012:

• Kids eat way too much. They get snack after school and then get a snack after skiing. That’s okay, but then, they often got candy while skiing for completing tasks. Next year, I’ll ask that they cut down on the candy. No wonder so many of our kids are obese.
• Kids will want to quit half way through the season. Don’t cave in to kids who say they don’t want to go. Once they get there, they’ll be fine.
• Sometimes, adult attention is a bad thing. I’ve got a few kids that soak up attention and took it to extremes. Kids should not be asking adults for help to put on their skis and boots on the last day. Nice try kids.
• Van contracts are good. Driving a 15-person van with 13 kids can be stressful, especially if the kids are acting up. So, each kid and their parent signed a van contract. The contract clearly stated the consequences for poor van behavior. Kids liked the clear boundaries and I liked worry trip van trips.
• Poor snow is better than no snow at all. The only reason we skied at all this year was because Black Hawk Ski Club made their own snow. I felt lucky to ski as much as we did.

Now, it’s time to get ready for bike season. With this week’s crazy warm temperatures, the biking season is starting off fast. Thank you to Molly and all the wonderful volunteers at Blackhawk Ski Club. It was a great season.

How many kids do you see working out at the gym every day? Probably not any. That’s because even though childhood obesity is a hot topic and rising problem, getting kids to work out at a gym falls along the same lines of making them go to the dentist – kids don’t want to lift weights, they want to have fun! That’s why it’s important to find ways to make getting fit a fun activity, not a chore. So how do you get kids in shape while still making it a fun, and voluntary, activity? Get them outside of course!

1. Play sports
   Instead of forcing them into one specific sport let them pick out a few different ones that they want to try out. Having them pick out the sport will make it more fun because it was their decision, and getting to try a variety of different ones will help them decide which sports they like and which ones they don’t like. Playing sports should be a fun activity, not a chore, so avoid forcing them to play a particular one, and let them experiment until they find the one best suited for their interests.
   
2. Take them to the park
   It’s virtually impossible to be inactive at a park with all the different things to do. They can run around the playground, climb trees, hike trails, and throw balls or Frisbees to one another – all of which will get their hearts pumping without seeming like required work. Kids spend so much time indoors simulating experiences that getting out and enjoying fresh air and stretching their legs will be good for them.
3. Make it a family affair
   You can’t expect your kids to want to be active if you’re not active too! Set a good example for them by taking family bike rides after school and work together or walking around the neighborhood. It’ll be more fun if everyone is involved, allow time spent together as a family, and get some exercise in before the day is done.
   
   
4. Have water days
   Now that warmer weather is approaching it’s time to bust out the swimsuits and have some fun. Set out the sprinkler and let the kids run through it in the front yard, go visit the neighborhood pool and bring diving toys for the kids to retrieve, and take weekend trips to nearby beaches or lakes. Swimming is a great workout and they’ll be having so much fun they won’t even realize its considered exercise.
   
   
5. Active video games

Video games are almost unavoidable these days, so if you are going to let them play video games at least get them one of the consoles that allow them to get up and move around while they’re playing instead of being sedentary on the couch the entire time. Plus, these active types of video games are the perfect solution to rainy days where they can’t be outside running around.

Fitness doesn’t have to be a chore that kids have to check off a to-do list! Instead make it a fun experience so that they want to do it by taking it outdoors and making it a game as much as possible. The more fun they’re having the more likely they’ll readily choose to participate.

Author Bio
Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to hire a nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295@gmail.com.

Tomorrow, March 1, is the last day of cross-country ski club. We’ll be celebrating with ski games plus kids will each get a certificate of completion.* That’s always a proud and sad moment as some kids will be moving on to middle school and won’t be back next year. Then, I start planning for summer and coaching Girls on the Run. Girls on the Run is a new program for me, and I’m looking forward to coaching girls as they prepare for a 5K run in June. Anything that gets kids moving and outside is a good thing.

What will you be doing with kids in March 2012?

*The only reason we’ve been able to ski this winter is because Blackhawk Ski Club makes snow. Thank you Blackhawk Ski Club. See you next year.

Reblogged from Get Kids Outside: Outdoor Adventures with Kids:

Last week I canceled Ski club. Organizers also canceled most of  Winterfest.

Not for extreme cold or lack of snow, but because of the protest at the Capitol.

It’s been a surreal week.

On Wednesday, Superintendent Nerad closed Madison schools because so many teachers called in sick.

On Thursday, many other principals closed schools due to teacher sick-outs. I canceled ski club because we had no kids to take.

Read more… 307 more words

If you want snow this weekend, just head to the Capitol Square for Winterfest for some free family fun. Organizers have cranked up the snow machines to ensure a successful event. One year ago, we had plenty of snow, but no Winterfest due to the massive protests, so I thought I'd repost this story written during this crazy time. This year, there's no excuse. Get to Winterfest and enjoy!

What goes down...

Learning to ski is a humbling experience.

Fall, get up. Fall, get up.
Poles and skis slip and slide and get tangled up in the weirdest of ways.

That’s  pretty much how it goes for first-timers,
especially as they learn to maneuver hills.

I can’t think of a better metaphor for life.
If kids can get past the initial frustrations, they learn so much. That’s why we ask kids to make an 8-week commitment to ski club. That way, they have to work through their frustration. The end result is always a joyful celebration on the last day.

In the mean time, there’s more agony of defeat than the thrill of victory, but the victory is so very sweet.

Check out these photos from this week’s lesson at Black Hawk Ski Club. They really do say it all.

...must come up.

The whole gang and instructors from Blackhawk Ski Club, February 9, 2012. The kids are in grades third-fifth grade and enrolled in Goodman Community Center's after school program.

A student gets a pep talk after his umpteenth fall and then....

…has a moment of success.

Having fun apres ski.

I paused, a bit thrown by her thoughtful comment. I mean, I had never heard Wisconsin and Africa being linked geographically. And even if comparisons could be made, you’d think they’d be made during a blistering heat wave and not when the ground was still frozen.

Yet, she was right.

In March, the Wisconsin savanna does look like the African savanna, a sea of tan grass with a few trees dotting the landscape. I almost expected a lion to appear, the image was so vivid in my mind.

This 8-year-old girl made a deep connection between Wisconsin and Africa that can only be made by experience. This blew me away. I love being shown how to see something in an entirely new way and sometimes it takes a child to do it.

This experience is one of many I’ve had while taking kids on outings to state properties. Over the past three years, the Goodman Community Center has partnered with the Sierra Club’s Inner City Outings program to provide outdoor opportunities to more than 300 low-income kids and their families. Outings include hiking, geocaching, eagle watching on the Wisconsin River, cookouts in the middle of winter, Maple Syrup Days at MacKenzie Environmental Education Center and more.

The Goodman Community Center provides the transportation and staff while the Sierra Club provides volunteer leadership, a healthy snack and admission fees. It’s a great arrangement that has introduced many kids to the outdoors.

In the process, they’re learning about the outdoors, having fun and gaining valuable life skills. Here are a few stories.

“Don’t let it get me”

I grew up tromping around in Pheasant Branch Creek in Middleton and visiting my mom’s childhood farm in Sauk County. I had secret hide-outs that I claimed as my own. I could get lost in play and spend hours in the outdoors unsupervised. Therefore, I thought that everyone knew how to hike and enjoy the outdoors.

Not so.

Kids today generally do not have such freedom. Their lives are more structured and free play is limited or nonexistent. Today, we have to take kids outdoors and teach them the basics.

For example, on that same, cold Africa-like trip to Governor Nelson State Park, I pointed out a red-tailed hawk to the group. Immediately, two girls covered their heads and screamed, “Don’t let it get me!”

It never occurred to me that someone could fear a hawk. For me, hawks always meant good luck. The kids also didn’t know how to walk quietly in the woods and listen for animals. On our first outing, they all ran down the path as if on a race.

Turns out, hiking in a state park is cultural. Looking for animals, being quiet and relishing the sights and sounds of the outdoors are taught by doing.

Some kids also need permission to play. I can’t tell you how many kids ask permission to do what appears to be obvious.

On a trip to Blue Mound State Park, the kids asked permission to play in huge piles of oak leaves. I can’t shake the questioning look on their faces when we got to the leaves. They needed permission. It’s as if kids are so conditioned by school that they don’t know how to explore. Outdoor adventures give kids opportunities to leave school rules behind and have fun.

Doing so, kids learn so much: they overcome fears, they learn self-reliance and perseverance, they learn how to listen and observe, they learn to recognize plants and animals, and how to stay warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. They simply learn to love the outdoors.

While the kids are learning, their parents are learning, too. Parent participation for our trips doubled last year and we expect more parents to participate this year. Outdoor activity is contagious.

Multiple studies have shown that kids who spend time outdoors do better in school and have less stress. I would further argue that outdoor skills enhance real self esteem.

“I saw that”

“Look carefully, you might see a turkey.”

Or a deer or a snake or a sandhill crane. Just fill in the blank. There’s nothing better than seeing an animal for the first time. It’s exciting and fun and makes kids happy. I think it helps kids do better in school, especially kids who struggle with academics.

I have a group of boys who consistently attend my trips. These kids have enviable energy levels that can test even the best of teachers. Outside, however, they are stimulated and respectful…most of the time. I believe it’s because they’re always “looking for a turkey.” Outside, they never know what’s going to happen. They’re a little bit anxious and a little bit excited. That’s a good mix. It keeps kids on their toes.

The boys saw a dizzying array of birds last spring at Governor Nelson State Park: sandhill cranes, catbird, hummingbird, geese, swallows and lots more.

Do you think the next time they see a crane or a hummingbird in a book, they’ll know what they are? No doubt. Do you think they’ll be proud of themselves? Confident? You bet. They’ll have the satisfaction of knowing something deep down and that could make all the difference.

“I saw that. I really did.”

I can hear it now.

“I did it”

“Do we really get to shoot a gun?” squealed 8-year-old Gavin.

Yes, yes you can.

In July, I took a group to Outdoor Skills Day at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette. It’s a day when kids learn how to do normally forbidden things like throw a hatchet and shoot a pellet gun among other “dangerous” outdoor skills.

Naturally, the kids couldn’t wait.

Outdoor skills are perfect for kids with high energy. I could see their confidence grow as the day went on. They loved using their minds and their bodies to succeed.

“I hit it,” beamed 5-year-old Ebrahim after hitting the target with a hatchet – just one of 50 kids who did.

Five-year-old Maria, hesitant at first about using a gun, quickly found her inner sharpshooter and racked up a string of bulls-eyes. I swear she grew two inches taller, her confidence soaring in the wake of her accomplishment.

This is real self-esteem that comes from doing something the child didn’t think she could do, not the fake self-esteem that comes from meaningless praise.

We tend to forget that even young kids can accomplish great things if given a chance.

“Can my kid go?”

Three years ago, a distraught mother asked me if 8-year-old John could come on an outing.

John’s behavior was out of control at school. I told her that the trips are meant for kids like John. He came along and he did well, very well.

Since then, John has attended more trips than any other child with no meltdowns, tantrums or outbursts. His mother shared his success with his classroom teachers and the positive feedback helped John turn the corner for the better. He’s now in fifth grade and succeeding on all levels.

I have no doubt that these trips helped John get through a difficult year, just like nature helped me get through my dad’s death when I was 10 years old.

Nature heals, soothes and inspires, which is a primary reason why I do this work.

My hope is that exposing young kids to our beautiful state properties will lay a foundation for lifelong learning and happiness. At the very least, the kids get an adventure full of wonder, fun, and perhaps even a little learning.

Diane Schwartz is a consultant, writer and outdoor education teacher at Goodman Communitiy Center in Madison. She writes a blog at Get Kids Outside. She is also the site coordinator at Schumacher Farm in Waunakee. You can contact her at Diane Schwartz.

To learn more about environmental education for kids, visitEnvironmental Education for Kids (EEK!). The Wisconsin State Park System has a new initiative aimed at getting children and families to spend more time outdoors with nature. It’s fun, and it’s good for you!To learn more visit Get Outdoors! Wisconsin. To donate to the Outdoor Education Fund, send tax deductible contributions to:
Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa Street
Madison, WI 53704
Attn: Diane Schwartz

Story and photos by Diane Schwartz, Feb 2012 Issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine