Teaching kids to read the woods, the water and the writing on the wall
Posted by Ron Hustevedt Jr. on Thursday, September 13, 2012 Under: Outdoors
A lot has been written over the years regarding taking children into
the outdoors with you. The benefits are immeasurable and benefit the
sport as well as the resource.
This blog is more widespread than that. I’m encouraging parents to get their kids aware of their surroundings whether in the outdoors or on a road trip.
The author with his four-year-old son, his father and his dog Maddy
As a teacher of 15 years, I’ve seen a lot of kids come and go. It’s amazing to me that some kids seem to be totally tuned out when they are on a road trip or driving around their local community.
If you are driving by Lake Mille Lacs, tell your kid to turn away from the DVD screen and look out the window. There’s a lot to see and absorb. If you drive by the Mississippi River, have them look at it and ask them what they see. Skills of observation are a lifelong necessity that parents need to teach and reinforce.
Like the Simon and Garfunkel line says, “When I think back on all the crap I learned in High School….it’s a wonder I can think at all.”
School teaches children a whole lot but parents should be teaching their children so much more. How do they do it? Talk with your kids. Ask them questions. Make observations and share your own knowledge experiences and ask your children about theirs.
As you drive by that Mississippi River, share something you’ve learned over the years. Before you go on a road trip or a vacation, do some research (preferably together) and find out what you will be driving through and around.
The city of Duluth is a fantastic example. There’s so much that can be taught around this city. It’s the furthest inland port in the country. It’s an access point to the entire world. Duluth’s Park Point is very historic and has a fantastic story of how it was illegally made by citizens looking to ace out their rivals to the east. Take that Souptown!
You can include historical sites and museums in your road trip if you have time, but you don’t even have to pull the car over to teach a volume of information. Watch for animals, notice birds, talk about plants, trees and flowers you see as you speed by at 65 miles an hour.
Our kids are becoming increasingly disjointed with the world and not always able to see connections that are all around them. Schools can and need to do more…but kids are with their parents so much more of the time.
Don’t let those teachable moments pass you by. Be that awesome educator in your child’s own life.
Like the rest of that song tells us, “Though my lack of education hasn’t hurt me none…I can read the writing on the wall.”
This blog is more widespread than that. I’m encouraging parents to get their kids aware of their surroundings whether in the outdoors or on a road trip.
The author with his four-year-old son, his father and his dog Maddy
As a teacher of 15 years, I’ve seen a lot of kids come and go. It’s amazing to me that some kids seem to be totally tuned out when they are on a road trip or driving around their local community.
If you are driving by Lake Mille Lacs, tell your kid to turn away from the DVD screen and look out the window. There’s a lot to see and absorb. If you drive by the Mississippi River, have them look at it and ask them what they see. Skills of observation are a lifelong necessity that parents need to teach and reinforce.
Like the Simon and Garfunkel line says, “When I think back on all the crap I learned in High School….it’s a wonder I can think at all.”
School teaches children a whole lot but parents should be teaching their children so much more. How do they do it? Talk with your kids. Ask them questions. Make observations and share your own knowledge experiences and ask your children about theirs.
As you drive by that Mississippi River, share something you’ve learned over the years. Before you go on a road trip or a vacation, do some research (preferably together) and find out what you will be driving through and around.
The city of Duluth is a fantastic example. There’s so much that can be taught around this city. It’s the furthest inland port in the country. It’s an access point to the entire world. Duluth’s Park Point is very historic and has a fantastic story of how it was illegally made by citizens looking to ace out their rivals to the east. Take that Souptown!
You can include historical sites and museums in your road trip if you have time, but you don’t even have to pull the car over to teach a volume of information. Watch for animals, notice birds, talk about plants, trees and flowers you see as you speed by at 65 miles an hour.
Our kids are becoming increasingly disjointed with the world and not always able to see connections that are all around them. Schools can and need to do more…but kids are with their parents so much more of the time.
Don’t let those teachable moments pass you by. Be that awesome educator in your child’s own life.
Like the rest of that song tells us, “Though my lack of education hasn’t hurt me none…I can read the writing on the wall.”
In : Outdoors
Tags: duluth kids chilcdren teaching "lake superior" "lake mille lacs" mississippi
Ron Hustvedt Jr. is an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastic educator who loves mixing the two whenever possible. He is a nationally published outdoor writer and photographer with articles and photographs appearing in a wide variety of publications. Hustvedt is an outdoor personality who has appeared on nationally televised hunting and fishing shows along with his own videos and commercials. For his full-time gig, Hustvedt is a middle school social studies teacher whose students consistently perform at the highest levels. He has been fishing and hunting his entire life and enjoys bringing the outdoors to his classroom as well. You can visit him online at www.writeOutdoors.com or on Youtube at YouTube.com/WriteOutdoors.
