Now that it’s cooling off and snow is likely, it can be harder to motivate your kiddos to get off the screen and outside. Frankly, it can be just as hard to get ourselves off the screen and out of the warm house. It helps to have some sort of goal. Sometimes a sweet treat works, but for us the best goal is the one we’ve unconsciously built over the years while exploring: FOMW.
Like FOMO, we have serious cases of Fear of Missing Wildlife. Instead of missing out on celebrity sightings or the party of the year, it’s missing out on animal sightings. Like the time my mom decided to stay at our Rocky Mountain campsite instead of going hiking with us and we saw a bear and two cubs. Or when Paolo decided to stay home while I explored a nearby wooded area, I got to observe an opossum hangout outside its hidey hole in a fallen log. As a result, over the years, we’ve gathered own personal collection of Wild America stories to tell and re-tell. And we love collecting new stories on just about every outing.
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We’ve created this FOMW gradually over the years, mostly, I think, by making wildlife spotting a game. Outside time has become one giant game of Spot It. And if we’re being honest, a little bit competitive. Our hikes often include conversational volleys as we track our sightings, “I’ve seen nine bullfrogs so far!” might be answered with “I’ve seen six bullfrogs and five garter snakes!”
Paolo is easily our most skilled wildlife spotter in the family. How did he get that way? I think a lot of it came from playing these observational games.
If your kids think hiking or walking in the woods is bo-ring, challenge them to see it as one, big hidden picture game. I often challenged a bored Paolo, and sometimes still do, to look for three things that no one else would notice (this is also great for road trips). It worked every time. It doesn’t matter if you call it Wildlife I Spy, Animal Spot It, or a Nature’s Hidden Pictures, it makes it a challenge, a game, and gives them (and you) a place to start.
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It doesn’t have to be an animal. It also works for spotting interesting plants, trees, rocks, ice formations, and nests and well, it’s never ending.
Once they start looking they won’t be able to stop. Brains are like Google. If you spot one frog or snake or bird your brain has a sort of search image to refer to. The more you see, the easier it is for your brain to spot more. So your FOMW turns into, HCTATOWOHHDINSIB? Holy Cow, There’s a Ton of Wildlife Out Here, How Did I Not See It Before?! It eventually becomes a habit; you don’t even have to try to spot things. They just jump out. If you’re lucky, the game becomes an addiction, and you can’t stop hiking because you just need to see what’s around the next corner… but that’s a whole other post.
So get out there, encourage them to be observant, nourish their curiosity. Challenge those kiddos and yourself!
Great ideas! I’d like to try spotting 3 things no one else would notice. Should be fun.
I’ll quiz you on your next hike!