Connie Goldin

I was blessed with a childhood spent in nature. Living in Southern California during the 50’s and 60’s, there was plenty of open space to explore and kids were free to roam. I loved looking for “horney toads,” which are flat, round little lizards with spikes, actually called “Horned Lizards,” as well as other local creatures. My family lived at the beach and my dad would fish in the surf, “catch and release” style. I watched a Surf Perch give birth.  The Surf Perch are “viviparous,” which means it gives birth to live offspring instead of dispersing eggs. I remember watching my dad catch this perch- she immediately began to give birth, and my parents raced her back to the sea to release her so the babies could survive. Digging for sand crabs, running through the surf, seeing beautiful sunsets and tasting the salt of the ocean are some of my earliest memories.

At ten I was given a very young (and naughty) horse by my dad’s boss. Living in San Diego, in 1960, made it easy to find an affordable stable, filled with kids, horses, dogs, cats, and endless adventures. From ten to eighteen I spent countless hours on horseback with friends in Mission Valley, now filled with freeways and malls. The only rule I remember being told by my mom was, “Take your boots off before you come in the house.” This was practical and sensible advice. My horse and I had great times-I was thrown, bucked off, run away with, almost rolled on and we even swam in a rained-filled pond together (this was just before being run away with). I was never hurt and I decided to share my adventures on a “need to know” basis with my parents. It all worked out well!

My husband, David, and I raised our two sons, now twenty-seven and twenty-five, on the coast in San Diego. At any given moment we can see pelicans, sea gulls, herons, hummingbirds, ravens, and the occasional hawk, in a single glance. Even though we live in the city, raccoons run across our roof at night, opossums thrive in our garden and we have lots of skunk visitors.

My latest tangle with a skunk was last month, when a baby skunk took up residence in my son’s empty bedroom. Ruby, our poodle, let me know. It was interesting to see that having been sprayed four times by skunks, Ruby had learned they are “special” and didn’t go near it. It “took a village” to figure out what to do with the sleeping beauty. I was tempted to scoop the “kit” up in my hands and take it outside, but intelligence prevailed. One friend said: “Let it sleep. They are nocturnal.” Another friend told me to open the door when it got dark and use cat food to lead the skunk outside. It worked! The little guy left and was standing behind me as I peeked in, from outside, with a flashlight to monitor the progress. I turned around, saw him and jumped inside, closing the door. My next door neighbor saw a little skunk cruising along the street and exclaimed to her husband: “There’s Connie’s skunk!”

Nature is around us wherever we may be. You can find nature in the middle of a city, in a park, by looking up and by looking down. Teach your children to find the nature that surrounds them and it will be a lasting gift bringing them pleasure, joy and food for thought for a lifetime. Here are some easy activities for families to enjoy together that take little planning or money.

I hope that you enjoy them. Connie Goldin, MA, MFT, President, Mom to Madre, ©2010, Mom to Madre

Science at Home

Spending time in nature is a great way to share a wonderful experience with your children. You can help them learn new vocabulary, develop observing and listening skills, and learn important scientific concepts!

Enjoy fun times with your children as you teach them how to observe and appreciate nature. Plant seeds and watch them grow. Watch birds in your neighborhood. Find insects and butterflies. Explore the senses. Increase the vocabulary of your children with everything that you do with them. All this and science too!

Teach them to look up, look down, and listen!

Teach the Scientific Method to your kids!

Experiment

“I wonder what birds live in our neighborhood?”

(Question)

“Let’s take a walk and see.” (Research)

“Let’s go to the library and see what we can learn.”

(Research)

“I bet if we put seeds out, birds will come.” (Hypothesis)

“Do you think different birds will come if we put out different seeds?” (Experiment)

“Wow! We have lots of birds now because we fed them”

(Analysis)

“Let’s tell Grandma and Grandpa.”

(Sharing the results)

Take your Children Outside!

Take a Nature Walk with your Children

Teach your children how to look, listen, and see nature carefully.

Look down: find anthills, animal and insect tracks, animal homes, plants and insects.

Look up: find birds in the branches, insects and butterflies.

Listen carefully: hear the sounds of birds, squirrels, lizards, and other animals.

Collect “specimens” from the ground to look at and take home-fallen leaves, neat rocks, a flower, etc.

Find seeds on your walks together.

Have a beautiful time as a family exploring the beautiful world around you. Happy Exploring!