Nature Connection: Get The Kids Outside

This past week I’ve had the honor and privilege to be writing and sketching in John Hay’s writing studio tucked into the woods at the top of Dry Hill in Brewster. 

Every day I’ve walked in the woods, communing with the many birds around me. Towhees have had a lot to say but not nearly as much as the red-breasted nuthatches who are constantly in touch with their newly fledged young. A wood-pewee has whistled and called for hours for most of the week, but this morning he is quiet. Yesterday I noted he had attracted the attention of a female, and if I were a guessing woman, I’d say they hit it off quite well. 

There have been a scarlet tanager, a flock of cedar waxwings, a very loud great crested flycatcher, and all the usual suspects one finds in our local woods. A family of hairy woodpeckers entertained me one morning as they chased insects round and round a tree while carrying on a family chat.

Birds aren’t the only creatures I’ve seen on my walks. The air and ground are full of insects and other small arthropods. Caterpillars and spiders hanging by almost invisible threads have kept me alert. Many have been at eye level, which means they could easily catch a ride in my hair if I’m not careful. Chipmunks are everywhere as are baby gray squirrels. Deer tracks on the trails let me know they are around, but I’ve yet to see one. No doubt they are watching me looking for them and having a snicker, but I don’t care. The air is warm, the variety of greens in the trees and shrubs is alluring in the dappled light, and the pair of blue jays watching me discreetly as I pass their nest pretending not to notice keeps me busy and entertained.

Back at the writing studio I am surrounded by John Hay’s books, some of his belongings and a photograph of him watching over my shoulder. I’ve written before about being a lucky child who was able to take nature classes with him and go on adventures. Our parents dropped us off for the day at the old town hall that housed the new Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, and we spent hours following Hay and other instructors through the woods, meadows, and marshes, and around ponds. We packed sandwiches, cookies and fruit for lunch, most of which ended up squished or broken to bits, but we didn’t care. We were explorers in the wild, getting wet, dirty and maybe a little sunburned.

As children we volunteered every summer to help feed and take care of orphaned animals, clean the animal tanks for exhibits, and help maintain trails. We learned how to handle turtles and snakes, baby rabbits and raccoons. We fed baby birds and tiny mice with eye droppers and learned how to gauge the tides. We became experts with nets, knew how to hold a crab without being pinched, and how to hum and encourage a snail to emerge from its shell. We knew how to spot poison ivy and which creeks had the biggest leeches. We climbed trees and hopped from rock to rock in shallow ponds. One exciting day we learned how to tell a mossy rock from the mossy back of a huge snapping turtle. We all survived with all our appendages.

Some children still do all these things, but most of them do them with their families. My family was not big on these activities themselves, but they encouraged me to be brave and try new things. Gone are the programs I grew up with. Many no longer operate due to liability insurance worries, and most classes and programs that take kids exploring today have all sorts of rules in place. I’m pretty sure our instructors didn’t always know where all of us were at all times, but there were rules that included the calls we absolutely had to answer, and we all had to have a buddy. We were young and often fearless, but we also knew we had better show up when they called.

Today’s children are missing out on many things we took for granted back in the day. Many rarely go outdoors unless it is for a planned and curated activity. There are few pickup games and even fewer wanderings into the woods or pond areas due to parental and societal fears.

It is true that things happen outdoors. There are bugs and ticks and snakes and snapping turtles, all of which can deliver an uncomfortable bite or sting. Learning how to deal with these animals gives a kid power, though, and confidence. 

Children are smart and learn quickly. Most kids only get peed on once by a toad. They quickly learn how to avoid that natural event, which is not pee but a defensive tactic on the toad’s part. They can also learn how to climb a tree safely, handle a snake without getting bitten, and balance on rocks and logs for the fun of it.

If we don’t get the kids outside, nature will soon be in even more trouble than she is today. If there’s a child in your life, please take them outside. Don’t organize them too much, though. Let them explore and play. They’ll be stronger and happier as a result, and it will make you smile, too. And don’t forget the buddy rule. If you’re the buddy, just be the silent one and let them take the lead.

Channel your inner John Hay. His gentle guidance gave many of us, especially children, permission to explore and enjoy nature here on Cape Cod and everywhere.