Lately, the weather has been back and forth so many times I do not know what season we are in. One day it will be 30 and winter-like, the next day it will be 60, sunny and almost early summer feeling. The weather going back and forth as it has been has caused some plants to even bloom early. This has me thinking about spring and what that means for us.
Nature Walks and Hiking
We are a very outdoorsy family. We camp in regular tents, my boys go on weekend backpacking trips, my daughter and I have camped not only in 25-degree weather but also in a torrential downpour (unplanned). We have hiked little trails that are only one
mile long, we have hiked more challenging trails that go up some steep areas to reach waterfalls, and we have hiked long trails, going ten miles sometimes. We love the outdoors and do not mind getting muddy sometimes.
Not everyone likes the mud though
This thought has me reflecting on the various “levels” of nature people are ok with and so I want to address them, with a little bit of humor. Let’s have a share a few laughs.
Level 1
The first level I feel is filled with people who do not like the outdoors at all. These people are in love with air conditioning and heat. They do not go hiking, they do not go camping, they wouldn’t even go if they stayed in a comfortable cabin. These people appreciate nature on the tv or their laptop. Occasionally they will brave a house plant but not often. Level one nature lovers like that there is nature and appreciate what it does for them but when it comes to nature studies, they are all done with documentaries and sketches are done from google images.
Level 2
The next level has a broader range of nature lovers. These people are ok with hiking and camping but try to keep it simple. They will go on short hikes at parks in town and occasionally will brave one a little outside of town to get away from the traffic noise. When this level of nature lover goes camping, they bring as many things to make it easy for them as they can. They have glider camping chairs, propane grills to cook on, a rolling fridge, and maybe even a generator. I have even seen someone bring a generator and a small tv on a camping trip before, they would fall into this level. Come to think of it, RV campers would fall into this level as well. Generally, these nature lovers are ok doing nature walks just on the outskirt of town, they will go a little into the trees and look for simple small things but they draw quickly then go home for the lesson.
Level 3
The final level of nature lovers is full of interesting people. These people love going camping no matter the weather, see camping in two feet of snow as exciting and will hike into the wilderness as far as they can before deciding to spend the night. The people at this level know how to start a bonfire with no tools, how to catch a rabbit for dinner, and even how to rescue themselves when they break a leg on a trail. The things people at this level can accomplish seem impossible at times but they don’t brag. It’s no big deal. When people at this level go on a nature walk, they plan for the whole weekend so they can hike out to an area, find a specific hard to find animal or plant, draw it, camp there that night, eat the next day and then pack up and hike back. These people are all in
No matter what level you fall into, you can still enjoy nature and doing nature studies with your kids. I personally am very much looking forward to warmer and drier weather so that we can go on trails, have fun doing some nature studies, and get in some more camping trips. Difficult trails and long camping trips may not be for everyone but we can all agree we love nature and it’s beauty.
I hope you enjoyed some laughs and that you continue smiling throughout the day
Greetings! My name is Joy and I am currently a stay at home mom who is homeschooling her three kids in South Carolina. I love learning and I love sharing the love of learning with others so getting to home school my kids and watch the “ah-ha” moments when they understand something is unbelievably rewarding. I have been homeschooling since my twins were preschool age so we are going on 8 years now. I am also a military spouse so we have the added joy of being a military family with some of the complications that come with it. As a family, we stay busy with our scouting groups, American Heritage Girls and TrailLife, and we do many camping and hiking trips with them. When I have downtime, I am typically reading books I have sitting around the house, on YouTube/websites getting more information on different home school programs or working on plans for homeschool. I look forward to being able to share our experiences with everyone and help encourage all homeschooling families.