In all of the time I have spent in the Rocky Mountains running around with my owners I have noticed one thing that all parents could do to make their kids really enjoy the outdoors.  It is not being an expert in plants or mammals.  It does not involve wearing the latest high tech shoes and jackets.  It does not mean being in super shape so that you can run twenty miles.

The parents of those kids who are really enjoying themselves in the outdoors have something that all people had at one point, but most of us lost.  They simply have a sense of wonder for the world around them – just like children who are curious about everything and wonder about the way the world works.

I have seen them at picnic areas, campgrounds, by a river, or on a trail.  They are with their family and are looking around themselves with a look of wonder on their face.  I’ve seen them see something that makes them say, ‘wow’.  Then they turn to their children and point out the same thing to their kids, who share in their sense of wonder.

Your children will see what you are interested in and care about and want to be just like you.  That is one of the beautiful things about having children – they are these little people who think that you are the greatest person in the world.  They watch everything that you do and say and they will want to share in those things you are interested in and find fun.

So, if you want your children to find nature interesting and enjoyable then you need to also feel the same way.  It is time to relax, and regain that sense of wonder about the natural world that you had as a child.  Go ahead and marvel at the natural world all around you.