What We Found On Our Nature Hike Theresa October 11, 2016 Parenting 10 Comments Now that the fall weather is finally here, I’m enjoying getting outside and hiking before it gets too cold. Today, instead of falling into the usual routine, I grabbed my family and insisted we go on a nature hike. Check out some of the amazing things we found. 7 Things We Found On Our Nature Hike During our nature hike, we took the time to stop and enjoy the smallest moments. Rather than rushing to get back and do work, we took our time, which was well worth it. Bees Have you ever stopped and watched bees? They’re adorable little creatures! My daughters were too scared to get close to the bees, but I waited until one of them let me get up close. Afterwards, I noticed how many other bees were there, and I realized how lucky I was that none of them stung me. Without paying much attention to me, the bees nicely kept to themselves. Snakeskins When one of my daughters picked up a long, crinkly snakeskin, I was relieved it wasn’t an actual snake! Snakeskins are a fascinating way for kids to learn about the snakes that live in an area. We checked out the features of the snake to see if we could determine if it was poisonous, and we assumed it wasn’t. While the snakeskin had incredible coloring and texture, it helped us realize how much of nature we couldn’t see during our hike, even snakes. Flowers Fall offers some of the best displays of flowers before the first frost. We found beautiful purple flowers and some that were lovely, fluffy, and white. Kids are always so eager to pick all the flowers, but I gave a gentle reminder to leave some in nature so they could continue to grow. Leaves Discovering leaves of all sizes made the hike even more exciting. My daughters loved discovering gigantic leaves, and even walnuts. When we found a good place to stop and explore, the girls delighted in finding beautiful leaves that were changing color. Georgiana loves asking Siri and Alexa what the weather is like outside (you can check out yesterday’s post about our new Triby device). When the fall air is crisp and breathtakingly lovely, there’s no better way to learn about the weather than go get outside and go for a walk. Animals From squirrels to birds, you can always find fun animals on a nature hike. We enjoyed spending time feeding the goats some grass. Since our only pets are fish, it’s especially fun to see animals on a hike. Laughter Falling into a routing can get tedious. Hiking together was the best reminder that we should enjoy more time as a family. Before I know it, these girls will be too big to jump on tree stumps, and I love cherishing these moments we have together. I’ve noticed that the more time I spend indoors, the more I pay attention to negative things. When I go outside, I find that moving around, laughing, and enjoying my surroundings makes my complaints melt away, while joy replaces any unhappiness. Peace And Quiet Listening to the quietness of nature is one of the most relaxing and invigorating parts of life. So often, when I try to have peace and quiet at home, it seems impossible. When I read a book or begin to write, every movement and every little noise throws off my focus. In nature, quiet is all around, and even energetic kids wonder at the marvelousness of the surroundings. I love that I don’t need a beach vacation or a hidden waterfall to find the beauty and quietness that nature provides. Fall is an idyllic time in nature. Getting outside is incredibly invigorating and relaxing. In addition to getting great exercise, hiking offers the experience of discovering the small, beautiful things that make nature fantastic. For more parenting ideas, follow Theresa’s Reviews on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Flipboard and Youtube. Related 10 Responses Sheri @ A Busy Bees Life October 11, 2016 Awwww they are so adorable! I am glad you included laughter, peace and quiet. That is so great. We need to love life more and nejoy the great moments. Glad you found bees, they are fascinating and I love them (as you can tell by my blog name and nickname) Reply Brandy October 11, 2016 Adorable photos. I haven’t gone on a nature hike since my girls were your girls’ ages… they’re 20 and 16 now. Wonder if I could convince them to go along with me 🙂 Super cool finds! Reply Vicky October 11, 2016 That sounds like an amazing hike. As a kid I used to collect leaves in the fall. I loved getting many different varieties and colors. So fun to be out in nature. Reply Debra October 11, 2016 Sometimes it is so much fun just to stop and smell the roses and leave it to the little ones to always find the most amazing things! Reply Charlotte October 11, 2016 What an incredible hike and clearly full of adventure, I love the snakeskin, I don’t think I have ever seen one in the wild but my little guy would love it! Reply Rachel Langer October 12, 2016 This makes me want to put on my hiking boots and head to our local trail in the woods. I love hiking but I don’t always really pay attention and take it all in. Reply Ana De- Jesus October 12, 2016 You saw so much on your trail. Thankfully it was just snakeskin and not a snake itself I would have been terrified, what a fascinating experience. Reply Sarah October 12, 2016 Oooh, snake skins, what a good find! This looks like it was probably a ton of fun. I need to get my little ones outside asap! Reply Stephanie October 12, 2016 Your little ones are too cute! This is a great idea to do with the kids, I need to try this. Looks like they had a blast and learned quite a bit along the way. Reply Brittany October 12, 2016 My kids are the same way with bees! It doesn’t matter how close they are, they scream and fun everytime they see one! The worst was when on got in our car… Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
Sheri @ A Busy Bees Life October 11, 2016 Awwww they are so adorable! I am glad you included laughter, peace and quiet. That is so great. We need to love life more and nejoy the great moments. Glad you found bees, they are fascinating and I love them (as you can tell by my blog name and nickname) Reply
Brandy October 11, 2016 Adorable photos. I haven’t gone on a nature hike since my girls were your girls’ ages… they’re 20 and 16 now. Wonder if I could convince them to go along with me 🙂 Super cool finds! Reply
Vicky October 11, 2016 That sounds like an amazing hike. As a kid I used to collect leaves in the fall. I loved getting many different varieties and colors. So fun to be out in nature. Reply
Debra October 11, 2016 Sometimes it is so much fun just to stop and smell the roses and leave it to the little ones to always find the most amazing things! Reply
Charlotte October 11, 2016 What an incredible hike and clearly full of adventure, I love the snakeskin, I don’t think I have ever seen one in the wild but my little guy would love it! Reply
Rachel Langer October 12, 2016 This makes me want to put on my hiking boots and head to our local trail in the woods. I love hiking but I don’t always really pay attention and take it all in. Reply
Ana De- Jesus October 12, 2016 You saw so much on your trail. Thankfully it was just snakeskin and not a snake itself I would have been terrified, what a fascinating experience. Reply
Sarah October 12, 2016 Oooh, snake skins, what a good find! This looks like it was probably a ton of fun. I need to get my little ones outside asap! Reply
Stephanie October 12, 2016 Your little ones are too cute! This is a great idea to do with the kids, I need to try this. Looks like they had a blast and learned quite a bit along the way. Reply
Brittany October 12, 2016 My kids are the same way with bees! It doesn’t matter how close they are, they scream and fun everytime they see one! The worst was when on got in our car… Reply