Whenever we go to El Dorado, our local Nature Center, there are a few things we always do. The first is walk along ‘The Stepping Stones’ at the entrance. ‘The Stepping Stones’ is a little stone entrance wall. It is a highlight for my kids to balance along it. Mr T thinks he is oh-so-very clever that he can now balance along the whole length without holding my hand. ‘In The Beginning’, I used try to hurry them along ‘The Stepping Stones’, eager to get to the hiking part of the walk. But, now that I am a little wiser, I let them get their fill on this beloved attraction… why rush such a fun activity. I sit on the ledge and ‘oooh’ and ‘aaaah’ as they walk up and down, down and up. It is a joy to watch their concentration, their daring, their delight in their own agility.
Look at how hard Mr T is concentrating…
So, our ‘favourite things’ aside, I always try to introduce something ‘important’ for us to do on our walks. We have looked for shapes in nature, colors in nature. This walk, we made a list of things we wanted to see.
Here is the list…
K set to work enthusiastically, marking off the treasures she found…
A spider was on the list and it was Mr T who spotted this beauty. Look at the view from his kitchen…
We definitely weren’t expecting Mr T to find this little guy…
Mr T couldn’t believe his luck when this baby lizard happily walked onto T’s hand. T proudly showed him off to the rest of us…
K couldn’t miss her chance to hold the ‘tiniest little lizard we have ever seen in our whole lives’ too. She wanted so badly to take him home with us for a pet. I reminded her of the story of ‘A Fairy Went A Marketing’ and the rule that we can only hold wild creatures for a little while before letting them go back to their mothers and fathers. K dutifully let our baby lizard go home.
I love watching my kids love nature. This photo made me smile as it is so typical… K is sprinting down the hill and Mr T is sprinting behind her, trying to keep up…
As they ran, they ‘whooped’ in joy, I think a little loudly for this grumpy fellow!
I always feel refreshed and refueled after a hike and my kids and I get on so well for the rest of the day, wish we could live in the woods and be a forest family.
Blessings and magic.
10 Responses
What a joyful walk! So nice to get out in nature and see all the beauty. I am glad you all found the tiny lizard…he’s so cute! :)
I would like to be a forest family too! There is always so much going on there and lots to see. I loved the little lizard – amazing!
Love & Life
Sara
Me too! I always feel energized after a walk in the woods! And I always send the trees my loving energy. What a gift to find a lizard friend!
Thanks for sharing this!
Lisa
What a dear little lizard!
Oh, how I LOVE the checklist idea! We’ll be copying that great idea.
I so love the woods. They truly fill me up, and return me to all things balanced.
Nice checklist! you are always so full of ideas!!
I also love nature and kids are loving nature.
How WONDERFUL to have seen that little lizard, and your list is a fabulous idea – I sometimes do this for shopping trips but we need to brush up on our prep for nature walks too. Thanks!
Ohmygosh, what a totally small world… I work as a naturalist @ El Dorado!
I love the little lizard. Have never seen one of those little guys before! Cute checklist.
Lisa :)
oh I love that they make a list…we’ll have to try that next hike! And that lizard is oh so sweet…I always have to pick them up and play with them too, tee hee.
Jamie :)