Written by Noelle Chao, Program Coordinator for WSA
On Wednesday, my family decided to do a nature walk at Greenbury Point in Annapolis. We played Acorn Hide and Seek while we were there. My eight-year-old son Nolan loved it!
There wasn’t time to hunt for acorns before we set out, so we grabbed some rocks from the gravel path at our house and used those as our acorns. Right away, Nolan was concerned that he would forget where he had hidden them. So, he made the decision to hide his acorns in plain sight, right on the road next to the trailhead! (This was a moment when my husband and I both had to take a step back and let him do the activity the way he wanted to do it.)
While we were on the hike, we talked about how we should be moving and behaving since we were squirrels, not humans. What should we do differently? Here's what Nolan said:
No technology! Squirrels don't have iPhones! (I had to get special permission to take mine out for photos.)
Work hard to blend into the environment.
Be on the lookout for predators and more food.
When we saw on osprey flying over the bay, we hid next to a tree. Our squirrel family enjoyed beautiful views of the Bay. We also wondered whether our acorns would still be there when we got back. Nolan was a little concerned that someone else may have gotten to them... But when we got back, all of them were still there! Success!
Later we asked Nolan . . .
How did it feel to be a squirrel? “Just like how it feels to be a human!”
What skills do squirrels need to survive? “Fastness, bravery, and skill. They should also have a good memory.”
What was your favorite part of the hike? “Seeing the osprey.”
Greenbury Point is a great local hike for families. Just make sure you check their Twitter feed before you go, to make sure that the trail is opened.
And to keep kids happy and safe on a trail, remember to
Wear a hat and use sunscreen.
Bring water and a yummy snack. No one has fun hiking when they’re hangry!
Be on the lookout for ticks. To avoid them, stay in the center of the trail and avoid walking in tall brush.
Finally, a little background on my family and the great outdoors . . . my husband and I have been taking our son Nolan on hikes and nature walks since he was a baby. Over the years, Nolan has transitioned from being carried, to riding in a metal-framed backpack carrier, to hiking 10-miles in the backcountry of a National Park. This has taken a lot of persistence on our part, since if you ask Nolan, he would say that he hates being outside. He’s very much a creature of the indoors and is happiest when he’s playing in his bedroom. It’s always a struggle to get him out of the house for anything. (Not surprisingly, he’s really taken to our family’s self-imposed quarantine!) But what my husband and I have seen time and again is that the initial struggle to go outdoors—the arguing, the pouting, the complaining, the whining—immediately falls away once we get him on a trail. Once we get moving, he always has a great time.
