What can you do with your child to encourage their curiosity while they ride in a stroller on a walk or on a jog?
A lot of how we interact with nature on a jog involves pointing out things we see as we go around. Whenever we run over the slough, we almost always see a few ducks or a beaver. When we run through the bushes, we see birds. There is on place that we usually get attacked by a hummingbird.
We usually pick up a rock or a pinecone some time along the run.
We run through the fountain on warm days.
When we hear birds calling out we call back to them. My favorite source for learning bird songs is BirdJam.com not only do they have audio of different bird songs, they also have the song written out for you to learn.
This is the song of the robin (link takes you to birdjam page so you can hear it):
Cheerily, cheeriup, cheerio, cheeriup
I know from experience that a toddler can learn to sing “Cherily, cheeriup!” When he does it at the doctor’s office as they ask him to identify pictures, it really impresses the nurses!
Lately I have been running a set course to try and improve my time. Since having a child, I have learned that there is always enough time to stop and watch a beaver in the pond or to watch an eagle slowly soaring higher and higher.
Children CAN explore nature from the viewpoint of a jogging stroller or a kid carrier backpack.
