A walk in the woods turns into a nature lesson for kids

The beauty of green ... through the eyes of a child. I wonder how many of us stop for a moment to really look at this earth in all of its glory.

I went to my mother’s this weekend. My brother and his family were visiting from California. It was wonderful visiting and playing with my beautiful niece and nephew. Audrey, who is all of 6, with her jet black hair, sea-blue eyes and small heart-shaped mouth, looks just like a china doll. She has the wisdom and creativity of a person who has walked this earth many times before. Dylan, a blonde-haired, blue eyed, 4-year-old, has all of the spunk and energy of a jack rabbit! He has a quick laugh, sparkling eyes and an impish grin.

When their parents requested me to take the children for a walk in the woods of a nearby park, so they could go for a jog on their own, I quickly accepted. One of my favorite things to do – walking with children through a forest! Before we started, I crouched down to their level and asked if they wanted to go find treasures in the forest with me. They both gladly accepted the challenge, and off we went.

The day was already heating up, but as we stepped into the cool shadow of the canopy above, Dylan and Audrey each took my hand and our venture began. We first came to a mulberry tree. The berries were just beginning to ripen, and some purple ones were within my reach if I pulled on the lower limbs and stood on my tip-toes.

“Do you know what these are,” I asked?

They shook their heads in question.

“Mulberries,” I answered. “Who do you think would want to eat these?”

“I can’t guess!” Audrey exclaimed, grinning sheepishly.

“We would!” I said.

I reached up and began picking some of the purple, juicy fruits and handing them to the kids. They ate them as fast as I could pick them.

“Lots of other animals, too; birds and squirrels when the berries are on the tree and when they fall, turtles, skunks, raccoons, and opossums gobble them up,” I said.

When they had eaten as many as I could reach, Audrey exclaimed, “That was a really good treasure we found”! As we continued to walk, she added, “If we get hungry, we can always go back and eat more mulberries!”

We then came to some pokeberries. I showed them the red stems, how the purple berries grow in groups down a stalk like grapes. I told them they should never eat these berries because they’re poisonous. I emphasized they should never eat anything they find without asking their parents, or me. Thoughtfully Audrey added, “That’s not a good treasure.”

Along our walk we discovered many other forest treasures, Dylan found a slug and another mulberry tree. We also found a live snail on a twig, red fungus growing on the ground that was soft and felt wet, wildflowers, jewelweed and an assortment of beautiful butterflies. They walked the mile distance fully engaged and intrigued with all the earth had to offer us this day.

Upon meeting back in the parking lot, they eagerly told their parents all the treasures we encountered, with the mulberries being the highlight. It made me smile to watch them in their excitement, with their tender hearts sharing their forest experiences, eyes sparkling, faces grinning, eager with the excitement of new discovery. Is there anything better than experiencing the world through the eyes of a child?

Driving home, the memories of the weekend played over in my head as the landscape before me unrolled like an Andrew Wyeth canvas. The northern Missouri hills were washed in shades of greens and yellows. Large new bales of hay were sprinkled throughout the land casting shadows like sundials where they lay. The breeze cooled the car and filled it with the scent of freshly cut hay. A lone hawk perched high above, a silent sentinel watching for his dinner, and that of his family.

I was thankful we had this forest to walk in, and that we were raised to enjoy and respect the land. We were also raised to believe in the beauty of green, for after all – isn’t that why we all want to preserve green spaces?