Take a Kid to the Autumn Woods
By Jim Finley and Sandy Smith
Autumn is a glorious season! Think about those really special times you've spent in the woods at this time of year: cool days; crisp nights; wonderful colors; enticing smells; falling leaves. No bugs! Autumn has so much to offer.
Recall your autumns past. Likely you go back to sometime in your youth, when someone took you into the woods or fields. Perhaps that person took you by the hand or carried you into the outdoors and you reveled in the season and the time you spent together. You might associate autumn with the "skreetch - skreetch" of a rake making piles of leaves to cushion your tumbles. You might recall the cool evenings when a sweater was just the ticket to keep you warm, but you felt the chill on your face as you looked up into a clear sky, full of twinkling stars. There is nothing like walking in woods under a dazzling blue sky, leaves slowly floating like colored snowflakes on a chilled wind, smelling the mold of leaves on the forest floor.
Research repeatedly has shown that we make memories and build affinity to the outdoors through our association with other people who enable the experience. Who took you to the woods? Was it a parent, grandparent, neighbor, or family friend?
The health of our children is frequent fodder in current headlines, news reports, magazines, and books. Research is demonstrating strong links between childhood mental and physical health and time spent in the outdoors connecting with nature. Today's youth spend countless hours engaged in virtual worlds or communicating with "friends" through social media. Where will this leave them in regard to their appreciation and understanding of the outdoors?
There's still time to make a difference, and much cause for hope. You don't have to travel far in Pennsylvania to experience autumn. City parks and streets, local to where you live, can provide an invigorating experience. Or, if you are lucky, there are nearby forested parks or private woodlands you can visit and enjoy. Rather than bemoan the passing of summer, go out and enjoy the changing seasons, and take a young family member or friend with you and introduce them to the outdoors. As you walk, pick up fallen leaves and fruits, see their colors and shapes. Look for autumn flowers; they often come in purples, whites, and yellows.
It's more than likely the child you take along will welcome the chance to explore a real world, one that stimulates all the senses: autumn's chilling air, wonderful smells, bright colors, tactile objects, and unpredictable sounds. Ask and encourage them to experience the outdoors with you.
You can be the catalyst to initiate a time of discovery and memory building and become a partner in discovering an autumn day or night this year. Don't miss your opportunity.
Upcoming events for Northwest PA (Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, and Warren Counties):
Wednesday, October 13. Forest Ownership Through the Generations: Forest Land Succession Estate Planning Workshop. 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Held live at North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, Montmorenci Road, Ridgway (Elk). Video Teleconference available in Westmoreland and Bedford Counties as well. Registration $25 (includes lunch). Contact Elk County Cooperative Extension, 814-776-5331 or elkext@psu.edu, to register.
Tuesday, November 2. Timber Taxation Workshop. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Structural Modulars, Inc., Strattanville (Clarion). Fee is $120. Visit: http://sfr.psu.edu/public/.pdfs/TaxWorkshops2010.pdf for registration information.
Saturday, November 6. PA Chapter: The American Chestnut Foundation: Chestnut Gall Wasp, Strip-Mine Reclamation, Service Learning, and Haun Orchard Tour. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mercer County Cooperative Extension Office, Mercer, PA. Registration $10. Call 814-863-7192 to register.
Photo by Frances Bove Sweeney
Autumn is a glorious season! Think about those really special times you've spent in the woods at this time of year: cool days; crisp nights; wonderful colors; enticing smells; falling leaves. No bugs! Autumn has so much to offer.
Recall your autumns past. Likely you go back to sometime in your youth, when someone took you into the woods or fields. Perhaps that person took you by the hand or carried you into the outdoors and you reveled in the season and the time you spent together. You might associate autumn with the "skreetch - skreetch" of a rake making piles of leaves to cushion your tumbles. You might recall the cool evenings when a sweater was just the ticket to keep you warm, but you felt the chill on your face as you looked up into a clear sky, full of twinkling stars. There is nothing like walking in woods under a dazzling blue sky, leaves slowly floating like colored snowflakes on a chilled wind, smelling the mold of leaves on the forest floor.Research repeatedly has shown that we make memories and build affinity to the outdoors through our association with other people who enable the experience. Who took you to the woods? Was it a parent, grandparent, neighbor, or family friend?
The health of our children is frequent fodder in current headlines, news reports, magazines, and books. Research is demonstrating strong links between childhood mental and physical health and time spent in the outdoors connecting with nature. Today's youth spend countless hours engaged in virtual worlds or communicating with "friends" through social media. Where will this leave them in regard to their appreciation and understanding of the outdoors?
There's still time to make a difference, and much cause for hope. You don't have to travel far in Pennsylvania to experience autumn. City parks and streets, local to where you live, can provide an invigorating experience. Or, if you are lucky, there are nearby forested parks or private woodlands you can visit and enjoy. Rather than bemoan the passing of summer, go out and enjoy the changing seasons, and take a young family member or friend with you and introduce them to the outdoors. As you walk, pick up fallen leaves and fruits, see their colors and shapes. Look for autumn flowers; they often come in purples, whites, and yellows.
It's more than likely the child you take along will welcome the chance to explore a real world, one that stimulates all the senses: autumn's chilling air, wonderful smells, bright colors, tactile objects, and unpredictable sounds. Ask and encourage them to experience the outdoors with you.
You can be the catalyst to initiate a time of discovery and memory building and become a partner in discovering an autumn day or night this year. Don't miss your opportunity.
Upcoming events for Northwest PA (Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, and Warren Counties):
Wednesday, October 13. Forest Ownership Through the Generations: Forest Land Succession Estate Planning Workshop. 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Held live at North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, Montmorenci Road, Ridgway (Elk). Video Teleconference available in Westmoreland and Bedford Counties as well. Registration $25 (includes lunch). Contact Elk County Cooperative Extension, 814-776-5331 or elkext@psu.edu, to register.
Tuesday, November 2. Timber Taxation Workshop. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Structural Modulars, Inc., Strattanville (Clarion). Fee is $120. Visit: http://sfr.psu.edu/public/.pdfs/TaxWorkshops2010.pdf for registration information.
Saturday, November 6. PA Chapter: The American Chestnut Foundation: Chestnut Gall Wasp, Strip-Mine Reclamation, Service Learning, and Haun Orchard Tour. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mercer County Cooperative Extension Office, Mercer, PA. Registration $10. Call 814-863-7192 to register.
Photo by Frances Bove Sweeney
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