Learning and Exploring Natural Resources with Your Children

Today's kids are the prodigy of 21^st century digital technology. They play online games in a virtual reality, use iphones, Kindles, Skype with their family and friends. But how often do they get the opportunity to explore the great outdoors? Most have never ventured into a small unpolluted stream searching for tadpoles, cracking open small rocks to find fossils, or dissect an abandon beehive or wasps nest. Activities I took for granted when I was a child. They are missing the hands-on experience of environmental education.

Living in a farm community our granddaughter has the opportunity to explore her environment on a daily basis. She enjoys rolling up her overalls, wading into our local creeks and streams to collect samples of fish, snails, frogs and an occasional fleck of gold! An interesting fact about North Carolina - it was the nation's only gold-producing state from 1803 until 1828, and continued as a leading producer until 1848 when gold was discovered in California. Streams such as Little Buffalo Creek in Rowan and Cabarrus Counties, Dutch Buffalo Creek in Cabarrus County, Cabin Creek in Moore County, the Uwharrie River in Montgomery County and streams in the South Mountain area might be good places to introduce your kids to gold panning. Tiny amounts can be panned if you have the patience to do so.

Some of the ways you and your kids may enjoy learning about Western North Carolina's environmental resources.

Western North Carolina Nature Center: The center is set on 42 acre Nature Heritage site. It provides children the opportunity to study indigenous wildlife, floral gardens and aquatic wildlife. They also have an indoor center with displays and exhibits of various endangered species common to North Carolina. It provides both rural and city children hands-on experience to smell and touch regional plant life and hear samples of animal communication, i.e. the call of coyotes, the hoot of a barn owl, etc. It is also a refuge for injured and abandon wildlife, reintroducing them back into their natural habitat.

The Blue Ridge Parkway: Plan a day trip exploring the Parkway. Give each child a notebook to write down as many species of wildlife, plants and rock samples they can identify. I'd suggest taking along a pair of binoculars for up-close visual identification. What a thrill for your kids to see a mother elk feeding her calf or a herd of deer grazing undisturbed. Let them know they too are an important part of the earth's ecological balance. The Parkway has over 14 major vegetation types, roughly 1,600 vascular plant species (50 threatened or endangered), and almost 100 species of non-native plants. One hundred fifty-nine species of birds are known to nest here with dozens of others passing through during fall and spring migrations. However, our favorite activity is photographing the local wildlife, mountain flora and of course the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountains!

So turn off those electronic devices and take the family on an environmental discovery weekend trip. You'll be surprised by what you learn! To find more about how you can help your kids appreciate local wildlife and their environment contact your state and local nature centers, natural environmental agencies and U.S. National Park Service.

Source(s):
http://www.asheville.com/nature_center
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org
http://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm
Gold in North Carolina