Do your kids love bugs, birds and other critters?
Want to find ways to get them to enjoy the outdoors?
Start watching wildlife with your kids. To learn how to make it fun to observe wildlife in action, I interview David Mizejewski for this episode of the Parenting Adventures podcast.
More About This Show
The Parenting Adventures podcast is a show from My Kids' Adventures.
It's for parents (and grandparents) who are looking for creative things to do with their kids.
The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting).
In this episode, I interview David Mizejewski, a naturalist and spokesperson for the National Wildlife Federation.
He hosted the Animal Planet show Backyard Habitat for four years, where he helped people transform their yards into habitats for birds.
He's also made TV appearances on the Martha Stewart Show, Good Morning America and many other shows.
David shares ways to make it fun to watch wildlife with your kids.
You'll discover simple things you can do to get out in nature, whether you find wildlife or you let wildlife find you.
Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below!
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Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show:
Watching Wildlife With Kids
Where David's fascination with animals started
A lifelong nature geek, David just celebrated 14 years with the National Wildlife Federation.
As a kid, David spent as much time as he could outside, running around in the woods with his friends, turning over logs, catching frogs and climbing trees. Even though his parents were raised in the city, they knew how important nature was for their kids, and moved their family to the suburbs.
David knew early on that he was interested in wildlife, plants and the environment, and studied ecology at Emory University to become a naturalist. A naturalist is a person who understands the natural world but is not a specialist, like a biologist, zoologist or lepidopterist (a scientist who studies butterflies and moths).
He's also a communicator: part of a naturalist's job is to interpret what's going on in the natural world and explain it to "regular people."
The goal of a naturalist is to get people engaged in conservation and excited about wildlife, nature and the environment.
Listen to the show to discover other places where naturalists work.
What the National Wildlife Federation does for kids
The National Wildlife Federation has two magazines aimed at kids: Ranger Rick magazine for ages 7-12, which has been around for more than 40 years, and Ranger Rick, Jr. for preschool kids (ages 4-7).
The magazines are just one way the Federation helps kids get connected to nature.
The organization also offers a variety of programs, including the Be Out There campaign to get 10 million more kids outdoors, and events like the Great American Backyard Campout, where people commit to having an old-fashioned camping experience either in their backyard or community.
Coming up next, David explains, is their fall series of events called Hike and Seek. It's all about getting families to go for walks in their neighborhoods and make it a point to observe nature.
Listen to the show to hear more about the National Wildlife Federation's programs.
Why it's important to explore wildlife
David shares the old saying: "You only protect what you love and you only love what you know." So kids need to go outside and get to know nature.
The average American schoolkid spends nearly 8 hours almost every day indoors, sedentary, in front of some kind of electronic media.
Plus, David says, by the time children in America go to kindergarten, they've already watched 5,000 hours of television. That's enough to get a college degree.
Sometimes it's important to put down the tech, go outside and look for birds or try to find a cool leaf.
