Making Sense of Questions
Just after the whassats?, but before the nuh-uuuhs, lies childhood’s Golden Age of Why. As in “Why do airplanes fly?” “Why do I need a bath?” Or the one usually offered at full voice in crowded elevators, “Why is that lady’s nose so big?”
As trying as they can be for parents, the whys do mark a relatively sweet phase of your child’s development. You’ve survived the incessant labeling of toddlerhood (“That’s a bunny, sweetie. . . . Yes, bun-ny . . . bunny, BUNNY!!!”) but still are a safe distance from the Age of All Knowledge, a phase most children enter about 6 and stay in for, oh, the rest of your earthly existence.
On Tuesday, the Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim will launch a new, low-cost program designed to help parents tap into their preschoolers’ natural inquisitiveness. Set in a 50-acre, kid-friendly environment (read: lots of dirt), the new Nature Hikes for Tykes series is intended to help children ages 2 to 5 and their parents get a grip on local flora and fauna through naturalist-led activities, hikes and discussion. The hourlong classes will meet five times, through March 11.
Using the human senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste as starting points, each of the workshops will deal with a different aspect of nature, from the plumage of area birds to the practical uses of native plants. But according to Kathy Jelin, one of the center’s three recreation coordinators who developed the program, the emphasis will be on observation and experience, not data.
On Tuesday, participants in the “Colors of Nature” class will be introduced to the various shades of local plant and bird life. In the “Textures of Nature” class Jan. 29, students will examine animal pelts, oak tree bark and other surfaces, and possibly will cozy up to a snake or opossum from the center’s live animal collection. Other classes in the series include “Music in Nature” (Feb. 12), “Fragrances of Nature” (Feb. 4) and “Nature Is Delicious” (March 11).
“We want the children to become more aware of how their senses relate to nature,” Jelin explained.
Part of each class will be spent with interactive display exhibits and in a “children’s corner” stocked with nature-themed toys and games. The balance of class will be spent along Oak Canyon’s easier trails getting, Jelin hopes, a glimpse of the locals.
The nature hikes are among the most important elements of each class, she continued, because they will allow the children to apply their newfound knowledge to the real world in small ways, experiences that should help make nature’s magnitude less intimidating.
“For example, in the Music in Nature class, we might go out and listen for the California state quail; it makes a little call that sounds like ‘be careful, be careful.’ Or we might hear the chatter of the squirrel, or stop and listen to the wind running through the leaves or water going down the stream.
“The point is to make them aware, point out the interrelationships and differences in nature, so it’s not scary.”
Parents, especially urbanites, may pick up a few pointers, as well, she added.
“It’s important for the parents to be involved in what the children are doing or learning,” she noted. “A young child may come home (from a class like this) all excited and want to talk about something like how far a grasshopper can jump. A lot of times, parents just don’t know.”
Also for preschoolers, the Oak Canyon Nature Center hosts Snail Trail, a naturalist-led nature hike for groups of 10 or more (available daily by appointment). On Feb. 13, the center will offer one of its semiannual parent-child workshops, “Sharing Nature With Your Preschooler.” For older children, the center hosts group tours, an Afternoon Adventures series for ages 6 to 10, and day camps designed for students on year-round or traditional school schedules.
