European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 182007 seen e stars and s tripes paces family nurture Childs thirst for nature you dont have to be a scientist and you dont have to Bury yourself in books or spend hours on the internet to nurture your Childs curiosity about the natural world so what should you do to encourage your budding naturalist first go out Side with your kids say naturalists and other experts who work with children where outside anywhere it Doest have to be Pristine Wilder Ness it Doest even have to be a Park says Stephanie Raymond Educa Tion coordinator for people for puget sound a Seattle based environmental education and advocacy group Holly Roger a naturalist at Tennant Lake interpretive Center in Ferndale Wash agrees saying of parents they do not need to be the resource i think some parents Are intimidated because they dont know anything about nature so what if you dont know much whats important Roger says is what you and your kids find the answers together Here Are nine other ways to encourage your darwinist remaking Courtesy of Raymond Roger and Sandra Palm director of the Marine life Center in Bellingham allow your children to spend unstructured time outside let them use their imagination play and interact with the elements without having a game plan says Roger whose son who almost 3 relax let them get dirty if you want them to have an appreciation for nature you have to As Well that includes spiders and other Crit ters that give you the willies try to lower your Freak Factor so you dont Transfer that fear Roger says if parents show respect and curios turn off during outings at the interpretive Center Roger and fellow naturalist Jim Edwards work to keep a Childs sense of wonder or magic intact for As Long As possible she says we have a Plant called Marsh cinquefoil which has leaves that turn Silvery when dunked under the water it never fails to impress the kids do i Tell them that the Silver lining is caused by a thin air Bubble trapped by the hairy leaves Only if they Are old enough we usually just introduce it by saying its a magic Plant it turns Sil ver Belu Cham Amelia Vonbargen left and Martenka Lukhart 5 take a look at the creatures living in a tidal Pool during a trip to the Marine life Center in Bellingham Wash outings dont have to be take a walk around your neighbourhood to rather than fear and violence for nature their children Are More Likely to follow their example she explains it is very fun to Check out that weird Bug on the Rosebush and figure out what it is together for example that Bug on the Rose Bush the one that looks like a tiny Orange and Black Alligator it May be the larva of a Ladybug Roger says dont Load them Down with facts depending on their age children will get them to think because kids sometimes lose interest in a Plant or creature after learning a name Roger encourages them to go beyond the whats that question she asks them what would you Call it or Why do you think it is that color during car outings turn off the did player in your automobile and tune your children to the outside world instruct them to Point out a deciduous tree a coniferous one or three types of Birds says Raymond who has a 7yearold daughter encourage them to use All their senses to observe the natural world Palm says not just their eyes then have them draw pictures or write about their experience take your Young ones to interpretive centers aquariums and other places with programs about the world around them bolster their outdoor adventures with kid Friendly web Sites and Field guides Roger likes the Golden Field guides for families with Young children they Are cheap Small have great pictures contain Cool natural history bits and explain concepts in understandable ways r don11 dare disconnect an online mom 3 1 d cd a i cd b q sometimes the Day today responsibilities of being a goddess can get even the Best of us Down especially when faced with a list of tasks that seem equally Mun Dane that when you have to decide which is More important cleaning the sink in the kids bathroom or going to the commissary i was recently faced with that decision Only to discover that my computer was screwed up it was a Friday morning which made my decision easy time was ticking until the computer geeks in the area called it a Day and didst report Back in until monday i could not begin to imagine being disconnected for two whole Days it could drive me to do something Desper ate such As getting a Library card so i Pam could use one of the computers there i managed to find the business card of my very favorite computer Geek who took care of the problem so quickly i was Able to beat afternoon Rush hour at the commissary the bathrooms could wait until saturday every time i have computer problems i realize that my family has become More dependent upon the internet than the last time i  connect in not complain ing As it eliminates Many errands and Telephone Calls that took up the time of my Peers 30 years ago All those times my Mother had to run to the Bank when i was a kid she could have been taking care of her banking needs online i can Only imagine How much Telephone time moms everywhere Are saving now that so much information is at our fingertips for the couple of hours i  get online i was unable to find a Telephone number i needed and  track an order on ups doing so Over the Tele phone would involve listening to a re cording waiting pressing a number and repeating the process a half dozen times its so degrading to have a phone stuck to my ear while being forced to endure bad music i feel much More comfortable Tanta tapping away at my computer while rocking out to my own selection of tunes before the computer Guy arrived i decided to look up something in the yellow pages that How i discovered that Many businesses list a web site address not even bothering to print a Telephone number anymore i shut the yellow pages Book in frustration and did my Best to wait patiently he arrived quickly and worked his magic while i stared in amazement in a writer so i have to have a working computer i reminded myself when i paid the fee for a service Call at any moment while ordering some thing from Amazon or looking for directions on map quest i could be suddenly inspired to Start that bestselling novel Ive been meaning to write How could i possibly do that with a screwed up computer now that Imback online and All is right with the world again i might con Sider working on that Book but first i need to make lunch and fold some clothes that Are sitting in the dryer these tasks Arent really work its just what us housewives do for fun thank goodness we have a Handy Little thing called the internet to make our jobs easier a Mother of three boys Pam Zich has moved eight times in 16 years of marriage to her Marine corps husband they have been stationed in various locations including Okinawa California Texas and their current Home in Springfield a email her at or find the Zichos online