Thursday, August 22, 2013

Summer days are made for water


Should I use stink bait, liver, cheese, worms, chad or spinners? Big decision.
If you have any way to get out on the water where you live, I would highly recommend it. Brady had his first motor-boat ride on his uncle - my funny brother - Dave's boat and we had an absolute blast.

We basically fed the fishies worms all day, but who cares!

I really believe being on or near water helps kids see the world from a different perspective. Even I rarely fail to learn, experience or see something new.

We had discussions with Brady about the physics and movement of water since docking a boat is WAY different than parking a car. We talked about fish and how they breathe and how we breathe. We talked about how to fish ethically and how to cast and boat safely and the pros and cons of different poles.

The air is different by water. The animals are different. The smells and sounds are different.

Here are a few ideas to get on or near water (as always, if you're on it, wear your life vest!):
  • Find a friend or family member with a boat :) Thanks, Dave!
  • Plan a weekend trip to a lake or beach and rent a boat, kayak or canoe. 
  • Take boogie boards to the beach. 
  • Go wading and searching for shells (in Florida a nature park had free wading and seining tours).
  • See if your local rec commission offers kayak or canoe lessons, where they provide the boats. 
  • Take a paid boat tour with a guide. 
  • Find a nearby lake, pond or beach and go fishing. 
  • Buy an old, used canoe or john boat and get some oars. Great exercise!
  • Check if any local parks have canoe days where kids can try them out and get rides for free. 
  • Find a local canoe, kayak, wind surfing or sailboat club and see what they offer. 
  • Find a local park with a hiking trail around a pond and feed the birds.
Water environments offers a truly different world for exploring and learning and discussing. Get out there before it gets too cold (well, unless you live in Florida, of course). 


Captain Brady and his peanut butter.
Too much fun and family bonding!

16 comments:

  1. Hi Stephanie Sounds like a wonderful time on the lake. I hadn't thought about all of the different ways that the water area is different than land. I am sure that led to some great discussions and teaching moments. Thanks for sharing, and have a great day!

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    1. Hi Regina. Life on the water is amazing, at least I think so :) It is such a different world.

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  2. It's funny you posted this because just today, my kids played out in the hose. We've been watching our water usage very closely due to our no-spend month/money saving measures but made an exception because of the heat (and I NEEDED them out of this house!).

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    1. LOL, sometimes you just gotta send them out with the hose. My mom tells me of when she, my dad and my three brothers were stationed in Japan and it rained for a month. She finally told my brothers (they are all 18 months part), go outside and play! She didn't care anymore if they got wet, she needed some peace and quiet!

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  3. There really is something about water, isn't there? We took our kids on their first motorboat ride over 4th of July weekend and they were so excited.

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    1. It always pulls people towards it. Oh, how fun your kiddos went on their first ride recently too!

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  4. We live about 30 mins from the beach (though we don't go all that often) and there really are a lot of great things that you can only find by water!

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    1. Oh, lucky you, you should go more often! I understand though. I lived 30 minutes from the beach in Florida and we only went once every 6 weeks or so. I miss it here in KS!

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  5. That looks like a lot of fun. I've never been on the water like that before. I've taken a big boat to get somewhere but not for fun. My boys would enjoy this!

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  6. Lovely pics!! That looks like a really fun trip!

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  7. Great tips for getting out to the water. It is truly one of the best summer activities.

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  8. The funnest thing I did this summer was go inner-tube floating down the river in Cades Cove, TN, while we were camping. My hubby and I had so much fun going down the river that, as soon as the ride was over, we got back on the bus that drops you off, and we did it a second time. Glad you had a fun time with your family!

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    1. Oh boy, tubing! What a blast. I haven't done that since I was a kid. Sounds like you had a blast.

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