Let's be honest. The challenges of teaching the young to hunt, fish, hike or camp, far surpass the challenge of being successful in the field. As adults, we have learned through experience the art of patience, the need for silence and how to stay focused. When the weather changes for the worst - we adapt. If what we are doing is not producing, we'll change flies or work a different ridge. Kids on the other hand, get cold and begin looking for something else to do - or worse, want to go home. Through experience, I have found that most youngsters have an attention span as long as the shortest worm in the bait box and stay focused half that long. It can take a long time for a fish to bite and you may go all week without seeing a legal buck. The difficult part for grown-ups is how to keep them interested long enough to actually learn something!

This isn't a "how to" article on how to raise your kids or even how to teach them to enjoy the outdoors. What I will offer however, is a bit of friendly advice highlighting some things that have saved me from going absolutely bananas on occasion. Some are simple - others require a little work. As with anything else, what you reap is what you've sewn, and a child's appreciation for the outdoors is no different.

If you have spent any time in the great outdoors, you have been cold, wet, hot or tired and any combination of them all. Keeping kids warm and dry can be a chore but remembering to bring along a change of clothes, dry socks and shoes is important for their health as well as comfort. The weather in the high desert of Central Oregon can change without any notice and a jacket and blanket tossed behind the seat or in the trunk has kept me from having to cut a day short many times. In the other extreme, hot weather brings it's own set of problems for kids. Sunscreen and a hat are mandatory items to pack for a day in the field. Bring along more than enough water or fruit juice and make sure they drink it to prevent dehydration.

Snacks like raisins, nuts, popcorn and chips will keep young minds occupied during the slow times and should be packed in addition to a lunch or light meal. Plan on taking a break from the activities and sit down, relax and recharge everyone's batteries over lunch. It can be as simple as a sandwich or as extravagant as dragging out the Coleman stove and passing on some campfire culinary skills. One successful meal I prepared that the kids went nuts over were "fish burgers." The night before we headed out to the lake, I molded some ground beef into the shape of a fish - about as long as a hot dog. I put about a dozen on a cookie sheet and froze them over night. At the lake the next day, we cooked them up in a frying pan and put 'em on hot dog buns, served with "orange worms" (Cheeto's) on the side. I still crack up thinking about the kid's reaction to eating worms for lunch! Complicated or simple, a meal will break up the day and keep things interesting.

And keeping things interesting is the hardest part of retaining a kid's attention. Face it; these days, we're competing with Nintendo and Play Station. Parking a child behind a fishing rod or in a tree stand for hours on end without any stimulation will turn them off in a New York minute. Always take a break from the boredom and engage in other outdoor activities.

On a camping trip a few years ago, I could see my son and his friend were losing interest while fishing for trout in the stream near our camp site. I knew the it would pick up in an hour or two when the sun got lower on the horizon, so I told them, "Reel 'em up boys, we're going bear hunting!" Both of them looked at me like I was crazy, but they followed me to camp where we picked up a couple pieces of rope and headed for the woods. For the next hour, we followed a game trail learning how to walk silently when following tracks, looking for "sign" and identifying plants and animals along the way. Thank goodness we didn't run into any bear, but we did see, chipmunks, quail, squirrels and a skunk!

Having your child record the trip on film is a great way to keep them occupied and will allow them to share the trip with their friends and relatives long afterwards. Cheap, disposable cameras are a great way to go - they'll take a moderate amount of abuse and even take some pretty good pictures! Help them put together an album of the outdoor photos they have taken and even send some off to a local outdoor publication (like this one!).

Without a doubt, the most important thing we can do to insure our kids develop a love and respect for the outdoors is to kneel down - to their level, and view nature through the eyes of a child. Kids are curious and every sight, smell and experience is new. Explore with them. Turn over every rock, touch every tree and smell the flowers. Enjoy the experience and have a great time. You just might learn something about nature, your kids and yourself.