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| On the Trail in the Valley of the Giants |
Peak your children’s interest in family vacations with attention-grabbing questions. Like a math equation, you need to factor in the age of all children present.
It was the 7th grader, the realist, who finally rolled her eyes. I saw her considering my husband’s words first. “Dad,” she said. “There are no real live giants. That’s just pretend.”
The young twins, on the other hand, were holding their breath, their blue eyes eager for some real giants.
“And they’re in,” he hesitated long enough to pop the children out of their seats to surround him.
“Where, where, where?” They chanted.
“In California.”
Squeals of delight filled the dining room as the children danced around the table. Then our son suddenly stopped the parade.
“I don’t think I want to hug one,” he said, the twins bumping into his back.
“You’ll want to hug this giant,” I told him. “You’re a tree hugger, like me.”
“What?”
“These giants are trees, the mighty Sequoia trees,” I informed all the children.
Once you get the children hooked, have them do a bit of research because sometimes with children, seeing is believing. In the old days this meant a trip to the library. Not any more. Now we just pull up the internet and search for Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park.
“The largest living trees in the world,” our oldest daughter read.
“These trees are thousands of years old,” the realist told us.
“That’s right,” I said.
Once the children saw these massive evergreen trees in real life, these broccoli-topped giants; their mouths hung open nearly as wide as the tree trunks. The children did in fact hug the soft cinnamon-colored bark of these gentle giants, even though they could only reach about four feet of the 68 foot circumference.
One trip to these magnificent National Parks is not enough. In the cacophony of life, it may be that nature is the only place to find the peace needed to turn inside oneself to reflect on what’s important. What do you think? Peace and inspiration can be found in many places. I could spend a lifetime in the Giant Forest and never be bored.
Let’s hope those in charge of the United States government come to an agreement soon so that visitors may enjoy the beauty of our national parks.
That's something I would definitely like to see Victoria Marie – a 68' diameter tree. I can't begin to imagine what that must look like. I have just looked online and it states that they grow to almost 300' tall.
I think the days of the library are numbered now with almost everything accessible on the internet. It's a pity as reading books was always one of my passions, especially while on holiday.
Bill
http://www.walksintameside.co.uk
These magnificent Sequoia trees made my family feel like tiny ferns on the forest floor. Any photograph does not do them justice. They must be seen in real life to be totally appreciated.
I agree with you, Bill. I love to relax with a good book and I love to browse the library and search through the stacks, reading back covers, looking at photographs, learning new facts, discovering new authors. Let's hope the library's days are not numbered.
Thank you so much, Bill, for visiting my Camping with Kids blog. Please stop by again.
Wow! These trees are amazing. Are they really that big?
A hush fell over my talkative children. All of our mouths hung open as we gazed skyward. The sheer magnitude of one of God's many miracles silences the usual chatter of a family of seven.
Thanks so much, Michelle, for visiting my Camping with Kids blog. Please stop by again.
I think your children are going to be pretty knowledgeable regarding the natural world when they grow up. That of course will be a compliment to your husband and yourself Victoria Marie.
Bill
http://www.walksintameside.co.uk
Thank you so much, Bill. I believe the children did learn about nature from all we have done and continue to do. I see it as we visit parks or nature in general. And I enjoy it immensely.
Thanks again, Bill, for visiting my Camping with Kids blog.