Source
r/daddit•
Iremember56Kbps

Told my 4 y/o to 'explore' after he said he was bored...

Story

Yard work with lil man can be tough for me because he wants dad's full attention (only-child). This morning I set out to do a bit of pre-spring cleaning out back. I knew he'd be hanging with me since wifey went out for a bit. After cleaning up fallen sticks/branches, transferring some fresh soil, and clearing some shed space he slumped his shoulders and said 'Dad, I'm boooorred'. I told him 'go explore a bit.'

We have some green acres out back and my yard goes back about 50 feet into it, half-fenced. He would take about 10 steps, look back and yell 'There's nothing heeeeeeere'.... 'Keep exploring, son', I said over the next 5 minutes. All of a sudden I hear 'DAD!!!! I FOUND SOMETHING!!!!' I ran over pretty pumped that he was so excited. Under a log, there was a ball of string, dryer linen, and some chewed up paper. Out of a tiny hole in the balled up materials you could see a small snout sniffing. It was a mouse.

Lesson time!! It turned into a half hour on all things mice. Hibernation, what they would eat, why it was under the log... it was a dream come true for my extremely curious brain to feed his. That was 3 hours ago and a request to explore more has not stopped since. It was an incredibly warming, unexpected feeling; a little thing that no one would ever tell you was a benefit to being a father to a young curious boy. Today was an awesome dad day.

Have a great holiday dads, thanks for letting me share.

Posted Feb 19, 2023, 9:20 PM UTC

23011
NycteaOwl•

That's awesome, dude. We found a pair of Robins nesting in an old cinder block in our garden last year, was sweet to keep tabs on them (from a distance of course) and show the kids how birds feed and take care of their young - their curiosity can be super entertaining and inspiring!

29
Frognosticator•

It bares sharing on this topic, Carl Sagan’s thoughts on encouraging the natural scientific curiosity of children, and the profound questions they ask.

25
pressurepoint13•

Things I purchased/used/made to my kiddos that inspired curiosity, helped to occupy time constructively when you need time/space to do something important and most importantly encourage/strengthen our bond:

  1. Kids metal detector - bury some change and other items for a “treasure” hunt
  2. Magnifying glass - get one with an LED light
  3. Binoculars
  4. Give them their own small sunny space in the yard for a garden. If you don’t have the space a planter is more than enough. I like sunflowers bc they don’t require much care. It’s also very cool for them to see something grow that fast. I let the squirrels/birds eat half and harvest the other half. Gives the kids an appreciation for maintaining balance in the environment.
  5. Make a birdhouse. I remember the first one we made was somewhat of a disappointment bc it didn’t attract any birds to nest. But then we did some research and learned the reason why. Helped them to understand that you learn through failure as well as successes. The next time we chose a better spot, and most importantly made the correct size entrance and we had a family of finches last year.
  6. Cut/find a couple dozen tree branches/limbs, preferably 2” or so wide…build a “fort” (which can be as simple as just leaning them up against a wall)
  7. Plant dill/parsley and wait for the butterflies to lay their eggs. Eventually I would put a box with the sides made of mesh/screen over it and you can watch it hatch as caterpillar, grow day by day, become a chrysalis and eventually release once it has emerged as a butterfly. This has become an annual tradition.
  8. Time capsule
  9. Recycling - egg cartons and plastic bottles cut in half as seed starters; untreated scrap wood always becomes “building” materials. I gave them small hammers/nails and showed them how to use them safely. Or I would predrill holes so they can join using screws/screwdriver. Add some wood glue, paint and voila something pretty simple that they will treasure and look at with pride.
1
JtBk2015•

This is really great!

9
Evernight2021•

That's awesome! Can't wait to do this with my son!

3
Putrid_Response_4•

I have done similar things with my kids, this story is really great.

I also recently got a cheap set of eye loupes (magnifying glasses) from Harbor Freight. They have been good… you can see a lot more small things with them.

3
Basileas•

that's so awesome dude, can't wait til mine is old enough to start exploring

2
nymalous•

Tremendous!

There's a little bit of wonder thrown in there too. For most adults finding a mouse in the woods isn't exactly thrilling, but to a kid who has never really experienced that before the world seems like a magical place.

1
vikmaychib•

And I assume you did not do shit in your yard because you were being a great father.

1
pnw_diabadass•

,R

-8
pnw_diabadass•

Told my 4 y/o to 'explore' after he said he was bored...

t

-8