With springtime comes adventure, and that often means bringing kids along. That is great because kids are where we invest of ourselves to create a better future which preserves our heritage.
Our heritage loves adventure — fishing, hunting, shooting, hiking, surfing, diving, swimming, beachcombing, bird watching, and numerous other strenuous outdoors activities. Kids need adventure just as badly as we do, maybe more so.
Be careful to tailor adventure plans to give the kids good experiences, which make them want to continue to learn and enjoy, develop strength, skills and deeper understanding of nature that surrounds them.
That means scaling your adventures to a level that kids can deal with and enjoy themselves.
Our saltwater fishing season is now open and creates awesome opportunities.
I advise against taking the kids on fishing trips that typically mean hours of trolling or soaking baits waiting for strikes.
That level of patience is probably good for adults, but kids will get bored quickly. Instead, take them on some trips where they will be catered to and the action is likely to be good.
I recommend a half-day or ¾-day trip aboard one of the boats from Santa Barbara Landing, where the kid-friendly crews will help make sure the kids learn to enjoy fishing trips.
On my charterboat, which I ran for decades, we specialized in trips for kids as well as adults. Whenever young kids are along, we often fished locally, and targeted shallow water rockfish and bass because they bite readily and therefore provide the kind of fast-paced action kids enjoy.
After an adventure or two like that, during which they hear stories about big fish which do require patience, they are likely to be ready for something more such as chasing white seabass, halibut, tuna or yellowtail. I call those glory fish, and after catching one of these, the kids will be hooked on fishing.
When taking youngsters on hikes, I recommend our local creek beds, which may be no more than a mile from home. The seasonal waterways that run through town feature miniature natural wonderlands.
The kids in my family, including the grandkids, grow up with fabulous memories of nature hikes that happen within a half mile from home and only require a couple of hours or so.
With backgrounds like that, they grow to look forward to further challenges.
Whatever your preferred adventure, introduce it to kids in small doses to match their attention span. You may be creating a buddy who helps you continue to enjoy adventures when you grow old enough to have difficulties without some help.