My daughters, ages 9 and 6, can鈥檛 pass up a claw machine full of prizes without feeding it dollar bills. The return on investment is abysmal, but they still crave the excitement of dipping that hunk of metal in a pile of stuffed animals in the hopes of snagging something. This year over spring break, they discovered that fishing with their grandmother triggers the same dopamine effect as a claw machine, but it only costs the price of a handful of worms and pays out听more often.

While fresh fish dinners may be reward enough, there are plenty of other benefits to teaching kids to fish, like building skills and confidence while bonding in nature鈥攏ot to mention stress relief from work and school.

鈥淲alking to the pond, carrying tackle, and the motion of casting鈥攖hat exercise alone is great for the body,鈥� says听, an angler and fishing ambassador in Richmond, Virginia. Risch, who says her grandfather took her fishing when she was still in diapers, has made a career working with organizations and brands to promote fishing on social media, especially encouraging more women to take up the sport. 鈥淏eing present in nature offers an opportunity for kids to learn about the ecosystem and how humans can help protect it,鈥� she adds.

Maybe you have a few fishing memories from childhood and would like to share that experience with your children but feel intimidated by your lack of expertise and equipment. Here鈥檚 your reminder that fishing is a pretty simple recreational activity, and you can dabble in it without buying out the local Bass Pro Shop.

Teaching Kids to Fish: Before You Go

Do Kids Need A Fishing License?

Fishing license requirements vary by state, but often children under 16 don鈥檛 need one. Check your before setting out.

Ask A Seasoned Local For Advice

If you have a friend or family member who fishes regularly, take advantage of that resource. They may be able to brief you on good fishing holes, the best bait, and local regulations. Don鈥檛 be surprised if they get so excited about encouraging young anglers they offer to lend you equipment or act as a guide.

Scope Out Fishing Maps

If you don鈥檛 know a local fisher and are not sure where to go, check out TakeMeFishing.org for an of fishing locations near your home and beginner tips on equipment and identifying fish.

鈥淧ick a place that has easy access鈥攍ike a park鈥攖o the water, bathrooms, and other activities you can do,鈥� Risch says. 鈥淚f the fishing is slow, allow the kids to go for a walk to explore. Pack snacks or a lunch to enjoy between casting.鈥�

Use Pre-Fishing Activities to Get Your Kids Excited

Need to build confidence before committing to the water? Try these pre-fishing activities to build skills and excitement before your fishing day.

> Practice casting in the backyard or at the park. No hooks allowed for safety reasons. Instead, use a weighted casting plug on the end of the line so kids can get a feel for the casting motion. As their technique improves, put out a towel or hula hoop for a target so they can improve their casting aim.

> . Lines break, hooks have to be replaced, it鈥檚 a fishing fact of life. With enough practice tying fishing knots, your kids will easily be able to replace their own hooks without interrupting your fishing flow.

The Kids鈥� Fishing Gear You Need

You should be able to get everything you need for a simple fishing trip at Walmart, a sporting goods store, or on Amazon. Consider this your essential kit for teaching kids to fish:

> Drinks and snacks, because keeping kids fed and hydrated is the first rule of any outing

> A lightweight kid鈥檚 fishing rod; a bamboo pole with no reel is adequate gear for many cases, and should cost less than $10.

> Barbless hooks, which are shaped like a smooth, pointed 鈥淛鈥澨� and are easier to remove if something (or someone) gets snagged

> A bobber; also known as a float, this is a plastic ball in contrasting colors that floats on top of the water while the bait and hook hang below. A bobber gives new anglers a visual cue that fish are biting. 鈥淏obbers are a great tool for kids to watch and understand how to catch fish. It keeps them entertained and excited about the process,鈥� adds Risch.

> Live bait like worms, grubs, or crickets; if you are in a popular fishing location, you should be able to pick up live bait from a tackle shop or supply store nearby. If not, you can order live worms from Amazon or Walmart and keep them in your fridge until you are ready to fish.

> Pliers to remove fish from the hook

> Old towels or wet wipes to keep the 鈥渋ck鈥� from worms and floppy fish under control

> Sunglasses and sunscreen to protect eyes from glare off the water and prevent sunburn

> A first aid kit for soothing bug bites or bandaging scrapes and other common risks associated with outdoor activities

> A whistle to alert wandering children who are exploring too far from the pier

Tips For Teaching Kids to Fish: On the Water

Exercise Patience

Temper your expectations for your first fishing trip. Kids may lose steam after five minutes of watching a float bob. 鈥淢ake it about the overall experience, not about just catching fish,鈥� Risch says.

Rig Up Your Kid’s Line for Them

Risch recommends that you, as the parent, rig up an easy bobber and live worm set. Prepare your child鈥檚 line with a baited hook and a bobber or float set to suspend the hook one to four听feet underwater. Help them toss their line in the water, and all they have to do is watch the float.

Show Them How to Set The Hook

They will soon be able to tell the difference between a float bobbing over the pond鈥檚 ripples and the nibbling of a hungry fish. The trick is as soon as they see the bobber go underwater, they should firmly snatch the end of their pole up to 鈥渟et鈥� the hook.

When the fish are biting, this bob-and-snatch cycle can make for an exciting round of 鈥渃law machine鈥� action in nature. However, the kids may prefer watching tadpoles at the water鈥檚 edge until you get a bite.听Again, patience is key.

Make A Game Plan for Next Time

At the end of the day, if you hear 鈥淐an we do this again?鈥� you might be on your way to becoming the family fishing expert. The next step is to try a new spot, test a new piece of gear, or check out your local outdoor store for lessons or guided fishing trips.

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My backyard is littered with art supplies, polished rocks, cardboard boxes, and containers of all sizes. The flower beds are overgrown with massive cucumber plants, spindly rosebushes, and tomatoes that no one remembers planting. A garden gnome guards the compost pile, herding worms to do their job. A tiny My Little Pony stands atop the climbing dome.

I sit at the shaded picnic table, amused by the outdoor space my children have created, daydreaming about what our small green space could become, and half out of my mind from fighting off the swarm of mosquitoes.

I am not very outdoorsy.

But I am a seeker. Since I became a parent eight years ago, I鈥檝e turned again and again to books, to communities, to wiser friends, asking, How can I give my kids a relationship with the outdoors when I barely have one myself?

My resources have expanded recently through , a national outdoor education program that offers classes and at-home projects that encourage kids to play and learn in nature. It was founded in 2012 by former schoolteacher Meghan Fitzgerald and her husband Brian.

I discovered Tinkergarten in 2017 through a . It came back on my radar at a time when I was desperate for resources to keep my kids busy, but too overwhelmed to come up with ideas on my own: early in the COVID-19 pandemic. By June 2020, my kids had been home all spring, and I wanted anything that could engage them without much cognitive input from me. That鈥檚 when Tinkergarten released a free eight-week 鈥渟ummer camp鈥� of virtual programming, exactly what I needed to keep my daughters, age four and seven, busy for part of their long summer days at home.

One of the first activities we did for Camp Tinkergarten was collecting nature treasures. My children have always done this naturally鈥攑icking a flower, pocketing an interesting rock, transforming the perfect stick into a magic wand. For Camp Tinkergarten, their nature treasures would be the inspiration for art, engineering, and problem-solving activities. I sent the girls on a backyard mission to collect as many nature treasures as they could fit in a shoebox. The oldest returned with rocks and acorns, drawn to compact tokens she could sort by attributes: these are smooth, these are green, these are bumpy. My youngest collected bright green leaves and fistfuls of flowers, saying, 鈥淔or you, Mommy,鈥� as she tucked them in the treasure box.

Prior to the pandemic, Tinkergarten offered weekly nature-based classes for kids between age two and eight in all 50 states. Families would meet up at parks or other green spaces for an hour of outdoor play facilitated by local Tinkergarten leaders. The organization also maintained an active dialogue between families and staff through a Facebook group and by asking parents for feedback after every session. That back-and-forth听played a role in how the company evolved during the pandemic.

鈥淢ore than ever, families needed to connect,鈥� said听Fitzgerald. 鈥淎nd听many Tinkergarten families still really wanted Tinkergarten. So we designed, tested, and refined a way to inspire community and nature play with a live touchpoint that takes place online over Zoom鈥攚hat we now call our At Home version of Tinkergarten.鈥�

I signed my family up for a 12-week season of Tinkergarten鈥檚 virtual classes in January 2021. On Tuesday mornings, my girls gathered their 鈥渘ature treasures鈥� and other supplies and joined their class via iPad from the dining-room table. They thrived in the playful environment.

While my seven-year-old was in virtual first grade with rigid behavior expectations, kids in Tinkergarten were encouraged to be active, experimental, and curious. It was a relief to watch her serious school face melt into a pure fun face. Because we were strictly isolating at home, this was one of few opportunities my four-year-old had to interact with other children and adults, even if it was limited to Zoom. It became glaringly clear to me that she needed different voices and interaction. And I really needed to see those other families, messy tables, laughing toddlers, and patient group leaders to remember that I was not alone, even when I was, in many ways, totally alone.

Parenting small children can be very lonely even in the best of times. The minutiae of kids鈥� routines sap so much time and energy that, occasionally, signing for the grocery delivery is your most meaningful contact with another adult all week. I watched the class leader coordinate a group of Zooming kids with such patience, and I felt a shift inside me, from constant guilt and overwhelm to acceptance that other people could fill in the gaps if I met them halfway.

Fitzgerald understands the pressure on parents to give their kids every experience. 鈥淪o much of our lives we measure ourselves against ideals,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut if we are truthful about what will help us and, more importantly, our kids to thrive as we grow, it鈥檚 to be real鈥攖o set realistic goals, be kind to ourselves, and just get out there.鈥�

Tinkergarten returned to in-person play sessions in July 2021, but it still offers a Zoom-based, at-home option too. Fitzgerald realized early in the pandemic that parents like me were hungry for nature-based activities to do at home.

鈥淲e saw our mailing list quadruple in two months, and suddenly were able to reach families all over the country,鈥� she said. In addition to offering virtual classes, Tinkergarten will continue to create its of ideas for outdoor play.

My kids returned to school this fall, and I now outsource a large chunk of their play and learning to the school community. But Tinkergarten is still present in our lives. I check the monthly calendar for ideas to add to our walks and park visits, and collecting nature treasures has continued to be part of our outdoor rituals. A new roly-poly bug听friend might join us for half a block while a giant bamboo shaft lives in the backyard for weeks in case it鈥檚 needed for dragon slaying.

I keep my eyes open for other community connections that will form the skeleton of my children鈥檚 experiences with nature. My daughters have also started learning about gardening and composting through the work of a local nonprofit called , which teaches kids how to grow plants in community gardens and also how to build their own gardens at home. We are still harvesting peppers from the backyard. In our gardens we have learned patience, taking action today and waiting to see results. We manage disappointment when a seed fails to sprout, and accept compliments from neighbors when our artichokes bloom into bizarre purple satellites over the sidewalk.

Communities like Tinkergarten and Gardopia allow allow families like mine to try new things without too much fear of harm or failure. No matter the venture, the experience of other people听creates training wheels for those less experienced. They give us balance to safely travel further.

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