Evening Sun File Photo

I must imagine that there are a lot of parents, grandparents, and other guardians who are going to be dealing with the social distancing protocols that have been put in place and having children home from school for the next few weeks.

While the thought process that went into these decisions is good (I think), I am aware that having kids at home for extended periods of time can be hard on both the kids and the adults. If there is any positive to be seen in the light of the situation, it is the fact that the weather now has been turning and outdoor activities are possible compared to a few months ago. If you are a guardian who is looking for something to do outside to let children burn off some energy and hopefully learn something, here are a few possible options.

Shed antler hunting is a popular activity among deer hunters this time of year as the snow is finally gone making it easier to see antlers on the ground. It is always a race to find them before they get chewed on by squirrels and other small mammals. While not a definite guarantee, finding a shed antler signals that a buck survived all of hunting season and should sport a larger set of antlers in the upcoming fall. When taking kids, spread out so you cover a wider area as a group and give each kid a zone to be scanning in. Focus first on known winter-feeding grounds and the travel corridors leading in and out of those feeding areas. Once the rut is over, bucks go right to a heavy feeding routine so they will likely be in these areas when their antlers come off.

Hiking is an activity that can be done all over the county. From state parks to state land to the Finger Lakes Trail, there are plenty of hiking opportunities. Do some quick research online to determine hiking trail lengths, the steepness of the trails, and general layouts of the trails before heading out. Know what your limits and the children’s limits are. Dress in layers as it can still be chilly on the hilltops but after starting to walk you may heat up and need to shed a layer. Bring plenty of snacks and water. Remember the point of social distancing so if you go someplace to hike and see there are other people already there, either make sure you keep your distance or choose a backup location to hike. You can set a goal of trying to do a certain distance or wanting to hike to specific landmarks before kids go back to school.

Bird watching can be done at home if you have some bird feeders up (be careful if you have bears around) or at some of the county’s public spaces. Waterfowl are on their northern migration so going to a wetland can allow you to see multiple species of ducks in their bright breeding plumage as well as Canada geese and great blue herons. Be careful as the geese get territorial and can come after humans that get too close. Some of the songbirds have started singing in the mornings and more should arrive as we get farther into spring. As the fields start to green up, you can expect to see tom turkeys out strutting in hopes of impressing the hens of the area.

Fishing can be great right after ice out, especially for big crappies. The name of the game is temperature and if you can find pockets of warm water you will find crappies. Head to the north end of the pond or lake as it gets the sun’s rays for the longest portion of the day. Look for dark objects like stumps, sunken logs, or rocky bottoms. These act like a blacktop parking lot; they absorb the energy from the sun’s rays and warm up. This warmer water combined with the ability to hide close to the structure makes it a crappie haven. Small jigs tipped with curly-tailed grubs are popular. So are small minnows and worms fished on a slip bobber rig. Be ready for the light biting crappies to grab the lure as soon as it hits the water.

These are just a few options that adults have available to get kids outside to burn off some energy when they are home from school over the next few weeks. I hope some of you are able to do just that because we need to gets kids into the outdoors early in life so that they keep on using it as they get older.