QUOTE: "one more thing that really works great...reward them for something they observe (finding an animal track, identifying an edible plant, pointing out poison ivy, etc) by tossing them a ziploc of homemade GORP. It's amazing how much attention to their surroundings they pay! Have a great time! "

This is a great approach that I use with my kids or my cub den on outings. I create a "bounty" for spotting various animals. 25 cents for the first kid to spot (and adult verify) a squirrel. 50 cents for a red tailed hawk. $1 for a deer etc. The bounty goes up by how rare the animal is in the area. Maybe $5 for a bald eagle. $10 for a mountain lion. $100 for an alaskan kodiak bear (they don't live here, but if one is spotted it would surely be worth the bounty). I've yet to have to pay out anything over the $1 amount, but I am always ready to pay up and the boys are much more aware of thier surroundings.

Good luck, TR