Engaging Those of Short Attention Spans

Twenty-five children between the ages of 8 and 12, poured off the bus. They marched, skipped, ran, frolicked toward a Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area’s picnic shelter, joining a few others who had been transported by parents or grandparents. It was 3:30 p.m. (moments after a full day of school).

The children were anticipatory. Ready to sit down, pay attention and listen and learn? Not really! Energetic, enthusiastic, rambunctious, rowdy? Yes.

Adults were also anticipatory, notably, Katie Turkal, the University of Illinois Extension Program Coordinator for Jasper County, and Scott Isringhausen, an Urban Fishing Coordinator within the Fisheries Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Words describing those two would be “ready, set, go!”

Inviting the children to grab a snack and juice box and to be seated, Turkal began, “Let’s politely give our attention to Mr. Isringhausen who has traveled clear across the state from Jersey County to Jasper County, from near the Illinois River to near the Embarras River.”

Isringhausen seized the moment, held up a mammal’s deep brown pelt and asked, “Can anyone tell me which semi-aquatic animal once wore this pelt?”

“Beaver,” announced one child amongst a variety of shouted answers.
“Right!” declared Isringhausen. He enticed the children with big words such as “nictitating membranes” and “cambium layer.” Soon the children understood “transparent eyelids like underwater goggles,” and “a tree’s inner bark (a beaver’s favorite food).” He showed them a beaver’s incisors appearing very strong and orangish on the skull he revealed. They talked of beaver tails slapping on water to give warning of danger and domed beaver lodges made of sticks, mosses, and grasses, plastered with mud. He introduced the river otter and the muskrat, also.

Soon the children were trying to replicate Isringhausen’s rendition of a barred owl (“hoo, hoo, who cooks for you all’) and guessing the great-horned owl’s favorite nighttime snack (“skunk”). Isringhausen procured the wing of an eagle, fanned it and the children heard noisy wingbeats. But, when he fanned the wing of an owl, the children heard only the quiet.

All hands shot up when Isringhausen asked for a volunteer. Using a thick cotton cord and a large replica of a fishing hook without the sharp point, Isringhausen helped the young volunteer tie a trilene knot. To test its strength, another volunteer came forth. One held the rope’s end; the other, the hook. A tug of war proceeded. The audience hooted and cheered, rooting for the contestants. Isringhausen grabbed the “fishing line,” jerked it and safely caught the “fish” and then the “fisherman” in his arms. The children giggled at the antics.

Of course, Isringhausen was teaching about aquatic natural communities and revealing some safe, effective procedures for the sport of fishing. He encouraged the children who were experienced outdoor enthusiasts to share a bit of their own knowledge and stirred in those less experienced an excitement about nature. However, Isringhausen knew that a child’s attention span can be short and that each was eagerly awaiting the moment the rods and reels would be handed out. So, Isringhausen offered his finale, a realistic vocalization of a fox squirrel scolding a fisherman, and that sent the children into peals of laughter.

Quickly adults moved into action, overseeing the baiting of hooks and the casting of lines.

To arrange the After-school Fishing Program, Katie Turkal had coordinated with Jim Gillespie, the site’s site superintendent (now retired) and Scott Isringhausen to establish a date. She arranged for the rental of a charter bus, to be funded by the Jasper County 4-H Foundation. She asked the schools to help inform the youths (both 4-H members and non-members) and to assist in directing children to the chartered bus on the afternoon of the event. Registration by parents was mandated. A required small fee would serve to purchase the refreshments. Lastly, Turkal obtained volunteers by requesting involvement from adult community members and the experienced teenagers who made up the Youth 4-H Ambassador Team.

Scott Isringhausen’s preparation involved his drawing upon years of experience in IDNR’s outreach programming. He must assemble the visuals: tanned pelts, mounted birds and fish, posters, a jar of catfish-attracting stink bait for the children to sniff if he could get any to do so, and so forth. He needed to prepare the fishing poles which often required him to spool on new line, attach sinkers and hooks, and test the spin-cast reels. He would make a timely purchase of the bait (generally, waxworms), load everything into the state truck and drive miles, often many.

With those details given and in fear that the span of my reader’s attention is dwindling, I return you to the scene at the lake: All along the dock and the shore, children are seeing bobbers dip and feeling the tug of hooked fish. Children are being helped to learn how best to handle slippery wiggly captured fish so not to get finned and to remove the hook so not to badly injure the fish.

The fish were immediately released, that is, after cameras caught the smiles and catches. Busy volunteers and Isringhausen and Turkal untangled lines, baited hooks and took advantage of teachable moments.

“This is a bluegill; it has a smaller mouth than a green sunfish, like she just caught, and sometimes the male bluegill’s head and back are bluish, and its belly is bright orange,” mentioned Isringhausen.

“Oh, good catch! This silvery fish is a crappie. Its food favorites are dragonfly nymphs, other aquatic insects, and fry or small fish,” offered Gillespie.

“Great cast,” encouraged Turkal, as she heaped praise upon children for thoughtful conduct and safe casting.

When parents arrived, young voices intoned: “I caught a fish!” “I cast my line way out there.” “Can we come back to this park on Saturday?”

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For years, Patty Gillespie shared her enthusiasm for language and nature and got paid for it at a public school and at a nature center. Now she plays outdoors as often as she can and writes for the sheer joy of it.