My formative years included a number of outdoor activities that provided a plethora of knowledge.

But those lessons were not always appreciated at the time. Since my primary interest involved playing Nintendo as much as possible, my parents typically had to convince me to leave the house to go fishing, camping, skiing or even launch a model rocket.

I’ll admit, fishing was not my favorite activity as a child. Taking a ride on a boat was fun, but the actual act of fishing does not entail a lot of movement. So, since most any trip to hook a trout or bass required too much stationary time, I grew bored easily.

I haven’t been in years, but I’d be willing to bet that a fishing trip as an adult would be regarded as a bit of quiet time to not only reflect, but most of all relax.

So, while fishing, I learned patience.

Initially, camping seemed like such a bad idea, since we had a perfectly good house.

But while camping, I learned how to survive in the outdoors, about keeping trash in its place and that we should all respect nature and the beauty it holds.

Water skiing can be an exhilarating sport, but takes years to master. To be a successful skier, you need balance, physical strength and good reflexes. All of which can be gained by perseverance to take the time to learn something new.

Model rockets are a great tool to teach young people about propulsion and aerodynamics, but you also don’t want to lose fingers. As a result, I learned about proper safety techniques and how to take my time to ensure those precautions were taken.

While I didn’t set out to participate in those activities, looking back, I realize I learned a lot more being outdoors than I would have sitting in front of a television, controller in hand.