I grew up in central Ohio in a town of 15,000 or so. There was a dense woods behind our house and a city park (softball fields, etc.) beyond it at the bottom of the hill. Between the woods and the park was a small stream over which we walked on rocks we relocated every summer. Wish I had that kind of balance now!
The creek -- a "run" in the local parlance -- was full of crayfish. We used to play with them, dare each other to touch one, etc. If you had told us then that people in Louisiana ate those things and that someday they would be among my favorite foods, we would have thought you were crazy. Do kids still have that much fun today? We didn't have TV so there was litle keeping us in the house, but with all the electronics every kid seems to have today, do they still explore the natural world that surrounds them?