Click to Enlarge Songs about nature are featured on the "Critter Rock" music video. Singer and songwriter Jan Syrigos uses the songs to teach young people about conservation..   Wild Songs by Jan Syrigos photography by Cliff White illustrations by Mark Raithel The creator of "Critter Rock" says jammin' with nature just came naturally. Do you ever collect acorns when they come tumbling by the bucketful from your favorite oak trees? It's lots of fun to pretend you're gathering them to help feed your family for the winter. When I was a kid, I loved hanging out in the woods, making my own bow and arrows, crawling up in my treehouse and snacking on M&M's I stashed in a sun-bleached turtle shell (don't tell Mom). My family always kept a little journal by our big picture window that overlooked our woods. In it, we recorded all the wildlife and wildflowers that we saw. Nature was my first love. My second love was music. I started playing piano when I was big enough to climb up on the piano bench. Later, after tons of piano lessons (I admit, practicing was often a drag) and a start on the guitar, I began writing songs. My first song was a little love ballad I wrote for a guy I had a crush on in high school. After that, I began writing songs about anything I was in love with at the time. So, it was quite natural for me to begin composing songs about nature! When I left home, I studied forestry in college and eventually landed a job as a naturalist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. My job as a naturalist is to teach people about forests, fish and wildlife. I thought it would be neat to end my lessons with a song that would help kids remember what they had just experienced. So, I started my first nature tune by collecting some interesting and fun facts about reptiles. I wrote down some funny rhymes and added an upbeat rap rhythm. The "Reptile Rap" was born. Sometimes I am inspired to write a song after visiting a particular place or seeing a wild animal. One spring, while wandering across an awesome prairie in Oklahoma, I saw a newborn bison calf on the horizon silhouetted against the setting sun. This scene inspired me to write the ballad "Pioneer." And it was the coldest of winter days in Southeast Missouri when I helped a 7-year-old girl spot her first Bald Eagle. Watching the eagles (and the little girl) challenged me to write, "Winter Eagle." Over time, my collection of songs grew, and so did my boss's interest in having me record them for the Conservation Department. I traveled to Springfield in 1996 and recorded the album, "Critter Rock." Since then, I've continued to sing my songs to end my lessons, but I've also had the opportunity to perform concerts all over Missouri. I was even able to perform at O'Neal Elementary, the school I attended in Poplar Bluff. My husband, George, is a naturalist too. He's also an awesome singer! Sometimes we travel together to perform. Our coolest gig was singing at Silver Dollar City for 3,000 third-graders. We all rocked! George and I also had the chance to perform for a school in Belize, Central America, when we were on vacation there. The kids played along with turtle shell drums and sea shell horns. I never could sit still in class. Maybe that's why I like to add a lot of motion, puppets and sign language to my songs. I like to think that kids can learn and groove to the music at the same time. Because we had so much action going on at our concerts, Critter Rock was easily converted into a music video. We filmed the video in Missouri's prairies, woodlands, creeks and caves. Several talented kids from a local acting club joined me in the singing and dancing. We had so much fun! The only bad part was that the filming took place in August. We might be smiling in the video, but if you look closely you might see us sweating. I'm still writing new songs about nature and people. Some songs I sing for lots of folks and others are meant only for the ears of my 2-year old daughter (sometimes our cat overhears them). I feel so blessed to be able to harmonize my love of music and nature. It's so much fun! And I love getting notes from kids who learn something from my songs. One 10-year-old summed up what I do by calling it "edutainment."