Clammers unite! How often do you have the chance to hunt for your dinner while watching the Maker’s hands spin the crashing surf? You can enjoy a delicacy: the sweetest, most tender clams you’ve ever had. And you can give your children a taste for what’s involved in finding and preparing their own meal courtesy of God’s creation.

First, find a beach. Whether hailing from the Atlantic or Pacific side, you’ll be able to capture clams. Check local weather conditions and locate a promising shore. Clams are scooped from the moist sand at low tide and ready and waiting year round. Depending on the variety, your clams may be hard- or soft-shelled. You and your kids will find them chewy and tasty. To steam them, fill a pot with about one to two inches of boiling water, then cover and steam the clams over an open fire until they pop open—at least six minutes to assure thorough heating. Throw away unopened clams and enjoy the rest with sautéed garlic and onions. Add a bowl of macaroni and cheese and some fresh fruit and your oceanside meal is complete. You’ll fall in love with the flavor.

Too often we simply order a meal or throw something in a microwave. Rarely do we have to enter into the behind-the-scenes prep work of bringing food from prey to plate. We appease our appetites without trouble or sacrifice.

Clam digging gives your gang a chance to reconnect with each other and have some wet, sandy fun. Plus they see for themselves that there’s work involved in putting daily bread (and clams) on the table. Hunting for hidden clams works up an appetite. In an age of all-too-available, all-you-can-eat buffets, you’d do well to teach your kids to catch their own food for a change.