I learned early to layer in the winter. Growing up, I was always cold. Our house was drafty and we played outside a lot in winter. I would always ask my parents to turn up the heat. My father would promptly ask me how many layers I had on. If it was less than three, the answer was a guaranteed no.
Now that I'm a parent, I totally get the layering question. Each kid is different and will need a...
If you love to hike but run short on ideas when the snow starts to fly, here are some great ways to enjoy the winter with your entire family. And if you need a few good reasons why you should brave the winter cold to go outside and play, here’s some motivation.
1. Some basic outdoor winter fun ideas include going on a scavenger hunt, building a good old-fashioned snowman, or a snow fort. You c...
“And Into The Forest I Go, To Lose My Mind And Find My Soul” ~ John Muir
Camping with kids can sometimes feel like we are losing our minds! Although, I’m sure when John Muir originally wrote this he was not referencing parenthood, but rather a more sophisticated scene where one can tune out and find new perspective.
Either way the quote is fitting. Camping with kids in a tent, in a car, with ...
“Go outside, you need the fresh air!” I can’t count the number of times one or both of my parents would yell that phrase to me and my older brother while growing up. It was the norm for us to explore near the creek or trails behind our house, play flashlight tag with the neighborhood kids or just generally be outside whenever possible. At the time, this was fairly common for families in our are...
What is the Winter Solstice?
It’s beginning to feel a lot like winter in many places across the United States. The temperatures are dropping and the landscape has transformed into dull greens and browns as the deciduous trees are now mostly bare. Probably most noticeable of all are the short days and long nights. We are approaching the winter solstice (also known as Yule for some cultu...
The United States has some incredible protected lands open for exploration. Aside from the 63 National Parks to choose from, there are 360 other national park sites across all 50 states and US territories. That’s a whopping 423 sites (and counting) to learn about ecosystems, wildlife, history, geography, and so much more across our nation! Add in the breathtaking views and fun events and ...
Deciding to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) didn't happen overnight for us. We had been dreaming of thru-hiking for almost 10 years; we just never imagined that the best time in life to do so would be after we had our first baby, Ellie.
From the time our daughter was two months old, we started hiking regularly as a family. But hiking wasn't anything new for me and Derrick. In fact, the ou...
Sometimes the weather just isn’t cooperating, sometimes your allergies are acting up, and sometimes you just can’t (or don’t want to) go outside. Not to worry. We’ve got you covered. Here are 10 easy ways you can bring the magic of the outdoors inside with nature-inspired activities for kids.
Nature Sensory Bin
What better way to explore nature indoors than with ...
It’s that time of year. The air is cooler, the leaves are changing colors and brightening up the trees and the world around, and everywhere you look pumpkins, skeletons, apples, spiderwebs, and more adorn homes and shops. It’s autumn and Halloween is coming. Cue, the Spooky Autumn Scavenger Hunt. Getting outside and exploring nature with your kids doesn’t always mean hiking a ...
This summer, due to various circumstances, we decided to become a one-car family, temporarily, from early summer until fall. We live in Portland so it's an easy transition. Luckily, the roads have special bike lanes and whole streets are dedicated to only bikes. While I know this isn’t the case everywhere, we see this trend growing – especially electric bikes. Many cities are embracing biking a...
