Take It Outside In 2009

Nature For Kids would like to share our outdoor adventures of 2008 with you. Take a look at the video we created below…

As you prepare for the New Year, we here at Nature For Kids hope you have a new found desire to take it outside in 2009. Resolve to take a family outing each week. As always, Nature For Kids will be here throughout 2009 to give you encouragement and ideas for wholesome outdoor recreation with your family! Enjoy!
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Winter Wear For Infants And Toddlers

Layers: This is the most important principle for enthusiasts of any age. The colder the weather, the more layers needed. Your baby will generally need more layers than you will, since he or she is not as active, therefore not producing as much heat. Start with one-piece undershirts and work your way outward. Synthetics like fleece are better than cotton, which is deadly when wet. For really cold days, be sure the outermost layer is wind- and waterproof or water-resistant. A snowsuit with a nylon shell and a heat-generating inner layer like fleece or wool (stack layers so that itchy wool won’t irritate your baby’s skin) should do the trick. If your child gets too warm simply take off one layer.

Heads: Humans lose more heat through their heads than anywhere else. This is especially true for babies, who have proportionately bigger heads than adults. Don’t be afraid to use more than one hat, and hats inside hoods. Cozy-fitting fleece hats with earflaps protect the head, ears, and much of the neck. Velcro straps at the bottom of the hat are always a help keeping them on. This sort of hat makes a great combo with a hooded snowsuit. The fleece provides a warmth layer while the snowsuit helps keep out any wind.

Hands, feet, and legs: All of these extremities are places where the body loses heat fast. For babies, use snowsuits and fleece coveralls that have coverings instead of openings for the hands and feet. Under the one-piece, use extra mittens, socks, tights, or long underwear in cold weather. You’ll typically want something wind- and waterproof as the outermost layer, and remember that whatever you use, little boots aren’t always warm and often come off easily. Periodically check for any places where air might get to your baby, such as the face or hand or shoe openings of coats and pants. Make sure skin stays covered on cold days. Also keep track of runny noses, which can add to cold-weather discomfort.

Avoid the glare: Remember to protect your baby’s eyes. Glare can be especially bad on snow, so consider a pair of sunglasses or UV-protective goggles for your tot. Sunscreen might be needed as well.

Front packs: Front packs provide more of your own body heat and natural protection to your child than do backpacks. When using a front pack, it’s easier to keep a baby’s face protected from the wind, since he’s facing you. Another advantage to using front packs is that you can actually see your child. If you do use a backpack it will be helpful to have another person present to check that your child is happy and warm.

Testing: It can often be tough. You can’t ask a baby, after all, and you can’t always depend on signals. Crying is helpful, of course, but cold babies don’t always cry. Your child may even be sleeping through the cold. Periodically test your baby’s warmth by touching his nose, cheeks, or fingers. At the end of each adventure, as you unbundle your child in indoors warmth, immediately test his hands and feet, particularly to see if he’s been dry and warm. This is the test of whether your outing has been successful and will give you clues to what may be needed on your next winter trip.

Always stay in familiar territory: The last thing you want to do is get lost with your infant on a cold day. And if your baby is fussy, turn back. This isn’t the time to tough things out.

Keep outings short: The shorter family outing you go on and test layers in various temperatures, the better sense you’ll have of your baby’s cold-weather needs.

If you liked this post on winter wear for infants and toddlers you may enjoy these others from Nature For Kids:

• Winter Gear For Kids
• Exercises To Prepare For Snow Sports

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Pinecone Birdfeeder

This winter let’s give the birds something to chirp about. Nature For Kids wants you to make a pinecone birdfeeder! Here’s how…

What you need:

Pinecone

Peanut butter

Birdseed

String or ribbon

The idea here is to have a fun excuse to get outside and observe nature.

• First things first…get bundled up and head outside. Go for a hike and hunt for pinecones. It will be a fun family outing!
• Fill a bowl with a couple scoops of peanut butter and another with birdseed. Once you have your pinecone roll it in the peanut butter. Your hands will get messy no matter what so just have fun with it.
• Now roll the peanut butter pinecone in birdseed.
• Once that’s completed tie a long piece of string or ribbon around the pinecone, leaving enough string to tie to a tree near your house. Put it in a place where birds can access it and you can observe it easily.

If you’re a visual learner check out this “how to” video we made just for you here at Nature For Kids.

These pinecone birdfeeders would also be an inexpensive and unique holiday gift idea for neighbors during this Christmas season. Just place it in a cute baggy and write a clever poem to go along with it.

If you liked this nature craft for kids you’ll probably like the Nature Box Activity. It’s another great reason to go on a family outing.
Free Shipping over $45.00 at Altrec Outlet

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Christmas Tree Hunt

Are you ready for the family outing of the year? It’s time for the great Christmas tree hunt of 2008! There are two ways you can go about it…

Option #1: Go to the garage and search through the mounds of stuff until you find the heavy dusty box. Open it to find a once $200 squished and mangled fake tree…along with other things (cob webs and petrified mouse turds) Mount it on a stand inside and spread out all the branches and limbs. Plug it in to find out the pre-strung lights no longer work. What a joyous and memorable occasion!  

Option #2: Go to your local forest service office and give them five bucks for a permit. Pick up some free hiking guides and informative outdoor literature while you’re at it. Enjoy a scenic ride through the forest. Exit the vehicle to the overwhelming aroma of pine and fresh cool air. Hike amongst the tall swaying trees and soft pine needle floor. Search for the perfect tree that will grace your living room throughout this Christmas holiday. Smell the sawdust as you glide back and forth with saw in hand. Wait! You need a family picture before you tie it to the top rack. Bring the tree along with its reminiscence of the days events into your living room. Enjoy the outdoors in your home for weeks to come!

You may have noticed that I’m a bit biased when it comes to a Christmas tree hunt. For the past 8 years my family and I have cut our Christmas tree down ourselves. It’s a family outing that encourages nature for kids and one that I could never do without!

Important things to remember:

• Be dressed in appropriate winter gear
• Don’t forget a saw and tie downs
• Objects in forest are larger than they appear (it may not fit in your living room)
• Have an emergency kit in your vehicle
• Four-wheel drive is always nice
• Follow Forest Service guidelines (some trees are not to be cut down and others are encouraged)
• Be sure no critters hitch a ride to your house on the tree 
• Rather than take your tree to the dump consider composting or mulching your Christmas tree at home or use it as firewood for those summer camping trips to come. Maybe plant a tree in its place as well.

Have a great Christmas everyone and I hope we’ve encouraged you here at Nature For Kids to go on your own fun family outing. I leave you now with a tribute to “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation”. Oh the things we can all learn from Clark W. Griswold.

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LIKEaBIKE

Need a good Christmas present idea for your toddler?

While in Moab this spring I came across one of Nature For Kids favorite Unique Baby Gifts. I saw a toddler scooting around on this wooden bike with no pedals. He would run straddling the bike and then balance and glide across the ground. He looked like he was having so much fun that it made me want one for myself. For how small he was he was maneuvering the bike easily and was going pretty darn fast. When I got home I went straight to the computer to find out more about it.

I discovered LIKEaBIKE! Check it out…

Prepare to throw out the rickety training wheels and hard to pedal trikes. LIKEaBIKEs provide the necessary first step for little riders (ages 2-5). They don’t need pedaling skills first, they need balancing skills. What’s so fun about LIKEaBIKEs is that it provides toddlers a way to go fairly fast, making it possibe for toddlers to keep up with the rest of the family on long walks . Most of the LIKEaBIKE cruisers are made out of laminated birch wood. They also all feature adjustable seats.  Need more reasons to convince you to buy one?

At first all the LIKEaBIKEs looked the same to me, but there are some differences. I went through them all and widdled the differences down for you. Here they are…

Mountain - Most popular bike featuring pneumatic tires for better traction and control on ground that gives.

Spoky - Comes with real spoked metal rims.

Jumper - Made out of aluminum and has rear wheel suspension

Mini - For those itty-bitty tots that want to start earlier than most.

Forest -Considered the Like A Bike masterpiece. Only design made from beech wood and has a dark green cotton seat.

Race - The first Like A Bike on the scene from 1997. Features solid hard rubber tires.

Midi and Maxi - Created a little larger for those older kids who just don’t want to let go of their nice ride.

And to fully trick out your LIKEaBIKE you can add some of these accessories…

• mud flap
• light
• trailer
• bell
• leather seat
• kick stand

I love these Unique Baby Gifts because they totally encourage Nature For Kids, something all of us parents should seek for. So add this to your list of must have gifts for kids this Christmas.

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Exercises To Prepare For Snow Sports

Nature For Kids would like to share a great winter resource with you today. There is a website called Winter Feels Good  that encourages winter sports (snowshoeing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing) for old and young. It provides equipment information, How To information and interactive online exercises to prepare for snow sports.  

You and your child can work on things like balance, strength and agility together. Each snow sport has it’s own specific exercises. The exercises are led by four fun cartoon characters

  
Snowshoe Roo, X-Wolf, SnowBall and Snowboarding Beaver

Nature For Kids loves snow sports and the idea that it gets kids outside during a time when most want to stay in the house. So take a look at Exercises to prepare for snow sports  and then head outside! 

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Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp

Unique baby gifts are hard to come by. Everyone has a blanket or binky to sell. But if you have a gift to buy this holiday season for an outdoor minded parent and baby Nature For Kids is here to tell you the Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp is the way to go!

I give these as gifts all the time because I have some of my own that my kids have used, abused and loved!

Features I love the most…

• Odor Proof: If you find it at the bottom of a backpack from your last outing and it’s still half full of aged chocolate milk, you can dump it out and wash it up without having the odor lingering like in most water bottles and sippy cups.
• Spill Proof
• Super Tough: The Grip-n-Gulp can be dropped, thrown and washed in the dishwasher multiple times and never wear out!
• BPA Free: There is a big controversy on if BPA plastic bottles are safe. Nalgene took BPA out of the equation and is now using Eastman Tritan so parents don’t have to worry.
• Carabiner Loop: Attach to anything with a quick clip of a carabiner.
• Easy Grip: It’s easy for little hands to Grip-n-Gulp.

I usually get a Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp for baby and fill it full of chocolates for mamma! Then tie a bow on the carabiner loop. If you’re looking for holiday gifts this would be a great stocking stuffer as well! They start out at $6.00.

For more ideas of unique baby gifts subscribe to Lil Papoose . They’ll send you ideas straight to your email address.

Here at Nature For Kids there is a great post about hydration for kids that you may have missed. There’s also a post about why Nalgene is phasing out their water bottles made of polycarbonate. They’re definitely both worth taking a look at.
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Green Language

The kids of today have a language all their own, “LOL” and “BFF” being a big part of that wacky condensing of the English language.  I personally haven’t caught on but my children aren’t teenagers yet so I’m sure my time is coming.

There’s another language rising with this new generation as well. It’s a green language. Understanding a few key “green” words will help them be effective in taking better care of the world we live in.  

Green Language Words by Nature For Kids

Biome: The major regional ecological community of plants and animals - desert, forest, swamp, etc.

Conservation: The protection, management, and responsible use of valued natural resources such as soil, water, plants, and animals.

Ecology: The “scientific study of” the distribution and abundance of life and the interactions between plants and animals and their natural environment, or ecosystem.

Ecosystem: The complete community of living organisms including plants, animals, and microorganisms; and nonliving elements including soil, rocks, and minerals; as well as surrounding water sources and the local atmosphere.

Economics: The social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Forage: The plant species, usually grasses, consumed by herbivores (grass eaters).

Habitat: The place where plants or animals live.

Multiple Use: Part of a federal law mandate (1976), defined as the “Management of the public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people,”

Native: A plant or animal growing or living in the geographic area in which it originally evolved.

Niche: Functional role of a species in the community, including activities and relationships.

Recycling: Taking used materials and making them into new products in order to prevent the waste.

Reducing: To make smaller, as applies to waste, shrink the amount of waste produced by a person or a society.

Reusing: refers to using an item more than once.

Stewardship: An attitude or a dedication to doing the best we can for the soil, water, plants, and animals. Being a good steward means leaving the land and other natural resources for use by future generations.

Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Print this list of green language words off and review it with your children. It’s a great way to encourage Nature For Kids.
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Chaco Sandals For Kids

Parents Nature For Kids is here to ALERT you to the awesome sale price on Chaco Sandals for kids (toddler sizes too)! It’s a seriously good deal. Take advantage of it now before they run out! Visit the Gift Shop at Lil Papoose It’s full of deals!

The chaco sandals for kids are $14.99 for select colors and sizes. They also qualify for free shipping if you spend over $25. These sandals are usually $50! It’s out of control!

These chaco sandals are exactly what kids need for their next outdoor adventure and would be awesome holiday gifts. Check out more unique baby gifts at Lil Papoose!
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Lil Papoose

Check out the unique gift ideas over at Lil Papoose. They talk about unique gift ideas for nature minded parents and their kids. Something we’re excited about here at Nature For Kids. Here’s an idea of the fun things they spotlight!

They spotlight a lot of unique baby gifts and kids toys, like the wood toys and bikes you see above that will encourge kids to get outside. Lil Papoose is just starting out but will soon be a great resource in time to come.

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