• Stay on the trail. Don’t cut switchbacks or take shortcuts.

• When it’s a wide trail, like driving, stay to the right and pass on left.
• When you stop for a rest get off the trail if others are coming.

• Yield to hikers coming uphill. They are working harder than those coming down.
• When hiking in a large group yield to those who are alone or in a pair.

• Hikers and bikers should yield to horses. And bikers should yield to hikers as well but in most cases hikers will step aside first.
• Report vandalism
• Take only pictures, leave only foot prints
• Look for trail specific rules like no dogs, motorized vehicles or horses.
• Be friendly and polite to others on the trail

Happy Trails from Nature For kids!
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Membership is free and scheduled adventures will range from easy walks to harder hikes, from pursuing a local farmer’s market to learning how to cook with a dutch oven. The activities are endless!

Their website is really great and their calendar is filling up nicely. Go check it out! And if you’re not in the area of backcountry betties and babies create your own outdoor adventure group and send the information to Nature For Kids. I’d be happy to pass on the word to others!

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#1 Make them think it’s their idea. Give them a choice. Say, “We’re going outside today. Do you want to go to the park to play or go to the lake to throw rocks? This way it becomes a question of WHAT you’ll be doing outside, rather than IF you’ll be going outside.

#2 Everyone enjoys getting new things.Take them to the store with you and have them pick out their own bike helmet or climbing harness. It’s like when you take them school clothes shopping, it gets them excited for the first day of scool.

#3 Go out with them. Don’t just say, “go outside and play”. Go with them and make outdoor time a family bonding time. After the outdoor experience you can talk and laugh about it helping each other keep it to memory.

Our family is active in the outdoors but that doesn’t mean my kids are never reluctant to go outside. We battle the same electronic entertainment battle that everyone else seems to be fighting these days. But these are some of the things that seem to work for us. Have a great day everyone. Spring is almost here!

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One of the main products that stood out to us here at Nature For Kids was the LITTLE LIFE

products.  While browsing all the exhibits, like I said, we were able to demo a child-carrier made by them.

I know I talk a lot about our Kelty child-carrier here but I have to say I was really impressed with this carrier. Little Life  allows the child to ride a lot higher, giving them more of a view than just Mom or Dad’s head.

The buckle system is very easy to fasten as well. You don’t have to bend their little arms back to get the straps around, the straps come over the top rather than from the side.

 It seemed a lot more cushioned to me as well, and had a colorful and super soft spot for little ones to rest their heads forward on. 

We used a lot of the storage pockets during our trial run and it held a lot more than I thought it would.

Our little guy spent two uninterrupted happy hours in it. And he only got restless if we stood in one place for too long.

Little Life also makes small themed packs for toddlers to carry. They are very appealing with their butterfly wings and shark fins And they also allow you to attach a safety rein so you can keep your little one close by. They have packs out this year for older kids too.

They also make travel pop up playpens that are super light and compactable …something all parents on the go would appreciate. Just think how convenient it would be to have at the beach, in the backyard or at the park!

Overall I was impressed with their products and can’t wait to see them start showing up on hiking trails, campsites and everywhere else outdoors!
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Our kids have some fun cousins in Idaho that starred in their own home-made outdoor adventure movie. Their dad filmed and edited it to make it look amazing! Take a look.

 

That movie inspired our kids to make their own movie outside as well. They chose costumes, worked up a story line and then headed outside. Here it is.

We hope these movies have inspired you and your kids to create your own outdoor movie. Send us a link of your movie and we’d love to post it!

Nature For Kids is on Youtube. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you can stay up to date on all our movies.
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Nature For Kids is extending a challenge to you and your family for 2010…Work Hard, Play Hard!

After a recent snowstorm we went out as a family with shovels in hand to clear our driveway. It took quite a while and there were some mumbles and grumbles here and there but when we finished the kids were very proud of their efforts. They were even more proud of hitting dad with a snowball the size of a bowling ball. That launched our Work Hard into Play Hard… we had a snowball fight which ended in a massive dog pile and laughter.

 When working as a family: Let everyone participate, even the little ones. Our 3 year old could hardly lift the snow shovel so we gave her a little brush to sweep the snow off the cars. She was a little busy body and enjoyed helping out in her own way.

When playing as a family: Forget the work and play hard. Take advantage of the valuable time together to get to know each other better and create lasting memories.

Nature For Kids wishes you all a wonderful 2010, full of hard work and outdoor play!

Share with us your experiences of hard work and play as a family…leave a comment or Contact Us.
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A couple days later all was well again thankfully. We had some scrumptious left overs and we went out on a family outing in search of our 2009 family Christmas tree!

Usually we spend quite a while traipsing up and down the mountainside debating on this one or that one. This year was totally different however. We seriously parked the car and walked about 50 yards straight to ‘The One’. Dad had each of the kids take a turn with the saw and the boys hauled it back to the car.

Are you wanting to cut down your own Christmas tree this year? Well head to your local forest service office and read this Christmas Tree Hunt post that Nature For Kids shared last year. It will tell you everything you need to know and hopefully provide a little entertainment. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

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These are some of the outdoor activities Katy and Kasey like to do with their daughter Sidney, and the benefits they feel each activity has for them. 

KAYAKING- We’ll go down mellow rivers and some with very small waves.  She loves to feel the water with her hands and she learns coordination while paddling with help from us. She hated it all last year, but finally this year she absolutely loves it! 

CAMPING- This is one of her favorites.  There’s lots of hanging out family time and she loves to play with life’s natural toys like sticks, mud, and rocks.  She is just as easily entertained with those than anything from Fisher Price.  This is where she learned what “hot” is because of the campfire.  Now at home with the stove she knows right away without having to test it first that it’s hot because she can feel the heat, just like with the campfire.  Sometimes our camping trips are very rainy, but we just put a poncho on her and let her go play outside.  There’s no way she could stay in a tent all day!  Camping has been a great way for her to use her imagination and spend real quality time together. 

BACKPACKING- We did a 3-day backpacking trip when she was 1 1/2 years old.  She did amazing!  I carried Sidney and some of our stuff while Kasey carried the rest of the gear.  It was 7 or 8 miles in, camped, spent the next day exploring, and the next day hiking back out.  Sidney got to fish with Kasey for the first time and see and feel what a real fish is like. The sunblock and light covered clothing helped a lot for napping in the backpack and her youth sized mummy bag kept her snuggly warm in our 2-man tent. 

4-Wheeling- This is probably her most favorite.  She learned early on not to be afraid of the sound because the ride was so fun that it left a positive memory in her mind.  She’s still too small to wear a DOT helmet, so she wears a toddler bike helmet and goggles if it’s dusty.  She likes to point to things along the ride and more often than not is so relaxed that she falls asleep. 

SLEDDING- We use snow tubes and she calls them “wees” because we say “wee” down the hill.  She mostly goes down with us, but if it’s a small hill, we’ll put her on the tube alone. Luckily, that hasn’t scared her away from it. She’s learned to be very brave.  She likes to feel like a big girl and haul the tube back up the hill while we hold her hand.  I think giving her that job makes her feel like she’s the one sledding and that we’re not just dragging her along. 
 
Not every activity goes smoothly without tears or frustrations, but if we had given up on the first try then she wouldn’t have come to love the outdoors like she does now.  I think she’s very observant now because of the outdoor stuff we do.  A lot of times she notices things before I do.  She loves the outdoors, regardless of the weather, and is always a happier kid when she’s outside. 

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us here at Nature For Kids Furniss Family. It will be fun to see what Sydney is like when she’s older…I’m sure she’ll always have a love for the outdoors because of your efforts of getting her out now. Your family is a great example for us all! To read more about families like the Furniss’ go to the Family Outing page and get inspired!
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