I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, people talking and dogs barking. Our neighborhood was ALIVE! Which was odd because since winter began it’s been awful quiet outside. It was so refreshing to have the sun come out. It even warmed up enough to melt the snow off the sidewalks, hence all the activity outside. So we decided to dust off Scout’s bike and let her go for a spin.
Need a good Christmas present idea for your toddler?
While in Moab this spring I came across one of Nature For Kids favorite outdoor toys. 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.
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 gift ideas like thisbecause 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.
Nature For Kids encourages you to trade your screen time for green time this Columbus Day Weekend!
Take part in “Make Tracks”, a family trail weekend, Oct 11-13, 2008. It’s Part of the National Wildlife Foundation’s Green Hour campaign, which urges parents to give their kids a daily dose of nature, something Nature For Kids is all about!
Just go to Nature Find and enter your zip code to find outdoor activities near you. And if you’re new to the whole outdoor scene, no problem, maketracks.org provides a list of supplies, tips for family friendly activities and a link to Nature Find. Here at Nature For Kids in our hiking and biking categories we also have a wealth of information.
Here’s a bit of outdoor and experiential education from Nature For Kids…
While mountain biking this summer my husband and I had a nice talk with a gentlemen on the trail and when we parted ways he said to us, “Look for the open spaces not the rocks”. We laughed and said our goodbyes. One of the first things you learn when mountain biking or alpine skiing is that you should never focus on obstacles, like a tree or rock, in front of you because your body will naturally take you there. Instead you should focus on the open spaces or where you want to go.
I guess I should have taught this to our son before he headed out to learn to ride his bike this summer. I made the mistake instead of saying…”don’t hit that pole out there”. When he started off he was wobbly but kept on pedaling. He went 5 yards, then 10 and then 20! I was so proud of him. But then I could somehow hear what he was saying inside his little head…”don’t hit the pole, don’t hit the pole”. And what happened. He went right to the pole, like a magnet, the only obstacle in the middle of a 200 sq. foot parking lot. Here’s a short video clip of the incident.
My husband and I got to talking after the ironic event and came to a conclusion. Not only is “looking for the open space” a good rule of thumb to apply while learning new outdoor activities, it’s also a good analogy of how we should live our lives. By focusing on the obstacles in our lives we get hung up on them and have little progress. We should rather focus on where we want to go in life and hopefully get there without any major hang-ups.
Do you have any life lessons you’ve learned while in the outdoors? Let Nature For Kids know by leaving a comment!
