Petroglyph Hunting Spots – And A Craft

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Shawna

A few weeks ago I did a guest post over at Tales Of A Mountain Mama about petroglyphs. I thought I’d add onto that subject a little bit today at Nature For Kids, tell you some of the best places to explore and share some more pictures.

This time of year always reminds me of our families petroglyph hunting adventures in southern Utah. It’s the perfect time to go, not too hot or cold in the desert.

Here is a list of great petroglyph hunting spots we had a blast exploring. These links provide in depth info on the areas and how to get there.

Hunting for petroglyphs was a fun way to spend time as a family. It was like a treasure hunt, climbing over rocks looking for images on all the faces.

While at Valley Of Fire in Nevada we came across this pictograph

The interpretive sign called it Mystical Batwoman. My hubs began calling me that and it stuck. I hope It’s not because the crazy antennas resemble my hair. But I’ll take it…it makes me feel like some type of a super hero.

Here’s a fun petroglyph craft we made at our house recently…

Petroglyph Craft For Kids

First gather up these items…

Plaster of Paris
Styrofoam plate
String
Scissors
Plastic ziploc baggy
Butter knife
Paint (sandstone color)
Paintbrush
Pencil or Nail
Measuring Cup

Step 1

Pour 3/4 cups of water into the ziploc baggy. Add 1 1/2 cups plaster.

Step 2

Squish and squash it until all the bumps are gone and it resembles pancake batter.

Step 3

Cut one corner off the baggie.

Step 4

Squirt the plaster through the hole onto the plate.

Step 5

Spread the plaster out and smooth it as best you can. Place a loop of string inside the plaster right at the top for hanging later. Let it dry about 30 minutes.

Step 6

Paint it and then wait for it to dry completely…good time to get a snack.

Step 7

Scratch out your images using the pencil and then the nail.

TA-DAAA!

If you’re interested in learning more about petroglyphs my husband’s good friend leads guided tours of most of the areas we listed above through the Carbon County Recreation Department. Where have you come across some petroglyphs or pictographs? Share some places to explore!

petroglyph, pictograph, desert, southern utah, Utah, nature for kids, nine mile canyon,
Range Creek, San Rafael Swell, Valley Of Fire

The Fearless Cub Scout Leader

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Shawna

We’ve all heard the stories…a can of beans exploding in the campfire, an unexplained injury involving a slingshot, mini marshmallows stuck up the nose. Scouting is not for the faint of heart and requires fearless leaders.

Meet Cyril and Lapriel Welch. They are some of the bravest souls I know, for every Wednesday they meet with a large group of 10-year-old boys, including my son.

I’m impressed with the work and commitment they put into the scouting program, especially because it’s all on a volunteer basis. I believe they truly have the boys best interest at heart and I’m so grateful that they take the time to get to know these boys and teach them. Last week they learned to build a campfire and cooked a meal outside. This week they went on a hike. And before that they learned to tie knots, did some woodworking and a service project.

Kids can start the scouting program at age 7 as a Cub Scout, then go on to Boy Scouts at age 11. And at age 14 they become a Venturer where they have the opportunity to do some more intense outdoor recreation.

There are packs all over where you can join. Enter your zip code here to find one closest to you.

This video is a bit cheesy but it gives you an idea of what cub scouts is all about.

video

Dispite all those funny crazy stories i think the boys ultimately walk away with some positive character development and outdoor skills. What do you think?

cub scouts, scouting, scout program, boy scouts, fearless, outdoor recreation

Waterfall Hike And Dressing With Layers

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Shawna

We took the kids out this weekend and hiked up Waterfall Canyon just above Ogden, Utah. It’s a nice 3 mile round trip hike with an amazing focal point at the end of its winding trail, a 200 ft. frozen waterfall.

As we approached the waterfall there were softball sized chunks of ice scattered here and there on the ground. It wasn’t until we got right up to the frozen waterfall that I realized it was portions of ice breaking off from the top and bouncing down just like a pin ball machine.

We quickly went to higher ground away from the base of the waterfall so we could take in the view and the eerie sounds echoing from it. The kids were in awe and I was grateful to be sharing the experience with them.

Here’s a short video of the experience…

video

After spending the winter day in and out of the sunshine I was reminded of how quickly our body temperatures can change. And how easily it affects kids’ comfort levels and therefore the outdoor experience itself.

That’s why being like an onion is the only way to go during the winter, layers layers layers. With layers you can easily regulate your body temperature by taking on and off thin layers when needed.

Later this week I’ll be sharing with you some layering options for kids from Icebreaker. And we’ll have a giveaway for you as well. More info. coming soon!

Have a wonderful day,

waterfall, nature for kids, outdoor apparel, winter, hike, Utah, layering, Ogden, Icebreaker

Family Backpacking Trip

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Shawna

This summer we decided it was time to take the entire family on a backpacking trip. With four kids and two of them under 5-years-old we had to get creative with the packing and the transportation if their little legs gave out.

We decided to pick a familiar trail that we knew our jogging stroller could go on so #1 the stroller could help hold gear and #2 if the little ones got tired they could hitch a ride for a bit. The trail we chose has moderate elevation gain, low mileage (only 5 miles round-trip), and bonus hot springs at the end. It’s called Fifth Water Hot Springs.

video

We had to take:

6 sleeping bags/sleeping pads
cooking gear
food and water for two days
6-man tent
first aid kit
swimsuits

The three older kids each carried a 1/4 of their body weight. Here’s the breakdown…

Scout: (age 4) weighs 39 lbs / carried 9 lbs (water and food)

Kronk: (age 7) weighs 50 lbs/ carried 12 lbs (water and food)

Doober: (age 9) weighs 90 lbs / carried 15 lbs (water, food and sleeping bag)

I carried Hiccup in our Kelty Child Carrier along with water, sleeping bag, diapers, clothes and the cooking gear. Damon took care of the rest between his pack and the jogging stroller.

Favorite Food Of The Trip: Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes

The entire family gave them 5 STARS (they were so warm and yummy and all we had to do was add 2 cups of boiling water and stir)

what we also ate:

Couscous – this is warm too and doesn’t take long to prepare, unlike noodles or rice. Just pour boiling water over it and cover for 5 minutes. We added some sun dried tomatoes to it. Yummers! (they pack tight too)

Spam – I don’t like eating this at home but on the trail it’s delicious fried up. It now comes packaged in foil packets rather than just cans so it’s backpacker friendly.

Tuna – Like the spam it comes in foil packaging now too. We made it tasty using little mayonnaise, mustard and relish packets from the deli. We ate it on flat bread.

Trailmix – We like to mix cashews, almonds, dried fruit and yogurt raisins together.

Oatmeal - You can never go wrong with this. Plus it’s easy to beef up with a little bit of dried fruit.

We also brought the GoGirl along for this trip. Scout always has to go, shall we say tinkle, when we’re outdoors. No joke, at least three times while on a short hike. And part of it always ends up on the cuff of her pants. So we thought we’d give it a try. It allows girls to stand up while going pee. It was effective but awkward…I think it’s going to take some practice.

Doober also used his Deuter Fox 30 youth backpack. Which is proving to not disappoint with each outing we go on. The pack is meant to grow with him. It’s compact enough now to hold smaller loads and as he grows it has the ability to hold a lot more and adjust to fit his torso. I didn’t hear Doober complain about the pack at all during our trip so I’m guessing the fit must have been right. You’ll be seeing this more in the future at Nature For Kids I’m sure.

So overall what are my thoughts on our first family backpacking trip? Well we all managed to survive and had some fun along the way so that’s a SUCESS in my book.

The Boys’ First Backpacking Trip

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Shawna

Damon took the boys on their first backpacking trip last weekend. They went to the Wellsville Mountains beginning at Rattle Snake Canyon near Logan, Utah.

Kronk is 7-years-old and carried 14 lbs. in his pack. Doober is 9 and he carried 24lbs in his new Deuter Fox 30 backpack. Once they set out on the trail they lasted a good mile before the grunts and groans began, then some of their gear got transferred to Damon’s pack.

They eventually set up camp and continued on with just a daypack to get some more mileage in and to get a great view of the Cache Valley.

Damon admits he was a little too zealous and picked a trail that had too much elevation gain for the kiddos, at least for the weight they were carrying. But for a first time backpacking trip they had a lot of fun and learned a lot…

reduce weight of packs
pick a trail with less elevation gain
get rain gear that fits the kids
get Dad a pack goat for Fathers Day

Here’s a video recap of their experience…p.s. keep an eye out for the tusken raiders. And also Doober will be using his Deuter Fox 30 backpack throughout the summer. A full review on it will be coming soon.

nature for kids,backpacking,hike, backpack, Logan,Utah, Cache Valley, tusken raider,Rattlesnake Canyon, Deuter

Nature For Kids

Encouragement and ideas concerning wholesome outdoor recreation

Category Archives: Hiking