Waterfall Hike And Kate’s Real Food

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Shawna

We have a waterfall on the mountains behind our house. It’s just a little guy but it’s cool just the same. This last week we did a cousin swap. Doober went to the Phamdamily house (Youtube sensations!) and their son Gickos came to stay with us. So we decided to hike up to our backyard waterfall so he could take a look.

Here’s a little visual recap of the experience…

This is everyone scrambling to keep up with Scout. As usual she tried taking the lead, “You guys are slow pokes!”

Kate’s Real Food provided the sustenance for these little guys to make it to the top.

Kronk and Gikos taking a break sharing a Tram Bar.

This is at the top of the waterfall. The kids decided this wasn’t good enough. They all wanted to be right at the bottom of it, so we had to do a little exploring to find a good route to the base.

Heading back down was a little more tricky than going up. The kiddos quickly learned that bum sliding was the easy way down the steep loose dirt and rocks.

This is Damon and Hiccup peaking around the corner at the waterfall. Since he was packing little man in the child carrier I scrambled down to make sure it was doable and to help spot the kids as they crossed over to the base of the waterfall.

We made it! HOORAY!

Damon said, “I’ll give each of you a dollar if you touch the rock behind the waterfall.” Gikos was the first to go and the others followed shortly after. They were a bit wet on the hike home but the next day we of course hit the snow shack…money bags.

At the end Hiccup thanked Dad for the comfy ride by giving him a fist bump!

The snack we had, Kate’s Tram Bars, were sent to us from their location in Driggs, Idaho (oh my heart I love this place). The Tram Bar is the original bar Kate created. She has several to choose from now. Each bar is made of all natural, organic ingredients, things you can actually pronounce, imagine that. The shelf life isn’t as long as a twinky of course but it lasts a few months and can be frozen for a long time too. We all liked it a lot, even the kids! They’re priced a little steep at $3 a piece but honestly they fill you up like you just ate a full meal. So they’re great on the go and especially when you’re exploring outside like Nature For Kids !

We loved having Gickos with us…he’s just as ~~crazy~~ funny as his mom and dad. Check out their families 200th vlog! I’m warning you it’s addictive! And if you’re interested to see what Doober was doing while at their house watch this …

nature for kids, Kate’s real food, Tram Bar, waterfall, hike, phamdamily, Driggs Idaho

Cocklebur Man

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Shawna

OK first off I have to admit I had to spellcheck the word cocklebur. I’ve said it a million times but never had to type it out. I grew up calling them cacaburs. Uh…yeah I grew up calling a lot of things differently. Ambliance ambulance, fruit and cotton-tail fruit cocktail and the list goes on.

Enough with my childhood, let’s get on with it. During a recent hike with the kiddos I looked down and realized we were all covered in cockleburs.

And Kaiser the dog didn’t escape their clutches either. He lodged a bigger one right in his grandpa beard.

I guess I’m not suprised. By the end of summer this should be expected. Everything is drying out and these annoying hitchhikers are excited to travel to new places.

Once these cockleburs were brought to our attention we began to see them everywhere and what their plants looked like. There were several different kinds, extra small to ginormous. My creative son got really excited and started collecting them…”MOM they’re like legos”. He went on to build this killer cocklebur man.

If any of you are interested he is now selling it on ebay for a mere $100.

Although cockleburs are overall unpleasant I guess they do have some redeeming value. In my book about medicinal plants it says that the leaves of the plant can be used to make tea in order to get rid of diarreah. Now that I think about it my Cacabur pronounciation was right on target!

I found a great site about cockleburs that you can check out if you want more indepth info on this natural velcro.

nature for kids, outdoors, hiking, cocklebur

Find A Trail – Share A Trail

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Shawna

If any of you are like me, when I find a place I like to explore I tend to go there over and over again. It’s fool proof. You know what to expect, what to bring and it rarely disappoints.
landscape arch hike
But every once in a while I get the itch to find a new place…that next perfect hike or camping spot that I’ll take my kids to over and over again, where their childhood memories will be made.
hiking girl
I recently joined the Sierra Club Trails website. It has helped me find several new great hikes I want to take my kids on. Hikes that are right in my area. It is rapidly turning into a killer comprehensive hiking and paddling trail database.
hiking with dad
The part I like best about it is that all the trails are put on there by the readers. And you can add pictures and give updates to previously posted trails like…”this trail had recent fire damage” or “this trail has seen lots of bear activity lately”. That way you can be up to date on every hike.

You can also join groups that talk about anything from bird watching to hiking with kids (me gusta).

nature for kids - landscape arch

Anyway, I encourage you to check it out. Look for some hikes in your area. I have added some of my own already. *Landscape Arch in Arches National Park (That’s where these pictures I’ve posted were taken.) But don’t forget Nature For Kids has its own Forum as well, where we’d love to hear about your favorite spots and what you like to do there.

nature for kids, Sierra Club Trails, hike, hiking, Landscape Arch, Arches National Park,

Framing Nature

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Shawna

Here’s another outdoor activity for you to try with the kiddos! It’s called Framing Nature. We did this at our last Nature For Kids outdoor playgroup.

I started by asking: Have you ever taken a picture with a camera?

If you have a camera let each child take a turn looking through the lens.

Tell the kids: When you look through the lens there is a square around the item you are taking a picture of. This square is called a frame.

Make frames out of popsicle sticks or tongue depressors by gluing the ends of four in a square…like this.

With your frames go for a hike and have the kids pretend to be taking pictures of the things they see with their frames.
Discuss with the kids that when we go hiking outdoors we should, “Take only pictures and leave only footprints”.

For the next part of the activity take a large rope (about 6 ft. long) and tie the ends together. Stretch it out over the trail in which you are hiking on so that it looks like a frame. Have the kids look inside the frame and tell you if they see anything living or moving inside of it. If it’s a well established trail there should just be rocks and dirt.

Next move the rope frame off to the side of the trail where there is lots of vegetation. Again ask the kids to look for anything living or moving inside the frame. YES! …Inside our circle there were ants scrambling about and different kinds of plants growing.

After this activity I pointed out that we should always stay on trails when hiking. If we find ourselves hiking on living things we should return to the trail so we won’t hurt them.

Nature For Kids thinks this Framing Nature activity is a fun, simple and interactive way to teach Leave No Trace principles.

If you’d like some more activities to try out click on our Education or Crafts For Kids categories.
nature for kids, framing nature, outdoor adventure, activities for children, activities for kids, leave no trace, kids activity, hike

Dog Gear

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Shawna

It’s hiking season. Do you have the kids’ gear ready? How about your dog’s gear?

Nature For Kids wanted to highlight some great gear out there that’s made specifically for dogs, gear that will make the outdoor experience for your dog and you much more enjoyable. Because no family outing is complete without the dog!

Collapsible Dog Bowls

These are a great alternative to bringing along your large hard-shell feeding bowls. They take up much less room and can be carried by you or you dog (if your dog has a backpack). Look for one that has a cinch-top so food can be held inside easily without spilling. Also look for a waterproof liner allowing you to pour water inside without having it leak out everywhere. I would recommend getting two bowls, one for water and one for food.
The Ruff Wear Cinch-Top Bowl

is a great product that has all these features. The Medium is $14.95 and the large is $19.95. Small bowls are also available.

ruff wear food bowl ruff wear water bowl

Dog Backpacks

When looking for a dog backpack you want to be sure it has enough adjustment areas to make the pack fit your dog perfectly so chafing or discomfort won’t occur. A three-point harness system is usually used. Ventilation material on top is also a necessity. Some type of reflective material is also a plus for seeing and finding your dog at night. A handle at the top of the pack is also helpful for dog owners to help lift the dog over slippery rocks, thick brush or other obstacles. You also want a leash attachment on the pack.

Be sure before buying your dog backpack that you review the sizing chart thoroughly to make sure you get a pack that fits your dog well. There are a variety of packs out there. Some are made specifically for long trips in the backcountry with hydration systems built in and others are made for your average day trip.

ruff wear backpack
This Ruff Wear Approach Dog Backpack

is on sale for $29.97, originally $69.95. Medium and Large sizes are still available. To learn more about this item click on the link above and then click on ”video” which is located at the upper left corner.

Other items available for those dogs belonging to active outdoor families are:

Dog Coats (helps them stay warm in snow, rain and wind)
Booties (to protect feet from cuts and burns)
Lifejackets (for extra protection on the water)

Other Nature For Kids posts you may enjoy:

Dog Days Of Summer

Doggy Boarding

dogs, nature for kids, hiking, outdoor gear, dog backpack, dog bowl, Ruff Wear

Nature For Kids

Encouragement and ideas concerning wholesome outdoor recreation

Category Archives: Hiking