by Jennifer Fontaine - There's a great, big, awe-inspiring world out there just waiting to captivate, provoke, and intrigue our kids, all while making them healthier and happier. There is an ever-growing pile of evidence that tells us, time spent outside reduces stress, encourages cooperation, raises compassion, and has even been shown to improve focus, creative thought, and … [Read more...]
From Canada to Mexico: Father and daughter ride bicycles to support childhood cancers
by Erin Kirkland - Most teenagers plan a summer of sleeping late, hanging out with friends, or a combination thereof. Katelyn Cardoza, however, has had a different agenda for months. Katelyn, 13, and her dad, Jerod are currently somewhere along the narrow, hilly Oregon Coast, bicycling to Mexico in support of kids with cancer. I caught up with Katelyn and Jerod by phone. … [Read more...]
Alabama Outdoors | Family Adventure & Fun Eats On The Gulf Shore
by Nicky Omohundro - A family beach vacation is an outdoor adventure in and of itself. Whether you are building sand castles on the beach, playing in the waves, or just enjoying the warm sun overhead, it’s easy to see why “any day at beach is a good day.” If you are looking for adventures outdoors, make plans to visit the sugar white sand beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange … [Read more...]
10 Easy Crafts For Kids Inspired By Mother Nature
by Leah Fanning - There are many ways to bring nature into your child’s life and these ten easy crafts for kids, made with all natural elements, might just be the perfect summer activity. We all know, it doesn’t matter where you go - the beach, the forest, a walk around the block - kids always come back home with their pockets filled with magical treasures from nature. So, why … [Read more...]
Snake Bite Prevention & Survival Guide
This week, outdoor blogger and mom Saskia Cameron from SniffOutdoors.com joins us to discuss snakes and how best to protect yourself and your children from a snake bite. As any outdoorsy person knows, there’s always a chance you will encounter a snake on your trek, so it’s important prepare yourself, especially when you’ve got kids with you. Do’s And Don’ts Of Hiking With Kids … [Read more...]
Camping Packing List PLUS Expert Camping Storage Ideas – Printable!
Looking for the best camper organization and camping storage ideas? Need a new camping packing list? Family car camping can be the perfect place to begin adventuring outdoors with little ones, and we're going to give you a jump start with our favorite camping bin organization ideas, a complete family camping packing list, and family camping tips. With a vehicle, parents and … [Read more...]
Hiking in Los Angeles – 15 Must-Hike Trails For Kids
by Jennifer Fontaine - Just because your tiny explorer hasn't found their hiking feet yet, doesn't mean you can’t still get outside and hit the trails. With the vast swaths of green space all over LA, from the Pacific to the valleys, there's fresh air and vitamin D on tap, and tons of kid-friendly hiking in Los Angeles. 15 Kid Hikes In Los Angeles Many of Los … [Read more...]
Camping For Beginners: 23 Money Saving Tips And Tricks
Camping for beginners is not only a great way to get outdoors and bond with family members, but it's also a fantastic way to take a budget-friendly family vacation to some of the top destinations around the world. We've invited Susan Strayer, our colleague and friend from MountainMomandTots.com and camping for beginners guru at Outdoor Mom Academy, to help … [Read more...]
Solar Eclipse with Kids: 12 Tips For Once-in-a-Lifetime Viewing
This August delivers the once in a lifetime phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. This year the path of totality (the locations where daytime will essentially be turned to night) is a 70 mile wide wave running across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. See the NASA map here. Get the #1 Selling Solar Eclipse Guide There will be solar eclipse festivals, events and … [Read more...]
26 Outdoor STEM Activities For Kids
by Sarah Benton Feitlinger - Outdoor STEM activities for kids are all around us and sometimes easier than you ever thought. Getting outside in nature is always a learning experience in one way or another. There are the obvious links to learning like the biology and ecology of flora and fauna, geology and geography. However, you may not have ever considered that … [Read more...]
20 More Outdoor STEM Activities for Fun Summer Learning
The world needs kids who treasure science, can conquer the latest technologies, and engineer brave solutions to solve the challenging problems of a new world. Outdoor STEM activities create the next generation of inventors, innovators, and leaders by opening up their minds to the complexities hidden in the beauty of nature. The basic concepts of STEM learning … [Read more...]
Pacific Crest Trail: One teen’s epic solo hiking adventure
By Amy Whitley - My son Nate, age seventeen, was 50 miles into his goal of hiking the 457-mile Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail when I received his expected nightly text via his Delorme InReach: Camping here for the night. I cross-checked his GPS location with our topographical map, noting that he’d decided to hike three miles farther than we’d discussed earlier. … [Read more...]
Gardening with Kids: Expert advice on getting your family’s hands dirty
by Linda McGurk - Gardening with kids is magical, fun, and always full of surprises. When Noreen Greimann of West Chester, Pennsylvania, was a child she loved digging holes in the dirt and watching plants grow in the gardens that her mother and grandparents carefully tended to. In adulthood, Greimann’s passion for growing her own crops only grew stronger, so when she had … [Read more...]
Our New Normal: Type 1 Diabetes in the Outdoors
by Kate Woodruff Felton - My dad used to take me camping, just the two of us. He told me that learning to be a good camper was a critical life skill. I had a purple whistle with a unicorn painted on it, and he told me as long as I had my whistle around my neck, I could go wander the campsite free and clear. If I ran into any trouble, all I had to do was blow my whistle. I … [Read more...]
Sublime Milos: A Greek sea kayaking family adventure
by Deirdre Davys - There’s something special about arriving by boat. You see the island far away in the distance. It looks tiny, then as you get nearer you begin to make out the cliffs and the tiny white dots of houses clinging to the hill tops. Picking up and dropping off passengers at other islands on the way out from Athens has already made you feel special. You are the ones … [Read more...]
Cut Screen Time and Plug Back Into Nature
Editor’s Note: Outdoor Families Magazine is proud to announce our partnership with O.A.R.S. for the #100HoursUnplugged Challenge! Join us, O.A.R.S., and partners, Children & Nature Network, Family Travel Association, National Park Foundation, Chacos, and NRS , as we get unplugged, reduce screen time, and get outside more. by Emily Nuchols - Four to seven minutes per day. … [Read more...]
Backyard Explorers
Editor note: Welcome to a new column by mother and writer Kristin Wognild. Kristin lives, works, and plays in the forests of Central Oregon and is an advocate of place-based learning. Thus, this new regular column's title "Nature's Place" should appeal to those families who desire to have a deeper connection to how, when, and where their kids learn. We hope you enjoy it. ~Erin … [Read more...]
