by Jennifer Fontaine - According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans on average spend over 90 percent of their time indoors. All that time indoors generally means less exercise and more exposure to toxins from synthetic building materials, home furnishings, personal care products, pesticides, household cleaners, and more. Enter forest … [Read more...]
Search Results for: Jennifer Fontaine
Benefits of Juicing: Relax, Recharge, and Revitalize
by Jennifer Fontaine - Once coveted by health mavens in secret back aisles of expensive health food stores, freshly-squeezed juices can now be enjoyed by the gallon in the most mainstream grocery stores around the world. I've even been on the streets of Istanbul, where you can pay less than a dollar to appoint a gleeful Turk with the duty of juicing a vibrantly ripe pomegranate … [Read more...]
Holiday Gift Guide for the Adventurous Dad
If your dad is an outdoorsman, buying him a gift doesn't have to be a daunting test of how to find the one thing he doesn’t have and will actually want. We know that a love of the outdoors has quite a spectrum. From hunting trips out to the mountains to simply finding an excuse to spend an entire Saturday out in the yard grilling, we understand that the adventurous dad is … [Read more...]
Portugal Family Holidays: The Best Places to Eat, Sleep, and Adventure
by Jennifer Fontaine - A Portugal family holiday is an increasingly attractive option when looking for an authentic and affordable European holiday. From its beautiful, historic cities and mouth-watering food, to the uniquely welcoming Portuguese culture and hundreds of miles of stunning coastline, Portugal is the sort of luxury family vacation you've been dreaming of and you … [Read more...]
Ultimate Family Adventure Awaits on the San Juan Islands
by Jennifer Fontaine - The low-key, beachy archipelago called the San Juan Islands, which is sandwiched between the mainland and Canada's Vancouver Island, feels like a world away. But in reality, it's only a short (hour-plus) ride on the car ferry from Anacortes, Washington. The ferry stop of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is the best-known town and has the most services and … [Read more...]
Our Big, Fat Total Solar Eclipse Road Trip
Buy a Signed, Limited Edition Print of this Photograph HERE! by Jennifer Fontaine - The soft buzz of the vibrating alarm on the wood table next to the bed sounded and as I rolled over to look out the window at a pitch dark sky, my stomach fluttered with the excitement of the once-in-a-lifetime road trip we were about to embark on. It was officially our daughter's first week of … [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...]
No-Bake Triple Chocolate Energy Balls
Feel like your kids are eating ALL day long? Energy Balls are filling little bite-sized snacks, packed with protein and flavor, guaranteed to satisfy even the most voracious teen appetites. "Energy balls are pretty much the perfect snack," says Robyn Coale, RD, owner of Nutshell Nutrition in New York City. "They offer a satiating combination of protein, carbs, and fats, plus … [Read more...]
Haida Gwaii: Family adventure in the Canadian Galápagos
by Jennifer Fontaine Yáahl soared free, high above the world’s last remaining old-growth rainforest, its shrill "caw" echoing past towering, ancient spruce and cedar trees, until he broke through an opening which revealed the island's expansive beaches. There, in the sand, Yáahl, the lonely black raven, spotted a cockle shell from which he heard the faint cries of a young … [Read more...]
Hiking Food: 7 Delicious Kid-Approved Hiking Snacks
If you've spent any time at all on the trail with kids, you have discovered that delicious hiking food is a great motivator for tiny feet. In an effort to save you time and provide nourishment for your babes, we have complied seven of our favorite, kid-approved trail snack ideas, so you can get outside and have fun. ~ The OFM Editorial Team Healthy, Kid-Approved … [Read more...]
Avid4 Adventure Summer Camp: Raising the Next Generation of Leaders
by Jennifer Fontaine - 11 year old Kaitlin stood on dry, rocky ground, looking up at the top of the cliff. It seemed a million miles away. Her inner voice was on repeat, “Impossible. Impossible. Impossible!” It was the sixth grader’s third day of rock-climbing, and she still hadn’t reached the top of a single peak. Each day, the new pitches seemed to grow harder, and harder, … [Read more...]
2016 Outdoor Gear Gift Guide
Still looking for that special gift for an outdoor-minded loved one? Check out the 2016 Outdoor Families Gift Guide, filled with fabulous finds from leading outdoor retailers both big and small. From casual to luxurious, OFM's Gear Team scoured the industry in search of unique, functional, and budget-friendly gifts to place under the tree this year. Happy holidays, and we wish … [Read more...]
Outdoor Retailer Summer and #everyfamilyoutdoors
by Heather Mundt and Erin Kirkland Every year since 1996, the Outdoor Retailer (OR) Summer Market trade show in Salt Lake City has been the hub for like-minded gear heads and outdoor enthusiasts to gather in the Salt Palace Convention Center and learn about the latest, most innovative outdoor products for the following year's summer season. But this year's Market (August … [Read more...]
Transformative Art – An Interview with Stephan Wanger
By Jennifer Fontaine - The year was 1990, and I was a junior in high school. More than 50 percent of the students at my school participated in some sort of arts program from drama, speech, and debate to music and visual arts. So when we learned the School Board had voted to cut art-education funding that year by more than 25 percent, we organized a school-wide walkout. In the … [Read more...]
Celebrate the National Park Service Centennial
The National Park Service celebrates 100 years of protecting, promoting, and preserving the natural spaces set aside for generations to come. But who uses them? How many are there, and how can we get there? In 2016, Outdoor Families Magazine will be exploring national parks, popular and not-so-much. During this centennial year, we'll delve into the history of the National Park … [Read more...]
