Greening Sam and Avery

the rockies with our little ones

There is no way I can sum up this trip in words. Where to start? 

Well, I will start by telling you why you should take your kids where we went!

We backpacked in the Rainbow Lakes area in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. It was a bit tough to find a campsite that wasn't too close to the lakes but once we found one it turned out to be great for the kids. The hike in was super easy for the girls, even carrying their own backpacks. And the campsite was a quick hike away from several different lakes; lots of places to explore! 

And the views from anywhere in the area were just incredible!

And if catching critters is of interest to your little one these lakes are FULL of great critters. We could see leeches, waterboatman and caddisfly nymphs just be looking down into the lake. 

So the setting that Uncle Craig picked was pretty perfect for little ones! 

There was lots of family time, good food, exploring, cousin bonding and reconnecting with the outdoors. 

We did have a bit of weather issues...hail, lightning, thunder and lots of rain.

But knowing what has been happening all around Colorado we were all just fine with the wet weather! Plus it forced all eight of us into one tent for cards and games which led to lots of laughter and fun! 

*This last photo is taken from the top of Mount Evans which we drove up so the kids could really get a sense of what the top of a mountain looks like!

We had a pretty incredible time! 

To see all of our photos from the vacation check out my facebook page. 

travel day one - a book to get me ready

I am on VACATION!  WOOHOO!  Which means I wrote this post several days ago and scheduled it to go up so that I could take a break from the computer and make memories with me kids! Sure they are just riding in the car memories at this point but still we are on VACATION!

The car is loaded down with all our camping and backpacking gear plus all the clothes and extra things that we need just for a great visit at Uncle Craig's house in Denver. The girls could not be more thrilled about this trip and excited about all the things that we have told them we will be doing. They have NO idea just how many hours they are about to spend in the car...I decided it was better to surprise them with that fun! HA!  

This is a much needed break. A much needed recharge for our family and our first big camping trip as a family of four. Chris and I have both camped all of our lives and we have both backpacked before we were together and as a couple. SO I am so excited to do all of this with the girls and get to experience all of this as a family. With hopefully many more of these in the future.   

But, before any of this could happen I needed to get ready. Which for me meant reaching out to all of you for advice! Go here to see all the great posts that were linked up and be sure to add your own if you have one! Thanks so much to Creekside Learning, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Curly Bug,  Adventure Tykes and No I Will Not Carry That Rock for linking up and giving me so much great advice! 

Getting ready also meant I needed to find a good book. And I found a great one!

The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping With Kids by Helen Olsson. I got lots of great advice for what to pack, what to expect and advice on how to handle different situations from this book. The most seasoned camper or backpacker may not need the gear section but if they are taking along their kids for the first time they may really need the "Five Ways to Curb Whining" section. And an early childhood educator may have no problem keeping their kids entertained at the camp site but may really struggle with knowing what kind of trip to plan and how long to plan it for. There are literally sections in this book for everyone!

Well organized, well written and a quick read make this a great resource for anybody that plans on taking kids out into the wild for a camping, hiking or backpacking trip!

Okay, I will be popping on here occassionally over the next 10 days but my posts will be brief. If you want to hear more about what we are doing and see photos you should follow me on Facebook! I am going to try and get stuff up there a bit more often. But again, I am on VACATION and plan to be unplugged making memories with my family as much as I can!

fundanas on the trail

This past Christmas my mom gave me two Fundanas. The girls have been too young to really do much with them but I have used them before with groups through work. Anyway, Fundanas are bandanas that have either scavenger hunts or bingo games on them that are all nature related. 

I am super excited to pack the two that my mom gave me for our camping trip this week. A bandana is one of the most useful things (at least to me) on a camping trip of backpacking trip. It is a towel, washcloth, neck wrap, hair wrap, napkin, tie it up with rope and its a bag, etc.  So many uses! And now we can have them along as a toy too! With aunt and uncles along the girls may really get into playing a game or doing a scavenger hunt at a break along the trail. 

If you camp, hike or backpack I would certainly suggest that you pick up a few Fundanas for your backpack! You can find them on Amazon OR go to Imagine Childhood. 

camping/backpacking with little ones

We are planning our first ever BIG camping trip with the girls this summer. Actually, we are taking them backpacking for the first time. 

During July we will head to Denver to hit up the foothill areas and then some higher elevation areas for two seperate backpacking trips; a two day trip and then a three day trip. 

We are super excited for this because Uncle Craig, Aunt Lori, Uncle Carl and cousin Chester will all be joining us! Family, hiking, camping and the great outdoors what could be better. 

But today while I was just starting to look at our gear and what we might need to pick up for the trip I realized that besides the books I have been reading it would be great to read up on what other bloggers have done with their little ones. I would really appreciate any advice, tips, tricks, games, supply must-haves, things to not bring, etc. about camping and backpacking with little kids. 

SO please link up any backpacking or camping related posts that you have to share! Or leave your advice in the comments section!

Thanks everyone. 

outdoor play link up - playing in the dark

Welcome to the Outdoor Play Link Up!

Lots of great ideas were linked up last week but my favorite was for sure the rainbow walk that was linked from Gratefully Growing in Grace.

Sam is super into rainbows and I think she would really love the idea of going on a walk to find those colors. Plus, I am always a fan of combining a craft project and outdoor play. Head over here and check out this great post.

This week Sam and I stayed up a little bit late to try out some outdoor play in the dark! We wanted to see if we could find the moon and see some stars but of course, it got cloudy. Bummer. But with flashlights in hand we still had a great adventure. We played around with what we could spot with our flashlights, listened to the sounds of the night and walked around the yard. The best part was heading to the back of the yard where we have buches and trees. We had some pretty big backyard birds that we scared out of their sleeping spots, which of course scared both of us, but after we recovered from the startle was very fun to experience.

Can you see her? She loved getting a chance to play on her swingset too in the dark!

I was surprised that she was not afraid at all, which was great! Playing in the backyard at night is great practice for little ones that are going to be going camping and need to be more comfortable outside at night. You can discover if they have any fears or hesitations about being outside in the dark and address those fears in the safety and comfort of your own yard. Your child will then be much more comfortable in the dark when you are out camping! Love practicing camping skills at home before heading out!

How did your kids play outdoors this week?
 
Share your ideas for outdoor play activities with us! Here’s just a few guidelines for sharing.

Any kind of children's outdoor play is welcome. If it happened outside, then please link it up!
 
Please do not share any competitions, promotions, or posts that are not related to Outdoor Play.
 
Please remember to link back to this post and help us spread the word about the importance (and fun!) of outdoor play!
 
Each week we will feature an activity from the previous week. By contributing you are giving permission for an image and link to your post to be republished.

 

Day 365: a whole year

A few vacation pictures for you to enjoy while I ramble on about this one year mark!

A whole year.

 
Of learning, crafting, exploring, attempting and being outdoors.

 

A year of challenging my skills and knowledge as an environmental educator.  

I have learned so much about what it takes to get little ones interested in and excited about nature.  

But I still have learned enough or taught enough.  

Raising responsible environmental citizens is a process that takes longer than just one year.  

People have asked me since I started this blog what will happen when I hit the one year mark and I have never had an answer. Until today... 

It occurred to me that their learning and my teaching does not stop today. I HAVE to keep going!  

Will I keep posting everyday? I think so. But maybe involve more guest posts and more links to resources.  
 

I am hoping that I still have something to offer all the moms and educators out there that read this little blog. And I know I have more to learn about early environmental education.
 

So, thats it. The journey continues. With more adventures, more learning, more reading, more exploring and discovering to come. I hope that our family continues to get "greener" everyday!

Now, for the winner! Dawn! Thanks for being a follower. Please email me within 24 hours with your mailing address to acknowledge the win, otherwise I will be forced to choose another winner!

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The Nitty Gritty!

So, some of the things that I learned on this camping trip....

1. Lifejackets are a MUST! We actually saw quite a few little kids that weren't wearing them which really surprised me. Not only is it SO much safer for the girls but since there was almost no current to the river where we were swimming I really didn't have to worry about them. I could sit on the side of the river, play in the rocks with Avery and not have to worry that Sam was in water up to her chest. It took a HUGE load of stress off of me and made the water play time so much more enjoyable.

2. The clamp on highchair is a must for all camping trips. It was so easy to plop Avery in that chair while I made meals, waited for meals to be ready or just to keep her occupied for a few minutes. I could not imagine having to eat all of those meals with Avery on my lap and the clamp on chair was super easy to pack.

3. Inside toys are worth packing. Sometimes they just need some quiet inside time before bed or early in the morning. Packing a few puzzles, markers, books and coloring books was a huge help for us several times throughout the trip.

4. If you have a hang-up about your kids going to bathroom outside GET OVER IT! When the bathroom is 100 yards away sometimes it is just easier to let them go behind a tree. Make sure they understand when it is appropriate to do this and help them so that they don't make a big mess of it but otherwise I don't see the harm.

5. Let go of the schedule. I went on the trip thinking the girls would still go to bed on time and would still get naps. Some of that happened, but not everyday all the time. Yes, they were a little extra crabby but not too bad and they have certainly caught up now. I think letting go of the stress of keeping to the schedule would have really helped me.

Any other thoughts on camping with kids?

Day 364: camping wrap up

The last day of camping was pretty simple. Well, as simple as cooking pancakes and breakfast burritos for 30 people on a charcoal camping grill can be. As simple as having 13 kids ranging in ages from 15 to 18 months all wanting to fish at the same time. So, yes it was a crazy and chaotic morning but it was a morning filled with beaver tail slaps, kids in boats on the water, fish being caught, toddlers chasing grasshoppers, families eating together outside and sunshine!

Not much could be better than all of that in my mind.

 
Exhausted and ready for bed. I have many more other pictures and stories to share but those will have to wait for tomorrow!

We will be celebrating Day 365 by looking back over our trip, telling the stories and looking at the pictures plus I will pick a winner of THE GIFT! (so if you haven't entered be sure to check the sidebar page.)

Day 363: camping where the kids outnumber the adults

Yes, there are more "kids" in this giant family group then there are "adults".  Although I think some of the adults are sillier and more out of control then some of the bigger kids!

Here is where we are today!  Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park Be sure to click over and check out the pictures of the incredible rock formations that we get to explore and swim around in.

This is where we are camping for two nights, swimming, canoeing, playing, hiking and exploring!

Day 362: meeting the family to see some elelphants

Our whole group of 31 people is meeting at Elephant Rocks State Park today. We will explore, have a picnic lunch and wait here until we have all gathered and our campsites are ready for us at 3:00pm this afternoon.

I have been to this park many times but it has been years! I can't wait to see the beautiful views and boulders again and share all of this with Chris and the girls.

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The Nitty Gritty!

Since this is the first day of our three day adventure I thought I would share a little bit of back story about what we are doing.

Growing up my family spent three days camping and canoeing with our extended family every summer. At some point, I think I was in high school, the older cousins were getting married, moving away and everyone's lives were changing in a way that didn't make the family float trip possible anymore. We went just our immediate family for a few years but then when my older sister went away to college even that stopped. Now, 10 years later, we are ALL getting back together to do the family trip again. We all have kids of our own now and there will be faces not there that aren't with us anymore. But the memories will will flow out of each of us I am sure! I can't wait to reconnect with cousins I haven't seen in ages and introduce them to my girls.

Those family float trips are some of my best memories growing up. I learned more about the outdoors and my abilities on those days then during any other time in my life. I have no idea if this will once again become an annual thing. Since some of the family is coming from Turkey and many are coming from other states I highly doubt we will do this again, at least as the whole big group. But even getting to do this just one more time is incredible!  

Hope you will come back on Day 365 to see all the pictures! 

Day 361: camping with kids -- what to pack

Today is the packing, cooking, preparing day for our big three day camping trip. For many people out there that do much more extreme adventures then just a simple family camping trip preparing for this kind of trip would probably take them just a few hours. But there are 31 people camping! Which means the meals have been split up between all the different households and we all have to prepare and bring some portions of the meals. That is a lot to think about. Plus, camping with kids always means there is different gear involved then when just adults go camping.

So, I thought I would share our packing list of stuff we are bringing just for the girls.

• clothes.  more clothes then you might pack for a normal trip away from home for three days, plus these clothes are the old, stained, grubby clothes that I don't care if they get ruined on the river and beach!
• swimsuits.  again I do not pack our brand-new cute suits for them to wear. I can remember growing up that my swimsuits never quite looked the same after three days in the river!
• nets, buckets, shovels, rakes and other "sand" toys. The Black River doesn't really have sand beaches, mostly just rocks, but you need the sand toys anyway. Packing enough for each girl to have their own set (just don't want to deal with tantrums from having to share!)
• camping chairs. Yes, we have small, child-sized camping chairs for each of the girls. Makes the meals and campfire time more fun for them to have their own little place to sit.
• life jackets and floaties. A MUST whenever kids are by the water!
• sunscreen and bug spray. We use the California baby brand and have had great success with both the sunscreen and bug spray.
• child-sized sleeping bags. Both girls now have their own. I just think it makes for less bulky packing so I don't have to bring as many seperate blankets and things.
• water bottle for each kid. Allowing each child to have their own water bottle instead of just drinking out of cups means I can more closely monitor how much water they are drinking to make sure they are getting enough.
• a few indoor toys. Just in case the weather turns rotten (keeping my fingers crossed this does NOT happen!) I have a small amount of simple art supplies, books and puzzles for the kids.
• water shoes. Both girls have Keens but after discussing this and sharing a few memories with my sister we both decided to pick up some slightly less expensive water shoes. The river current has been known to rip a shoe off and some of our shoes never quite lost that river smell! 
• the comforts of home. For my kids this means blankets, stuffed animals and their own pillows. A bit extreme for three days and only two nights but if it means they will go to sleep without problem and sleep through the night in a new place the extra stuff is totally worth it!! 

I think that is just about all the extras that we are bringing for the girls. Anything I am forgetting? Would love to know what your families necessities are for camping trips with your kids?