Kick the Kids Outside to Play, Even During the School Year

By Heidi Drake

After several glorious weeks spent swimming, hiking, camping, biking and general outdoor exploring, my girls are both looking forward to school and seeing their friends daily and lamenting the end of one rockin’ summer break. My impending challenge? Making sure the school year doesn’t mean a sedentary lifestyle for my two energetic kids.

If your kids are involved in outdoor sports like soccer, football, or cross-country running, you’ve already got a leg up—bravo! Not all kids are cut out for team sports, though, and it’s important for them to spend fun time outdoors doing non-competitive things too. Things like:

•    Jumping outside. Got room for a trampoline? Get one! There’s nothing more freeing than a good bounce, for kids of all ages. Trampolines make great beds too—grab your favorite insulated sleeping bags and snooze under the stars with the kids after you’ve tuckered ‘em out.
•    Walking outside. From a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood to a riverside search for a geocache… customize a simple stroll and it becomes an adventure. The kiddos won’t even know they’re exercising (works for you, too). Don't forget to take a reusable water bottle no matter how long you're planning to hike.
•    Balancing outside. All you need is a Gibbon Slacklines balancing strap and a couple of trees to create well-balanced kids. Set it up and they’ll gravitate toward it! The Gibbon works your child’s core while encouraging balance—and it’s just plain fun.

Family Outings for the Last Days of Summer

By Heidi Drake

Just flipped your calendar over to the next month and freaked out a little that it’s August already? Me too. But if part of that panic is thinking it’s too late to pack a few more quick family trips and outings into your summer schedule, relax. You’ve still got time to take the kids outside for some shenanigans before they have to hit the books again, and it doesn't have to involve a lot of money or advance planning.

•    Hike! No matter where you live, you can put on your sneakers or hiking boots and take a walk outdoors. Don’t forget water and snacks, and lots of sunscreen! What we love about hiking is you can do it pretty much anywhere, for any length of time… ‘sup to you!
•    Camp! Pack up the kids’ sleeping bags and some roasting sticks and head up to your favorite lake or wooded area. The majority of campgrounds in the U.S. only take reservations for about 50% of their sites, so the rest are there for the picking. Perfect for the last-minute "planner!"
•    Bike! Choose a mellow, paved bike route or some kid-friendly single track and get rolling with your crew. Oufit your kids with Camelbak hydration packs for safer riding and room for snacks too.

The Full Meal Deal: Backpacking with Kids

By Meredith Russell

As we've previously discussed, camping with kids can suck. So imagine how crummy a backpacking trip can be!  Done simply, however, backpacking with your kids can create some of the best family memories. 

Start Small. Consider not only a short hike, but also a short drive. A shorter distance to the site helps keep the kids' enthusiasm up, and a short trip home limits confined periods of whining!

Start simple. An easy way to limit the complexity of a first trip is to camp at the trailhead. You can have the fun of camping without having to trudge your tent and sleeping bags uphill the next day. You can fit in an overnight, a full day of hiking, fishing, etc., and then head back to the car in the evening for the trip home.

Plan destination hikes. Once the kids are up for it, there's nothing cooler than hiking to a waterfall, lake, or some final spot that takes your breath away and makes everyone forget about their blister or sore shoulders! Set it up so you camp at your "destination," which will make your kids feel that the hike, no matter how tricky or "exhausting," was worth it!

Let's Go Camping!

Oregon State Parks and Play Outdoors help you get started

By Kevin Farron

Are tent poles and tent stakes the same thing? Should I bring firewood or a chainsaw? What the heck are we going to eat and how are we gonna cook it? Do I really need a -10 or 30-degree sleeping bag? And what exactly does poison ivy look like?

Relax. PlayOutdoors.com and Oregon State Parks have got you covered. The park department's Let's Go Camping program offers families who are new to this whole camping thing the opportunity to try-before-they-buy, learn-before-they-burn and know-before-they-go. Providing free gear rentals, ranger-led camping basics, owl prowls, plant identification, fire safety and Dutch oven cooking, Let's Go Camping has something for everyone!

The group camping outings are only $20 per family and include overnight costs, parking fees and all programs. Did we mention they provide sweet gear as well? From stoves to sleeping pads and tents to sleeping bags, they've got you covered. There's no better way to learn to camp, and there's certainly no better deal. Oh, and did we mention, Let's Go Camping provides all the S'mores you can stomach? Sweet!

Check out Let's Go Camping's website for dates, host parks and how to register. Happy camping!

Practice Makes Perfect – Camping with Kids Edition

By Abbie Enlund

Oh, the joys of camping with babies and toddlers. The car packed with more gear than the average adult would need in a week. Meals meaning food spread out across the ground from one end of the campsite to another and not enough food in the child's stomach to last them till breakfast. Campfires that result in stress ulcers for both parents. Bedtime routines thoroughly thrown off and parents trying to get the kids to fall asleep (with the thought that maybe they can sneak back out by the fire after the kids are asleep…HA!).  And the bathroom issues! These are all too familiar scenes for many parents that have taken young children camping. But come on, why haven't you taken your little ones camping? Doesn't that all sound like a blast?

Well, there are certainly joys and happy times in camping too, we all know that. But for some parents the daunting unknowns and stressors they foresee keep them holding off on camping till their kids are old enough to put themselves to sleep, go to the bathroom outside unassisted and carry their own gear (which means they may think twice about packing that third doll!).

Give it a trial run. Test how meal times will work, get your kiddo used to the fire and try out the bedtime routine. Here's how.

Salamanders and Owls and Bats - Oh My!

By Kevin Farron

Wait, we're camping in the woods? At night? But aren't there bats out there that will suck your blood? And vicious attack owls? And all other sorts of squiggly wiggly, creepy crawlies? Nah. Let me explain.

Salamanders

Rain got you down? Outfit the kids in waterproof rain gear and search for salamanders! These little guys are amphibious – meaning they like land and water, or wet land. Look for them under logs, near ponds and streams or beneath big leaves, especially after – or even during – hard showers.

You pulled his tail off! It's okay, salamanders are capable of tail autotomy – which is a fancy way of saying they can drop their tails to wiggle as a distraction when predators near – then they run! Within a few weeks, a perfectly fine replacement tail grows back! Way cool.

Some salamanders secrete potent toxins to fend off other creatures, but unless you eat 'em, salamanders are harmless to humans. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling them though.

Most salamanders are shorter than an adult shoe, but the Chinese Giant Salamander grows up to six feet long! Don’t worry; you won't stumble upon these guys anywhere close to home. They only live in China, and, unfortunately, they're endangered.

Tent Games for a Rainy Day

By Kevin Farron

The forecast may be callin' for rain this Memorial Day weekend, but that doesn't necessarily mean your camping trip is a wash.

One of my fondest camping memories takes me back to a trip with my parents and my sister, when I was five. For two weeks we car camped our way through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It rained almost the entire time. Looking back on this, two questions come to mind: how was this such a delightful memory and how on earth did my parents put up with my eight-year-old sister and me? Tent games are a big part of the answer.

There were four of us crammed in a tent. My parents decided it was time for us kids to learn a new card game: euchre. I don't know how many rounds we played during that trip, but to this day, it's my favorite card game. I think about that camping trip every time I play.

Below are a few ideas to pass the time in ways that are more memorable than, well, simply passing the time.

• Embrace the rain! When you're equipped with the right waterproof rain gear, camping in the soggy woods can be fun! Search for salamanders, jump in puddles, and, well, be a kid! If you can't get dirty while camping, when can you?!


• Terrestrial Trivia! The woods are full of creatures and you don't have to be an expert to spark some species speculation. Pick an animal – Where do they go when it's raining? What do they eat? Where do they sleep? How do they communicate?
  
  Wanna step up your game? Educational camping board games like Camp offer hundreds of creature quizzes with varying levels of difficulty, capable of stumping even Mom and Dad; I promise!

• Pick up a new game! Camp isn't the only game in town—we love Educational Outdoors' S'mores card game and their superfun Snipe Hunt hide-and-seek game too. You can't go wrong with a classic like chess or backgammon, either. If the weather isn't clearing anytime soon, Risk and Monopoly are great adventures! Playing by headlamp or electric lantern adds to the fun! Candles and gas-powered lanterns aren't tent-friendly, but I'm sure you knew that.

• Animal off! Have two campers sit, kneel or stand back-to-back. Then, on the count of three, yell out an animal of the woods. Both little performers will turn as if dueling and both act out the animal the best they can – growling, prancing, scratching or slithering!  Winners can be awarded candy, privileges, or nothing at all. With more than two players, the 'best' impersonation can judge the next round, and so on. Mom, Dad… join in and get wild!

Well, what are you waiting for? Rain or shine, it's time to put your foot down. Make this Memorial Day memorable and go camping! Just don't forget your rain fly.

S'mores, Revisited – Tasty Twists on the Classic Dessert

By Kevin Farron

Ahh, yes–the S'more. Perhaps the most coveted campfire treat ever created. It's simple, delicious, and oh-so-fun to cook. It can, however, get better. Here's how:

Before you start, think about keeping your young cooks safe. Always pack a trustworthy first-aid kit and stress fire safety before the campfire is lit. Utilizing a safety circle will create a buffer between the red-hot coals and the kids. Another technique is to require that all marshmallow cookers drop to one knee while roasting, lessening the chance of tripping and falling or being bumped accidentally into the coals. Finally, designating burning-marshmallow-blower-outers is a great way to prevent flying, flaming goo from ruining the fun.

First, with their LED headlamps on, send the kids into the woods to find appropriate roasting sticks (nothing alive though–from the ground only). Be sure to pack back-up skewers in case the stick gathering doesn't go as planned. If the sticks require sharpening, leave this up to Mom and Dad–or again, at least make sure your first-aid kit is handy.

The S'more is basically a sweet, sweet sandwich. The graham crackers are the bread; the chocolate the sweet; and the marshmallow the dressing. The three parts are essential, but can be altered.

The Bread - Try cinnamon or chocolate flavored grahams, cookies or, my favorite, Nilla Wafers.

How to Poop in the Woods

By Heidi Drake

You're out exploring nature's wonders when suddenly it comes a callin'—one of the kids announces, "I have to poop!" And of course it usually happens when there's no outhouse or bathroom nearby.

Hey, it happens. Ever get caught unprepared, or not sure exactly what the proper etiquette is for going #2 al fresco? We're here to clear the air.

• Pack supplies. No matter where you are, you're gonna need something to wipe with and possibly something to carry out with (more on your options below). You're already sporting a backpack full of snacks and water bottles so no big deal to add a couple more things like TP and plastic bags, right?
  
  

• Go off trail. Scope out the situation and make sure you and your offspring don't do your business where others are gonna easily stumble into your makeshift bathroom. But, it's also important to avoid trampling foliage as much as possible.

•  Method #1: Pack it out. If you're truly a Leave No Trace kind of person, arm yourself with TP and plastic bags you can tie in knots (or Ziploc bags) and dispose of when you get back. Think of what you do for your dog and apply it to yourself. Enclose them in a paper bag if you don't want to look at your stuff later!

Survive Tent Camping with the Kids!

 By Heidi Drake

When Eric and I moved to Central Oregon and started our family, we envisioned cozy family camping trips with six-month-old Elise the summer after she was born. What we did not count on was a screaming baby who hated the rustling sound of the tent in the breeze and was not going to accept a bottle that wasn't warmed up to her specifications in the middle of the night.

Let's just say that first trip was a quick one.

Were we just cursed with a kid who was destined to hate camping? Ask the eight-year-old who now requests that we set up the tent for her and her little sister and chooses it over the heated and/or air-conditioned camp trailer. Go figure.

How did we turn her around? Here are a few survival tips we picked up along the way:

• Go for a test run—in your backyard. Set up the tent and the grill and do your best to ignore the lure of the luxuries in the house… unless your kid totally freaks out. That's why you're doing the test, right? One time Elise was terrified of the quaking tent; a few months later she was fascinated by it.

• Soothe their bellies. People in general are cranky when they're not fed or hydrated, so don't torture your kid! If we'd had a Hydroflask insulated bottle to store pre-heated formula in, Elise wouldn't have ticked off a lot of people in our campground at 2 am.