With the holidays fast approaching, the question of what to give for gifts comes up a lot. This year, why not give a gift that will last a lifetime—the gift of the outdoors. Get every baby, pregnant family and kid you know something to get them outside.  Need some ideas? One of my all time […]

Some time ago, REI’s catalog had a fabulous tag line. It read, in big font across the front, “Have an out of house experience!” Perfect. It is all too easy—so it seems—to stay inside after school or on the weekends. It seems like a lot of work to get dressed and go do something outdoors, […]

I recently read an article about exploring wild spaces with young children. In it, the author posed the question, “What draws children to build forts, seek and create hideouts, and make out-of -the-play places to play?” Excellent question. It is true that children all over love to create their own spaces out of whatever materials […]

Sledding is a quintessential winter activity for young and old alike. I know my family enjoys our local sledding hills on a regular basis. But did you know that sledding accounts for over 20,000 injuries each year? (www.safekids.org) That is almost as much as skiing and snowboarding combined! (skiing and snowboarding account for just shy […]

We parents do such a great job taking care of our children. We spend hours researching and buying the best gear we can find to keep our kids warm and dry in the elements. But we often fall short at taking the same care for ourselves. I hear lots of moms tell me they don’t […]

As a swath of yellow and red takes over the landscape and the temperatures begin their inevitable descent, I find myself reflecting back on our summer’s adventures. We logged well over 1,500 miles kayaking, backpacking, hiking and biking. We had some great bear sightings and saw dozens of moose, hare, eagles and marmots. We found […]