Taking Children Outdoors
As a mother of two very active daughters, we love to explore our natural environment. We take them hiking, biking, kayaking; anything to be outside in this incredible world. I encourage you to explore the outdoors with a child as well. Whether it is your own or a grandchild, niece or nephew, or give your friend a break and take her kids on an adventure. I promise you that you will see the outdoors in a whole new light.
Taking children outdoors... What a wondrous time to use all your senses -- especially your sense of humor! Be generous with your time and attention. Be flexible with your schedule. You are making memories that will last a lifetime - Leave your worries at home (they'll wait for you...) relax, and have fun!
Let's take a quick look at tips for success, including setting appropriate expectations, preparing for safety and some tips for keeping children happy, moving and learning such as: drinks and snacks, activities for discovering and other resources.
Expectations
Expectations will make or break your trip outdoors with children.
Yours:
Expect to stop and smell the roses, or more likely, look at the bug or skip stones. The more flexible and easy going you are, the better time you'll all have. Keep trips shorter for best results, and remember that their stamina may not be a good as yours when it comes to hiking. Try not to go too far or too long the first times you go out. Carrying children back long distances gets old really fast!! Sing, tell stories, and by all means, bribe children with the snacks you've brought. And, as mothers know, be prepared that there's always one kid who's going to be unhappy about something. Don't worry, however. It won't last. It'll just switch to another kid. It's really no different than being indoors in that respect!
Theirs:
Let them know what to expect. A long car ride to get there? Something new to do or a favorite activity? Will there be playgrounds? Swimming? Pit toilets?? The more they know and are prepared, the less hassle you'll have later. Just be calm and matter of fact (especially important the first time little ones meet a pit toilet) and keep smiling!
If there's a long car ride involved, let them bring toys to keep entertained on the trip. Consider making the trip overnight so everyone is rested and in a good mood.
Safety
We all know safety is important. Here are a few tips. Know where you're going and let others know your plan. If you are hiking with young children, your best bet is to stay on well-established trails. Be sure to look behind you often so the trail looks familiar on the return trip!
Keep young children in sight at all times. Have all the children wear bright colors and have everyone, including you, wear a whistle.
Have a plan getting help in an emergency. Can you use a cell phone where you are going or would you lose cell service out on the trail? Is someone expecting you at a certain time? Could you signal for help if you needed to?
Bring a good first aid kit.
The Essentials: Drinks and Snacks
Always have a canteen or source of clean drinking water. It's easy to get dehydrated. You can bring other drinks, but water is still the best thirst-quencher, and nobody's got sticky faces after drinking it. Let each child carry a small, LIGHT WEIGHT pack with a canteen.
Someone can carry snacks. Stop often and use the snacks to help them rest and to mark the time of the outing or distance on the trail. (When on the trail, "bribing" with snacks is okay!) Everyone is using plenty of calories and actually needs to eat. Trail mix is popular: a mixture of dried fruit, raisins, peanuts, M&Ms, etc. Fruit is good, but keep in mind you'll need to pack out peels, cores, etc. (Tossing the fruit into the weeds isn't a good idea. Animals begin to rely on people food instead of natural food sources more suitable for their digestive systems. Also, animals can easily become pests in a highly-visited area. Better to see an animal in its native habitat than a garbage dump we've created!)
Activities for Discovering
Remember that you don't need to be a scientist, naturalist or expert in outdoor skills to take children on a nature hike or enjoy nature while fishing, hunting, boating, or picnicking. Just take a look around.
• If you see an animal, let your children try and figure out how the animal's size or shape or color helps it. How does a rabbit use its big ears and big back legs? Why does the rabbit need them to survive? Basic knowledge that, for example, rabbits are tasty food to most animals, is all the knowledge you really need behind you. Let the children think up all kinds of things. Some ideas will be correct, some funny, and some out-of-this world. It's a great excuse to follow up with a trip to the library afterwards. Remember that discovery is the key, not that you have all the answers. Show them how to observe and how to find answers, and you will have given them a skill for lifelong learning!
• Challenge the children to use their senses. Look for colors, textures and smells. Count the colors in a rock.Take a piece of paper and a crayon and do rubbings on different tree bark. If you have permission from the landowner, you can take along a little collection bag and your children can collect small objects such as rocks and sort them in an egg carton at home. Remember that you cannot remove objects from state or national parks.
• What season is it and what do you see? Come back during another season and compare what you saw then and now.
• Observe how things outdoors such as plants, animals, rocks are either same or different. You don't need to be a scientist and know fancy names for things. Just let your children discover how things can be the same or different. The first scientists got started this way, trying to organize the natural world into something they could understand. Let the children discover this for themselves.
• Look for signs of wildlife. Is there a path in the weeds beaten down by deer? Is there a hidden animal home at the base of a tree or in a bank of dirt? Can you find ants carrying food to their home?
• Try to discover how plants, animals, people and natural resources are all part of one system. What happens to one part of the system can affect the other. Was there a big rain recently or a drought? How were things outdoors affected? What do you see around a tree that has fallen? Can you find animal tracks around a puddle or stream?
• For grade-school children, think about how our folklore, music, arts and crafts, our history and even many of our jobs are based on what's found in nature. Have the chilren draw or write about their discoveries in their own journal.
Resources
• Check out State Parks, Wildlife Management Areas and Visitor Centers
• Visit local community parks or ask permission to visit private lands.
• Create your own backyard habitat.
Enjoy and thank you for introducing the next generation to the wonders of the great outdoors!
From: Dale Bowers

A Hydration Coach

I was reading a running magazine yesterday and came across this new product. We like coaching for so many other activities why not for our hydration? The HydraCoach is marketed as the "first interactive water bottle". A patented hydration monitor enables users to program in their hydration needs, track their daily water consumption, and be coached through the day to drink. Based on a user's weight, the duration of exercise, and manual adjustments if necessary, the HydraCoach calculates hydration needs and monitors fluid intake to make sure goals are met. A magnetized impeller that floats in a sealed cartridge in the straw-like mouthpiece of the water bottle works with a microprocessor to monitor the amount of fluid consumed. HydraCoach was founded by world-class climbers and life-long outdoor enthusiasts, Craig and Kelly Perkins, who conceived the idea out of personal necessity. The bottle retails for $30 and a portion of the proceeds of HydraCoach go towards Organ Donor Research. To learn more go to www.hydracoach.com -- Deb

Keeping your knees happy

Knee problems among women are extremely common. ACL injuries occur much more frequently and this probably has something to do with the angle of stress on our knees due to the width of our hips. As we get older, knee pain becomes a more frequent complaint.

Since we can't change our hip width or our age, how do we keep our knees happy? The best way I know is strength training, and especially lunges and squats. If you don't know the proper form, make sure you get good instruction or you can end up damaging your knees more than helping them. Done correctly (and many repetitions with low weights is much more effective than fewer repetitions with high weights) can make a huge difference. About four years ago I found myself eating more IBprofen than chocolate on our hiking trips. Now, as long as I make myself work out (my personal preference is a class called BodyPump) I can hike pain-free for hours.-- Marian

Magazines, magazines everywhere!

There are so many great magazines available on the market today - and I want to keep up on all my interests. Yet, I often feel guilty for subscribing to some of my favorites. Either they pile up on the counter, waiting to be read or I read them and then feel bad about all those trees that I have "assisted" in cutting down. So, I have taken to subscribing to many as on-line magazines. It is not always identical information as in the printed version, but it is faster to read (I can pick and choose the articles I want to read more about), I feel able to keep up on more topics, and there is no post-consumer guilt, especially if I don't get around to reading each issue. If you are wondering if there is an on-line version, just go to the magazine's web site- usually there is a tab to click to subscribe. In addition, I now pick one printed subscription that I want to read cover to cover. I use it to get me through indoor winter workouts (because let's face it, these get pretty boring). I bring it to the gym with me, read it while on the aerobic machines (sometimes the issue lasts one work-out, sometimes two) and then I leave it behind for others to read. I have motivation, I read the whole issue, and I re-cycle it for others. --Deb

Watching the fox

February 13, 2007, Golden, Colorado
The red fox jumped onto a rock overlook without noticing me. For about three minutes—which seemed like an eternity—I was able to secretly observe the beautiful creature as it rock-hopped among the boulders of North Table Mountain. I was on my daily walk before work, less than a mile from my home; I frequently see mule deer, coyotes, and cotton tail rabbits, but it had been a long time since I had seen a fox.
I was awe-struck at its beauty. The fox looked as though it had just emerged from a beauty parlor. Its winter coat looked silky and full, the golden red fur shimmered in the early morning sunshine. Characteristic of red foxes, its tail had a bushy, pure white tip. In high school (twenty five years ago!) we used to say someone was a “fox” if they were really attractive, and as I admired the fox, I actually thought about bringing the phrase back into my vocabulary.
I was also intrigued at the fox’s apparent curiosity and playfulness as it hopped in a dance-like fashion from rock to rock, pausing to observe, perhaps looking for breakfast, before moving gracefully again. All too soon, it noticed me on the trail above, and ran off in a flash.
The focus and dexterity I observed reminded me of my own quest for mindfulness and desire to experience each moment in its fullest. When I am in nature, I find it much easier to center my attention and be in tune with my own needs and thoughts, while being intensely aware of the world surrounding me. -- Brenda

Drink wine out of a box!

What does drinking wine out of a box have to with anything outdoors or travel-related? It turns out that the bag the wine comes in that sits in the box is a great water container for carrying water. We use these on our Grand Canyon Backpack when we have to carry water for one dry camp. Not only are they durable, they are very lightweight and take virtually no space when they're empty. My mom saves them for me; you should ask yours to do the same.-- Marian

Smart Sheep

There's a phrase I once heard to illustrate the importance of not wearing cotton when being active in inclement weather: Cotton Kills! It is a bit extreme, for sure, even though it's point is well taken. There are many choices of non-cotton clothing: fleece, polypropylene, Capilene, wool, and many others. Lately I have been really advocating for wool long underwear tops, especially for cooler climates. The main reason? Synthetics can really stink! I was recently on a winter trip, the first day and I was wearing one of my trusty synthetic long underwear tops. It kept me toasty warm and did its wicking thing, but when I changed clothes at the end of the day, the shirt smelled awful. And this was with a fresh laundering (the shirt), a shower (for me) and only one day - not even a very active day - of wear. I remembered when I was in Alaska last summer, where we pretty much lived in our base layer, one of the guides had a Smartwool long underwear top, and after 5 days it still didn't smell. This wasn't its first use, nor would it be the last. She is also not the first person to attest to this fact. I am beginning to think that a wool base layer is the way to go. Wool long underwear has changed a lot in the past few years, and it is really making a comeback in the market. It is much softer, lighter weight, and comes in many fashionable colors. It holds up to washing machines (I'd still air dry them) and the elements. It can be a little more expensive than its synthetic counterpart, but if I can wear it for years and not have it stink - it's worth it to me. Smartwool, Ibex and Icebreaker are 3 well known and high quality brands. --Deb

lunges and crunches and steps, oh my!!

I have to admit that I’m not naturally an exercise person. I do exercise but never am able to achieve that level of enjoyment that many of my peers seem to have. So, needless to say it is often hard to stay motivated, especially this time of year.

Backpacking is by far my most favorite outdoor activity and one that you do need to stay in shape for over the long winter months. Those winter months coupled with my natural inclination to “not” exercise make for some spirited conversations with myself which usually end up at the gym!

One of the most important muscle groups to continue to concentrate on year round are the abdominals. When thinking about backpacking one may automatically think that the back and the legs are most important. They are, of course, but having and maintaining strong abdominals will insure that aches and pains from your back will not interfere with the enjoyment of backpacking. This is a good month to start a little extra push for those strong abdominals.

There are lots of exercises that we can employ for this muscle group, the most boring of which are the crunches but don’t abandon them just yet. In addition to your normal abdominal workout try doing slow, double crunches. Concentrate on intensity rather than quantity.

Lie on the floor in your regular Crunch position, knees bent, hands over ears (not locked behind head) or in tight to chest. Now, crunch up approximately 10 inches, holding the peak contraction for a count of 4. In this fully contracted position, the key is to really squeeze your abs together hard. Imagine pushing your upper abs into your lower abs and vice-versa (like an accordion coming together).

From this point, you want to return to the floor very slowly. The trick here is to try to keep your abdominals tense and contracted during the return to your starting position. This return should be as slow as you can manage, try doing it to the count of 3 or 4.

Repeat the motion trying to maintain as much continuous tension on the abdominals as possible. This movement is not about "how many" reps you can do; it's all about how hard you can squeeze your abs and maintain tension.

Always remember to keep the small of your back against the floor. This puts your body in correct alignment and prevents injury during exercise. I try to do at least two sets of 10-12 and finish off with my regular abdominal exercises.

A variation of this exercise can be done actually sitting in a chair or better yet---if you dare! an air chair against the wall. Just use the same motion to squeeze both the upper and lower abdominals together and release. Can even be done in an airplane seat although your seat companions may wonder about you.

Remember what your ultimate goal is; to get in decent shape for those wonderful days of backpacking, to be able to go farther, enjoy the journey and feel better at the end of the day! Hope to see you on the trail! Jan

Keeping your hands warm

Now that winter has finally come to Baltimore, I am reminded how difficult it is to keep your hands warm in cold weather (and I recently read some research that suggests that women's blood circulation in the hands is not as good as men's, which is why our hands get colder). There are 2 things that help: 1) mittens are much warmer than gloves because your fingers help keep each other warm. If you absolutely have to have some manual dexterity, then trying a pair of fingerless gloves with a mitten covering is worth a try, but - trust me- they will not keep your hands as warm as a true mitten. 2) use hand cream liberally since dry skin makes the cold worse (and cold makes your dry skin worse). Try a heavy-duty cream like udder balm or Warm Cream (the makers claim that it promotes warmth by relaxing blood vessels thereby stimulating blood flow- don't know if it's true but it works). -- Marian

Red Sumac berries - ease your ills

We are in the throes of the cold and flu season and there are a variety of remedies to choose from. Everyone has her favorites and I wanted to add one more to the list: Red Sumac berries. Anyone who has driven along a highway has seen these grow in abundance. They are short trees with smooth bark, and clusters of red berries that are in bloom almost all year round, though most ripe in Autumn. Note: this is not the poisonous sumac which has white berries. Many Native Americans and folk herbalists have used red sumac to aid in health. These berries are very high in Vitamin C, Ascorbic acid, and have an astringent quality similar to tea. They cost nothing and are easy to use. You pick some of the ripe berry bundles (1-2 is usually enough), crush them gently and soak them in cold water for 15 minutes to an hour (like sun tea). Strain with cheesecloth, strainer or a coffee filter. They are very tart so you may want to add sweetner, but you can drink it without. What I like even more than drinking the juice, however, is gargling with it when I have a sore throat. You can boil the berries for a few minutes, let it steep and this will extract the juice. Gargles with it a few times. As I said it is astringent so depending on how raw your throat is it can sting a little, but afterwards it feel so much better. You can also sip it as warm tea and that will soothe your throat as well. As a side not, they also make a nice natural dye! Here's to a healthy winter season! --Deb