Take a Hike
Post by Rebecca Green of Not-So-SAHM
Hiking has always topped my list of our favorite family activities. We started out doing looped paved paths when the kids were too little to walk and had to be in a stroller, moved up to taking them in a carrier, and have finally graduated to both of them being able to walk a fair distance themselves. I use the term “hike” very loosely—we’re not out backpacking in the middle of nowhere. But a nice walk in the woods always seems to do everyone a bit of good, even if they’re not all for it in the start.
In fact, as I mention in my new book, Banish Boredom, our kids are known to complain about just “walking for no reason,” so I’m constantly on the hunt for ways to entice the kids to take a hike. We incorporate geocaching, take breaks for nature art, and use nature centers as something to look forward to. As the kids have grown, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that they’ve started to take more of an interest in outdoor survival skills (we recently read a great book, A Week in the Woods, in which a young boy survived getting lost by relying on his compass, a whistle, a fire starting set, etc.). So when I spotted Nod’s The Great Adventure Kit, I knew we had to test it out! Because as everyone knows, it’s really all about the gear.
We headed out on one of our favorite trails in Rock Creek Park. Each kit easily stores all the components in a great canvas bag perfectly sized for kids and designed with plenty of zippered compartments. They swung those on and we took off. The kids recently learned how to use trail markers, so they liked to stop at each one to check their compasses and see which way we were headed. And they were over the moon to find that their adventure kits also included a whistle with a thermometer on one side and additional compass on the other. We tested those whistles out the whole hike—believe me everyone heard us coming!
When a little rain storm hit, we stopped under a large tree for a snack and sketching break. The kit includes a great blank notebook and set of colored pencils. The kids each drew things they observed around them as the rain passed and the sun came back out. It was the perfect set of gear to get the kids out and about!
Thanks to The Land of Nod for letting us check them out!
Rebecca is a mom to two young kiddos and, in her spare time (ha!), likes to pretend she’s a back-up dancer, craft cocktails, and run long distances. A relatively recent SAHM, she blogs family-friendly activities, DIYs and celebration fun at Not-So-SAHM.