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Getting Families Outside, One Adventure at a Time

Month: March 2018

FAMILY TRAVEL, LOCAL GEMS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SKI/SNOW, WINTER
48 Hours in Banff National Park with Kids
- March 7, 2018
Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park, comprised of 6,641 square kilometers of unparalleled mountain scenery nestled in the heart of the magnificent Canadian Rockies. Banff is home to world-class skiing and snowboarding, the emerald waters of Lake Louise and the breath-taking towering jagged peaks lining the Icefields Parkway. Today we are thrilled to have local mom and outdoor adventurist, Krista, here to take us on a 48 adventure through Banff National Park, with her 4 year-old in tow. Krista is sharing all the details on where to stay, what to do and where to eat while you’re in Banff for an epic outdoor winter weekend family adventure.

Welcome to Banff

My family an I are lucky to live within driving distance to the Canadian Rockies. To recharge our batteries after a busy January, we decided to take a quick road trip to Banff National Park for the weekend. One might think we are crazy to plan an outdoor adventure during the coldest time of the year, but there’s something to be said about freshly fallen snow and frozen lakes. If you haven’t experienced it, I highly recommend you give it a try. And when you have a 4 year old adventure seeker, outside (even during the winter) is the best place to be.

Where to stay

Typically, on a quick weekend getaway we stay at a hotel in the area. We are regulars at the Banff Park Lodge, as it suits our needs quite well. The hotel is located smack dab in the center of town, but is still surrounded by nature. Often you can see elk randomly crossing the street in the middle of town! By staying here, we are able to walk to restaurants, trails and even a market without our kiddo getting too tired. However, if you’re looking to stay longer or want other accommodations, there are a ton of amazing cottages and condo style accommodations available in the area and around the park.

Winter Activities

While we love the area year-round, both the town of Banff and the park are absolutely glorious during the winter. Skiing is the main attraction, but there’s so much more to do in Banff than just heading down the slopes of the Rockies. Travelers come from around the globe to meander the snow-covered, shop-lined streets, nestle into the world famous hotel or overlook the infamous view from Chateau Lake Louise. Families can also indulge in unique winter activities such as dog sledging, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or a game of curling. The drive along the world-renowned Icefields Parkway towards Jasper is absolutely breathtaking. And the experience of standing on the ancient Athabasca Glacier is well worth the trip.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is by far our favorite place to visit in the entire province of Alberta, no matter what season! The lake is about a 45 minute drive from Banff, so we turn on our favorite playlist and before we know it, we’re there! The views and photo ops at Lake Louise are unparalleled, year-round. During the winter, the lake is frozen solid. This means there are people skating, playing hockey and even snowshoeing. It’s spectacular! Whether you’re a skating pro or first-timer, it doesn’t get much more Canadian than skating on a natural lake rink in a national park beside an ice castle! Skate rentals are available and a large section of the lake is serviced by a makeshift Zamboni that helps smooth out the surface. To warm up, just head inside the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and enjoy a rich steamy hot chocolate.

Banff Gondola

Located just minutes from town center the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain is a must with kids. After purchasing tickets, kids receive a Junior Explorer booklet so they can do a little scavenger hunt when they arrive at the top of the mountain. The ride up the mountain is so much fun! For those that are not a fan of heights, beware; it will make your heart race! However, the ride is only about 8 minutes long. At the peak (an elevation of 2,281m or 7,486 ft), you’ll enjoy an incredible vista of six mountain ranges.

At the top of the gondola, there’s lots to do. There’s a little cafe called the Sky Bistro, which offers up top notch food with spectacular views (definitely worth a splurge). However, be advised that is often closed for a few weeks in January for annual maintenance, so check before you head out. Also, there’s a hike to Sanson’s Peak (which we haven’t done yet as it has always been too slippery) and an interpretation center. The center has interactive games and a cinema room where you can watch bears and other wildlife up close in their habitat. Prepare to spend at least a morning or afternoon here. For more information and pricing check out the Banff Gondola website.

Banff Red Chair Movement

Another favorite family activity is finding the red chairs. Adorable red Adirondack chairs are located in several popular hot spots around the picturesque town. Some chairs are easy to find and others will have you exploring — around the forest, on top of a ski hill and at the mouth of a large glacial lake. There is a map to print off to help you find the locations of all the chairs. We’ve had some good luck over our last few visits but still haven’t managed to find them all…yet! Make sure you take a selfie once you find the chairs and share it with Parks Canada by using the hashtag #sharethechair.

Kid-friendly eateries

Beaver Tails – Indulge in a decadent piece of fried dough smothered in Nutella. YUM. And if you are feeling extra hungry, be sure to try their poutine!

Eddie Burger & Bar – A small restaurant and usually pretty busy, but well worth the wait! They have a variety of menu items that will entice even the pickiest of eaters.

Boston Pizza – A chain pizza joint that offers both eat in and take-out options. Lots of menu choices and a big hit with our kiddo!

Hope you enjoyed exploring some of what Banff National Park has to offer families!
If you’ve been to Banff, we’d love to hear what your family favorites are – leave a comment below.

Hi, I’m Krista! A 30-something, coffee-drinking mama of one kiddo (4) and wife to an amazing guy. We live in Alberta (yes, the Winters are freezing) and have the Canadian Rockies as our playground. I can plan an epic road trip – complete with a playlist – at the drop of a hat, just don’t ask me to get crafty!
NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PRINTABLES, WINTER
Outdoor Learning: Winter Words Scavenger Hunt
- March 2, 2018
Today, I’m thrilled to share a fun outdoor learning activity created by Tara Rondinelli of Little Pine Learners. Tara has been an early childhood educator (K thru 3rd grade) for over 10 years and is mom to two adorable boys. She believes learning should be hands-on, fun and outdoorsy, if possible! She has an amazing talent for coming up with new and fun ways to get kids learning outdoors and incorporating natural materials into the classroom setting.

I absolutely adore Tara’s clever ideas and find her passion for outdoor learning inspiring! I’m honored to have her here sharing this awesome winter words scavenger hunt that you can easily do with your kids at home this winter, no matter what the weather. I hope she’ll be back soon to share more educational activities with us, but in the meantime, if you need some additional inspiration or ideas for other outdoor learning activities, be sure to check out her shop, blog and social media sites (listed below).

Take Learning Outdoors

As parents, it can sometimes be difficult to think of new, fun and engaging ways to support our children’s learning at home. Many of us have some not-so-fond memories of sitting at the kitchen tables doing homework, while we longingly stared outside. Learning is often associated with being inside and boring, while being outside is fun and adventurous. But it doesn’t have to be one or the other. What if I told you that it’s possible to meet the academic needs and interests of our children, while spending quality time outdoors having fun?

That’s what we’re all about! Taking educational activities outside is a great way to make learning fun and make outdoor time educational. The winter word search activity that I am going to share with you today offers a fun and hands-on way for children to learn basic seasonal vocabulary words and expand their knowledge of the seasonal differences in the natural world.

Benefits of learning outdoors

First of all, there are incredible benefits of taking children outdoors to learn. Learning outdoors is active and increases students’ physical, mental and social health. Outdoor education and play support emotional, behavioral and intellectual development. Most children learn better by using their senses, and outdoor environments provide wonderful hands-on experiences in nature. Outdoor environments also naturally inspire children to be more physically active, which decreases stress and anxiety, helps elevate mood, and helps with emotion.

Many experts have documented that when children are allowed time outside, they are given the opportunity to:
- connect with nature;
- burn off extra energy;
- develop leadership skills;
- increase attention span;
- develop muscle strength;
- increase problem solving skills;
- increase creative thinking;
- decrease hyperactivity; and
- develop empathy.
Winter words scavenger hunt

There are so many wonderful ways to incorporate academics into an outdoor setting. From writing with natural objects to telling nature stories with sticks and stones, I have so much fun coming up with new and creative ways to teach my kids while outdoors. Whether indoors or outdoors, my boys love to search for objects and be challenged with a finding game. I thought it would be fun to incorporate their love for seeking with a way to learn about the winter season and words associated with this time of year.

For this winter words scavenger hunt, I hide clothespins labeled with winter words in our backyard. I included objects that are easy to find during winter, like sticks and rocks. I also included words associated with wintertime, like snow and icicle. My older son collected the clothespins and colored the pictures on his recording sheet as he found each one (fine motor skills). He had so much fun searching high and low and running around looking for the words. A couple of clothespins were difficult for him to grab due to the uneven landscape and slippery snow, so he had to really focus and problem solve on how to collect them (problem-solving skills). We also discussed the words and used them in a sentence as he found them (textual usage and vocabulary).

Expand the learning

After he located all of the clothespins, we searched for the real objects in nature. We were lucky enough to find nine out of ten words! Learning in the outdoor environment gave us the direct experience of interacting with nature, so we were also able to describe the objects that we found in detail. For example, we decided the icicles were “cold” and “sharp.” The animal tracks we found were “deep” and “little.” He posed many questions as we were looking at the objects, which I recorded for us to research at a later time. We finished our outdoor activity by writing a story that included some of his new vocabulary words. It is so interesting to hear the stories this little guy comes up with. They are too cute and always loaded with information.

How can I try it at home?

This exercise is great because you can try it out during all four seasons. Plus, there are so many various ways to incorporate learning into the activity. If you want to try it out for yourself, it’s easy to create. All you need is a few printed pictures of natural items that you can find during winter in your area, some clothespins and a clipboard. If you like our list, you can find a digital download of the printable materials HERE (winter) and a bundle with all four seasons HERE.

I hope you and you little nature lover give this activity a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

Tara Rondinelli is an early childhood educator and nature schooling momma of two young boys. She is a blogger and creator of nature inspired resources for classroom, homeschool, and outdoor educators. She lives in Wisconsin and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Alverno College and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction (ECE) from University Wisconsin- Milwaukee. You can find her and Little Pine Learners at any of the online locations below.

Teachers Pay Teachers Store – Little Pine Learners
Instagram: @LittlePineLearners
Facebook: Little Pine Learners

Photo credit: Little x Little Photography