Month: June 2019

INFORMATION, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PHOTOGRAPHY, SUMMER
Must-Have Photos to Capture this Summer
- June 27, 2019
Summer is officially here! It’s time to get outside, enjoy some fun in the sun and make new memories. One of my favorite parts of making summer memories with my children (besides the quality time spent with them, of course!) is being able to photograph the details that I don’t want to forget. What better way to remember childhood than to have photos to show it? Today, Brandi Markham, photographer, teacher and mom of three is sharing the list she created of must-have photos to capture this summer, as well as some helpful tips to make your images stand out. Enjoy!

Must-have photos to capture this summer

Summer is ripe with wonderful outdoor activities for kids. With so much sunshine and beautiful light, it’s also the perfect time to get out your camera and document your days. Whether you’re a newbie photographer with an iPhone, a professional photographer with a DSLR, or somewhere in between, you’ll never regret taking more photos of your kids. I love going into a new season with an idea of a few shots I’d like to get. After that, anything is a bonus. Here’s the list of my must-have photos to capture this summer. These are the shots I want to capture year-after-year of my kids. Feel free to add to the list and make it your own!

1. Ice cream

Number one on my family’s list for summer is ice cream! My kids cannot wait until those warm summer months arrive and we get to enjoy our ice cream outside. When capturing your children enjoying their summer ice cream, focus on those details. Nothing says childhood like ice cream melting down a tiny little hand or smeared across a sweet little face. Get close and snap a few shots of the dirt under their fingernails or the sprinkles stuck to their nose. Pull back and capture the whole scene! Just don’t forget to embrace the mess!

2. Popsicles

Holding close to the yummy treat theme, popsicles are another favorite in our family. Often our summer nights are spent enjoying a yummy popsicle on our front porch watching the neighbors go by. Whether it’s store-bought popsicles or ones you made yourself with fruit you picked, you cannot go wrong with popsicles! This popsicle photo is special to me, because I capture one just like it, in this exact same spot, each summer. It’s a great way to document my children’s growth. If you don’t already have a photo that you capture each year, go ahead and start now! It’s never too late to start a new tradition.

3. Sidewalk chalk

Another summer favorite around here is sidewalk chalk. It won’t be long before our children are too grown up to enjoy this creative activity, so get out there and document it! Find some fun angles to capture the details and the messiness involved with sidewalk chalk. Have kids cover the entire sidewalk with scenes from a favorite movie or book. Have them practice their writing and counting skills. Draw hopscotch board or tic tac toe and turn it into a game. Add some water and create a paint effect. There are so many fun ways to get creative with sidewalk chalk.

4. Swimming pool

When it comes to the hot summer days, one of the best ways to cool down is the swimming pool. There are so many great photo opportunities at the pool. One of my favorite captures at the pool is one of my daughter relaxing on the beach entry section of our neighborhood pool. Shooting from above is probably my favorite perspective in photography. So when I caught my daughter relaxing like this, I knew I had to capture it. My 35 mm is my go-to lens for shots from above.

Of course, when you’re spending your day at the pool, you must capture those action shots of your children splashing and jumping. These are classic childhood moments. But, I also love to capture the slow moments. Another favorite pool image of mine was when I saw my son sitting at the deep end in his floaties watching his big sister jump off the diving board.

5. Bike riding

What is summer without some bike and scooter riding? Make sure to get out there and capture your kids riding those little bikes and scooters before they get too big! Get a full shot of them on their bike and get closer for some detail shots of their little hands gripping the handlebars and the way their ears stick out of their helmet. When capturing the photo below, I wanted to make sure I included the little stuffed dog that my son insisted on taking on his bike ride with him. Those are the details to remember!

6. Playground adventures

We spend a lot of our summer at the playground, so it’s important to me that I capture my children there. For a while, I was unsure how to photograph my kids at the playground without every photo being the same. So, a few things I’ve learned to get creative with photos at the playground are to change your perspective! Take a step back to get the whole scene. Or climb the slide and shoot down. Lay under the swing and shoot up! Different angles tell a different story. You can also get creative with the fun light by looking for shadows and sun bursts! Below are some of my favorite summer playground photos where I’ve done just that!

7. Sand

If you spend your time at the beach during the summer, don’t forget to capture those memories too. Sand can be messy, but it is a childhood must! Kids covered in sand are definitely one of the must-have photos to capture this summer. Get some shots of your kids making a sandcastle or completely covered in sand. Get a shot of them surrounded by their toys, shovels and buckets. However, make sure you are taking good care of your phone or camera here to protect it from the elements. Sand and salt water are not good for your camera.

8. Bubbles

Bubbles are another summertime favorite around here. Bubbles can be so much fun to try to photograph! Make sure to capture the joy your children have when playing with them. In the photo below, I wanted to try something different than my typical bubble photos, so I purposely focused on the bubble and caught the movement and joy of my daughter in the background.

9. The ocean

If you’re lucky enough to live near the ocean, make sure to take advantage of capturing your children there. We don’t get there often, but some of my favorite summer photos are of my children at the ocean shore just enjoying nature. This is another place where you’ll want to change your perspective to avoid taking the same shot over and over. Get up close and capture the details, get creative with your focus and depth of field, look for interesting light and shadows, get back and set the scene.

10. Summer details

This has probably been evident in many of the photos above, but I simply adore capturing the simple summer details. These are the little things that I’m likely to forget as I grow older. I love shooting sweet details like my daughter’s summer ponytail and sandy feet at the beach. Get photos of the band-aids on their knees and the paint stuck to their skin. Get a shot of the freckles on their nose and their sweaty helmet head after biking. These little details will mean so much to you as the years go by, so be sure to snap some detail shots of this summer!

11. Bare feet

Nothing says summer like bare feet! I love to capture my children’s feet during the summer. I love the painted toenails, the chalky feet and the dirt-covered feet bottoms. I love to see feet popping out of the hammock, encased in sandals and covered in grass. Get creative and capture those little piggies in as many creative ways as you can!

12. Summer treasures

All children love to collect treasures, so don’t forget to document their finds this summer. My favorite way to document my children’s treasures is to shoot from above. I love seeing their little hands holding their treasures, whether it be crabs, bugs, seashells, rocks or any other exciting things they find! And while some of these treasures may not seem like much to us as adults, they mean the world to a kid. Showing your interest and taking the shot lets them know they’re important.

13. Dirt

With all the time spent outdoors during the summer, there will be dirt! And lots of it! This is the time to embrace the mess and capture the dirt. You definitely don’t want to miss out on documenting this childhood detail.

14. Rainy days

Of course with summer, you also get rainy days. Take advantage of the rainy days and get creative when shooting indoors. One of my favorite indoor summer photos is of my daughter in her bathing suit watching the rain out the window. We were about to head to the pool when the rain began and she was super bummed. Get shots of your kids reading on rainy days or playing board games. You can also take the camera with you on indoor field trips, like to the library or museums. If you don’t want to lug around your real camera, grab that cell phone and capture the memory that way.

15. Water play

If you can’t get to the pool, you can still enjoy water play at home. Pull out that water table, water balloons or even water guns and let your kids have at it! I captured the water table photo from above because I wanted to show the fun colored water that the kids were playing in.

16. Shades

A super important summer staple are sunglasses. Make sure to capture your kids rocking their adorable little shades (or yours!).

17. Goggles

Of course you must also snap a photo of your child in their goggles. If not at the pool, throw them on in a bubble bath! Why not?

18. Summer milestones

A lot of kids join the swim team during the summer. Make sure to capture these moments to remember. Capture the race and the practices, but also the big moments. The photos below are of my son showing off his pre-team swim trophy and the joy my daughter felt when she officially made the swim team. These are moments I don’t want to forget!

19. Summer sports

Do your children participate in summer sports? Make sure to capture those memories too…even if they are just standing distracted at the soccer goal. This is real life folks!

20. Summer reading

Do you have a little book lover? If so, this is another must-have photo. I love that my daughter enjoys reading so much. I want to be able to remember these quiet moments as well. Capture your kids reading their favorite books, both indoors and out! Encourage them to read in a hammock, under a shady tree or bathed in the light of a window in the comfort of the air-conditioned house.

21. Special events

Last summer our family was lucky enough to experience the solar eclipse while visiting family in Kentucky. If there are any special events happening near you, don’t forget to document them, especially if they are once in a lifetime.

22. Road trips

Summer road trip photos are a must! We all know how stressful these trips can be, but I promise you won’t regret looking back at the photos you capture of the craziness that comes with travel. Get the shot of the packed car with the kids sticking out! Get a shot of the mess in their car seats at the end of the journey. Capture the moments along the way of them reading or singing songs.

23. Bath time

The last of my must-have photos to capture your summer is bath time! With all the dirtiness that comes with summer, baths are a huge part of it. Might as well document that too! Get a shot of ALL the bubbles! Give them mohawks! Let them splash!

More photography resources

If you’re interested in more photography resources, download our FREE guide with our best tips and tricks for taking better photos of your kids’ outdoor adventures with the camera on your PHONE! From creative composition tips to our favorite editing apps, this guide includes everything you need to know to make the most out of the camera in your pocket!

What summer adventures are you looking forward to documenting?
Share your must-have photos to capture this summer in the comments below!

Brandi
Maryland
@brandimarkham

Hello, I’m Brandi! My husband & I live just outside of Washington, DC with our three littles. They are my favorite people in the world & my biggest inspiration. I am a full-time elementary teacher & a part-time photographer, but mostly I enjoy photography as a hobby. I love chocolate, animals, & nature! Summer is my favorite because we get to spend all of our time outdoors!
BEACH, FAVORITE GEAR, GOOD FOR NATURE, INFORMATION, SUMMER
The Best Reef Safe Sunscreens for Kids
- June 24, 2019
Summer is here and so is the sun! That means it’s more important than ever to make sure your kids are protected from the elements. Sunscreen is one way that you can keep your kids’ skin protected from the sun. However, we want to make sure that the products we’re using are not only safe for your kids, but safe for the planet. Climate change, pollution, and other environmental factors are slowly eroding the health of coral reefs around the world, which in turn can affect the health of the oceans. Today, Desirée Macke is here with ways you can keep your kids’ skin safe from the sun without putting the environment at risk. She’s also sharing 6 of the best reef safe sunscreens for kids and other ways that you can help keep our oceans safe from damaging chemicals.

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Not all sunscreens are the same

The hot sunny days of summer are finally here! That means your kids will (hopefully) be outside doing fun outdoor activities and spending endless hours in rivers, lakes, pools, or oceans. It’s super important this time of year to keep your kids sun-safe. Sunscreen becomes necessary and unavoidable – you need good stuff and lots of it. If you’re anything like me, you hit up your local market and grab the sunscreen that’s on sale. In the past, I’ve often reached for any big name brand – the cheaper, the better. I lather the kids up and send them on their merry way.

However, sunscreen has come a long way over the last few years and those changes have made me reconsider the way I choose sunscreens for my family. Not all sunscreens are created equal and there are some very important reasons why you should be considering more than just size and price when choosing a sunscreen for your kids.

Why choose a reef safe sunscreen?

It is estimated that 14,000 tons of sunscreen are deposited into our oceans each year. Much of that sunscreen contains oxybenzone and octinoxate. Studies have found those chemicals hurts coral, and contribute to coral bleaching. When coral bleaches, it is not dead, but under significant stress and subject to increased mortality levels. This, in turn, affects sea life and the overall health of our oceans. In addition, sunscreens containing petrolatum (commonly known as mineral oil) and Titanium Dioxide both takes many years to biodegrade and are known to be harmful or fatal to aquatic life and waterfowl.

Sounds scary for our oceans, right? It is. And it’s important. Hawaii is the first state in the US to ban the sale of sunscreen containing the coral-harming chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. Most popular sunscreen brands are known to contain these dangerous chemicals. However, there’s good news! We are starting to see a trend of new, less toxic sunscreen lines which are made without oxybenzone, octinoxate and parabens, which are much better for the environment.

6 reef safe sunscreens for kids

Choosing the right sunscreen is important not only to protect skin from burns and cancer, but also to preserve our oceans and marine life. Selecting a sunscreen that is both effective and reef safe can be overwhelming, but fear not! We’ve compiled a list of the best reef safe sunscreens for kids that will protect your family from the harmful sun rays, and help to keep our oceans safe from damaging chemicals. In this breakdown, we’ll provide price points for each product. We will also show what the Environmental Working Group has rated each product, on a scale of 1 to 10. A rating of 1 is the safest for consumption/application as well as the environment.

Babo Botanical Clear Zinc Sunscreen
- $12.50 for 3 oz ($4.13/ounce)
- SPF 30
- Be sure to reach for the Clear Zinc, rather than the Sheer Zinc
- EWG rating: 1
Beautycounter Mineral Sunscreen Lotion
- $39 for 6.7 oz ($5.82/ounce)
- SPF 30
- EWG rating: 1
Coola Mineral Body Sunscreen
- $36 for 5 oz ($7.20/ounce)
- SPF 30
- Also available in SPF 50 Sensitive for Babies – $36 for 3 oz ($12/ounce)
- EWG rating: 1
Raw Elements Certified Natural Sunscreen
- $18 for 3 oz ($6.00/ounce)
- SPF 30
- EWG rating: 1
Reef Repair Suncream
- $15 for 4 oz ($3.75/ounce)
- SPF 30
- EWG rating: not available at the time of this publication
Thinksport Kids Sport Sunscreen
- $22 for 6 oz ($3.66/ounce)
- SPF 50+
- EWG rating: 1
Other ways to keep kids safe in the sun

Even mineral-based sunscreens can negatively impact fish and coral reefs at high concentrations. When thousands of people get into the water at a single beach, the oils from even the safest sunscreen products can induce toxicity. The best thing we can do is limit products when recreating in high use areas and find other safe ways to keep our kids safe from the sun.

If you plan to go into the water at the beach, the best way to protect both your kids and the environment is to cover up with UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) clothing. Not only are the kids covered up and safe from the sun, but it’s also so much easier than asking 163 times for the kids to stand still while sunscreen is being applied. There are lots of options for UVF clothing, but two of our favorite companies are Veyo Kids (which has sun hoodies and Noggins sun hats to keep the sun rays at bay) and SwimZip (which offers swimsuits, rash guards, and cover-ups for the whole family). Even regular non-UPF clothing offers excellent protection. You’ll still have to apply sunscreen to any exposed skin, but you’ll need far less—up to half the amount—than you might if you were in a bathing suit.

Other options for sun protection include giant sun umbrellas and pop-up canopies.

What are you doing to protect your family and the oceans this summer?

I’m Desirée; wife to Scott, mom to Marcus and Julia. I’m the domestic engineer (that’s my fancy term for stay-at-home-mom) of the family, here in Southern California. My husband, kids, and I love the outdoors. Our favorite ways to explore are hiking the coastal trails near us as well as combing the tide pools for aquatic treasures. To quench our thirst for wide open spaces beyond the hustle and bustle of our urban jungle. We love to visit state and national parks, as well as conservation areas and nature preserves.

You can find more of Desirée’s adventures in the following locations:

Instagram: @desireemacke

Blog: Macke Monologues
FRIDAY FEATURES, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PHOTOGRAPHY
Friday Feature: Brandi Rondinelli
- June 21, 2019
Happy Friday! Time for another edition of our Friday Features, where we feature a member of our incredibly inspiring Instagram community. Today, we are featuring the amazing Brandi Rondinelli (@soulshinephotographer), professional photographer, adventurer and mom of 2 from Southeastern Wisconsin.

Meet Brandi Rondinelli

Brandi’s Instagram feed is filled with gorgeous images of her children exploring nature in the most beautiful and innocent ways. Her images capture the simplicity and wonder of childhood, with a touch of fantasy and whimsy.

Brandi is also the personality behind the Run My Child Facebook feed, so if you follow us there, you’ll pick up on her love of homesteading, gardening, photography, homeschooling, foraging, and animals. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her (and her adorable daughter) in person and can attest to her warm, genuine spirit, her curiosity, compassion and huge heart. Here’s a little more about the inspiration behind her images in her own words.

Favorite outdoor experience from this past year?

We visited one of our favorite places to explore, Retzer Nature Center. Of course, I brought my camera along, but had no visions or expectations. We were just there for fun. I let the kids go wherever they wanted and allowed them to be the leaders. They took us to some very pretty spots and we just ran around having fun. We raced up a big hill, rolled around in the long grass, tickled each other and made funny noises! We laughed so hard that day! And, in the midst of it all, I caught some pretty photos that captured our time exploring perfectly. It was just the all-around the perfect hike.

Favorite outdoor activity to do with your children?

This is so simple and easy, but my favorite outdoor activity to do with the kids is to look up at the clouds and see if we can make animals out of them. Such a classic childhood activity and I always learn so much about my children’s imaginations and personalities.

What do you love/like the most about Instagram?

I love connecting with like-minded mamas and supporting everyone in their journey while also being able to share my work and hopefully inspire others. Instagram is an amazing place filled with so much inspiration and wonderful people. I’ve made some great “real life” connections through social media and I absolutely love my online friends!!

List three bucket list destinations you’re dying to see?
- Banff & Alberta, Canada
- Bali, Indonesia
- Italy
What is your favorite quote?

That is a tough one. I love quotes!! I actually have a Pinterest board with just quotes that touch my soul. So I have lots of favorites. However, if I had to choose just one, I’ll go with “Troubles, they may come and go but good times, they’re the gold.” -Dave Matthews Band (also, my favorite band)

What is your favorite outdoor memory from childhood?

Climbing trees and building forts in the woods with my brother. We would go outside first thing in the morning and wouldn’t come in until the street lights came on.

Why is it important to you to raise your children to love nature?

We know that contact with nature is a source of wonder and inspiration for children. Nature is essential to their healthy development and sense of spirituality. With that being said I love teaching my kids about the natural world. Nature was always a huge part of my life growing up, it was more than just a place to play for me. It was a place to escape from my house, it was my safe place. I want my kids to feel in touch with nature as I did. I don’t want it to be their escape, per se, but I want them to think of nature as their second home. It’s safe to say, these past 4+ years with my kids have been making nature a priority and it shows.

What is your favorite local/state/national park and why?

My all-time favorite place that I’ve hiked thus far is Olympic National Forest, specifically, Hoh Rainforest! My husband and I traveled there last year and it was just absolutely amazing! Those big mossy trees were incredible. Washington has my heart!

For more from Brandi Rondinelli,
find her online in the following locations:

Personal Instagram: @soulshinephotographer
Client work: @motherhenshomestead
Website: http://www.soulshinephotographer.com

For more inspiration behind our favorite Instagram accounts, check out all our Friday Features.
HIKE, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, URBAN NATURE
Neighborhood Hiking with Kids
- June 19, 2019
Hiking with kids doesn’t have to be daunting or intimidating. It doesn’t require fancy gear or long miles. All you need to do to get started is step outside your front door with the purpose of having fun and a sense of adventure. Today, we have Maggie (Nimo), active mom of two from Sydney, Australia here sharing how her family got started hiking by going on local neighborhood excursions. She walks you through everything you need to know about neighborhood hiking with kids and how to start your own family tradition.

Benefits of hiking with kids

Hiking is not only fun, but it has many health benefits for kids and adults. Hiking is a great way to get kids outdoors and is a fun way to get them to love nature and foster their curiosity about the world around them.

When most people think of hiking, they think of an expedition that involves fancy gear from The Northface, hiking poles and a hydrating Camelbak with a straw into your mouth. While these kinds of hikes can lead you to some amazing places, they are not always possible to undertake with small children. However, hiking doesn’t have to be so intense. Kids can get outside and hike in their own neighborhoods!

The start of neighborhood hiking

When my son was only 20 months, I fell pregnant with my second child. I had such bad morning sickness that I spent most of my days laying on the floor, the TV on and my son entertaining himself around me. When my husband would come home from work, we would go for a walk to get some fresh air. This was the beginning of our neighborhood hiking adventures.

In the beginning, we needed to carry my son most of the time we were hiking, but in no time, he was covering the distance all by himself! That was 3 years ago. Today, he is an avid hiker and is always encouraging his little sister not to give up.

Neighborhood hiking with kids

Our hikes have since advanced from our neighborhood to National parks, but we still make time to walk around the neighborhood a few times a week. Most of our neighborhoods are rich with interesting things to make a group of children excited enough to get outside. If you want to get your little ones hiking around your neighborhood, here is where to start.

1. Start a weekly tradition

Pick a day (or multiple days) in a week and call it “family hiking day.” Pick a time that suits the whole family, when the kids are not too tired or hungry. Also, make sure you are not in a hurry so the kids can explore. Our hikes usually happen in the evening, after dinner. This is a time when my husband and I are not rushed, the kids are full and they have that pre-bedtime surge of energy.

2. Make it exciting

Make a big deal of your neighborhood hikes and show them you’re excited about going. Help them pack a little bag with items for the hike (my kid’s bags contain water, a magnifying glass, a neighborhood map printed off Google maps and a headlamp for winter walks). Our hikes are known as excursions by the kids and we have reached a point where they usually choose which direction to take.

3. Find interesting things in your neighborhood to mark your destination

When we first started hiking and our son was small, our excursion used to take us to a neighborhood cat. When he became comfortable with that distance, we discovered a friendly dog that was a little bit further and this became our destination. We have since discovered other interesting things around the neighborhood and we choose to hike to those destinations. This gives the kids a goal and helps set their expectations.

Some of our other destinations are a large tree with all sorts of interesting insects to watch. There’s a large rock where we practice our climbing technique and a local dog park where we have made friends. Sometimes we hike to a construction site so the kids can see the diggers and tractors. Most recently, a local community garden has become a favorite spot for my 2-year-old daughter because she gets to feed all my lettuce to the chickens. Kids find interest in so many things that adults tend to overlook. Use your neighborhood hike to discover things in a whole new way.

4. Find friends to hike with

There is strength in numbers. This could not be truer when it comes to toddlers and pre-schoolers. During our walks, I usually notice that my kids cover way more distance when we bring friends along. I like to ask other mothers in the neighborhood and their kids to join us on our hike. I find that the children get so busy with each other that they rarely ever ask to be carried or complain about the distance.

5. Don’t worry too much about the destination

Yes, I mentioned that having a destination helps keep kids motivated, but make sure you allow them to explore. Toddlers and pre-schoolers get distracted very easily. Sometimes, a rock or tree will catch their attention and they’ll want to stop to explore or play. You can try to gently encourage them to keep walking, but don’t force them or get impatient with them. This will only make you frustrated and discourage them from trying the walk again.

If it so happens that a child stops and refuses to move on, then stay there! Let the kids explore whatever they find interesting until they’re satisfied. If after a while they still don’t want to move on, turn around and go home, and try again another time.

6. Don’t combine the hike with a task

Neighborhood hikes should not be the time when you plan to stop at the grocery store and pick up a gallon of milk. Separate “tasks” from “hikes.” These neighborhood hikes are meant to get your kid outside and into nature and eventually increase the child’s stamina and endurance. If you tie it to a task, you shift the focus to your needs and it then becomes impossible to move at the child’s pace. Remember, these child-friendly hikes should be led by them, so don’t rush them.

7. Safety first

As always, when hiking, safety is high on the list. Put down some basic rules that are easy for the kids to follow. Our rules are:
- No running too far ahead of the parents
- When asked, you must stop
- All children must hold an accompanying adult’s hand when crossing a street
We also try to avoid main roads, as its more peaceful and less polluted. We always repeat our rules before leaving the house. If any child is struggling with following them after a few reminders, that child goes back home with one of the adults. I have had to do this to show the kids just how important it is to follow the rules. I’m happy to report that, my 4-year-old son knows them and follows them quite well. My 2-year-old has not gotten the grasp yet, but I am confident she will get there.

8. Leave the gadgets at home

When we do neighborhood hikes, we make sure to stay off our phones. However, one adult usually carries a phone with them for emergencies and safety reasons, but it stays hidden in a backpack or pocket and is not to be used. Our hikes are a time to connect as a family. You never know when a pre-schooler is going to hold your hand and tell you about their day. If you are distracted by your phone, they may move on to something else and you’ll miss out on an important piece of your child’s day. Our neighborhood hikes usually last around 45 minutes, and everything else can wait.

9. Don’t forget to have fun!

The main purpose of our neighborhood hikes is to explore, exercise, and, most importantly, have fun. Use your imagination on your hike and pretend to hunt for dinosaurs or escape from crocodiles. Let the kids’ imagination take them places like the jungle or desert, and go along with them. You will be in for quite an adventure.

Start your own tradition of neighborhood hiking

If you want to get outdoors more with your family but find life getting in the way, neighborhood hiking is a great place to start. Getting out the door and into your local neighborhood is the perfect way to start adventuring more with the kids. Before you know it, you will be online ordering that fancy gear from the Northface, ready for a hike off a beaten track! We hope to run into you out there. Happy hiking everyone!

About the author

I am Maggie (Nimo). I’m originally from Kenya but lived in the U.S. for over 10 years. While living in Pittsburgh, I met and married a Slovakian man. We decided to move to warmer weather, initially thinking California, but we kept moving and ended up in Sydney Australia. We now call Australia home and when we are not busy working, we like to get out and hike, camp and travel with our children ages 2 and 4.

You can find more of their family’s adventures in the following locations:
Instagram – @babystepslongstrides
Website – http://babystepslongstrides.com/
CAMP, FAMILY TRAVEL, LOCAL GEMS, NATIONAL PARKS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
A Central Washington Road Trip with Kids
- June 17, 2019
Taking local road trips with kids is a great way to teach your children about the history and beauty of your home state. You don’t have to go far to find fun new campgrounds, forests, monuments, museums, diners, shops and hikes. Today, I’m really excited to share a post all about one family’s adventures on a Central Washington road trip and camping trip with kids. Evangeline Dittman – writer, photographer and Seattle mom of two – is here sharing the good, the bad, and the bizarre of her family’s most recent camping trip. Evangeline has the most amazing way with words -she’s the perfect mix of hilarious and humble – guaranteed to make you fall in love with her and their adventure. Ready to hit the road?!

Spring break tradition

Our family has a tradition of traveling over spring break. We live in Seattle, where winters are gray and drizzly. By the time April rolls around, we’re starved for sunlight. Last year, instead of our usual trip to Somewhere Sunny, we decided to stay more local and spend our spring break camping. We had just bought a travel trailer and were feeling bold. That trip has gone down in our family’s annals as the “Mud Camping Trip.” I now have enough distance on the experience to be able to speak of it without breaking into hives, but I still choose not to dwell on it. This sums it up nicely: We ended up visiting a laundromat during that trip, and the laundromat owner said we were nuts to be camping in that area, at that time of year.

Central Washington road trip

Undaunted by our mud camping misadventure, we decided to camp over this year’s spring break as well. My husband plans most of our family adventures; for this trip, he plotted Central Washington road trip, which is sunnier in spring—and blessedly drier—than is the western half of the state. We started at a state park in Yakima (we’re big fans of state parks!). Then, we wended our way through wine country and hops fields to take up residence at a second state park, this one just south of Moses Lake. Along the way, we hiked a canyon, sampled wines, toured a nuclear reactor, visited a petrified forest, and—yes—played in mud. (Though this time the mud was contained and didn’t necessitate a side trip to the laundromat.)

Yakima

We began our Central Washington road trip in Yakima, Washington. Did you know Yakima, Washington produces nearly 75% of all US hops? Me neither! Yakima’s hops production surpassed Germany’s a few years ago and hasn’t yet given up the lead. Evidently, that’s a big deal to hops connoisseurs. Me, I just think the hops fields are pretty and the beer is tasty.

Yakima greeted us with lush hops fields and pruned vineyards. This put me in the perfect state of mind for family camping. Our campsite at Yakima Sportsman State Park was spacious and verdant, filled with friendly families and overly-friendly leaf bugs. (I had to escort out several dozen that just wouldn’t follow our social cues when we felt tired or needed privacy.)

The kids spent most of their campsite time on their bikes, checking out the lily pond and playground. The trails were wide and flat, but something on them had it in for my son’s bike tires. Husband spent his evenings applying patches, and we eventually had to go into town for a new bike tube.

Hops & wine

We hiked the Cowiche Canyon for our first outing. Offering a variety of short trails with little elevation gain, it’s a great hiking option with kids. We nevertheless chose to tackle the steeper, rockier Winery Trail because…wine. If you make it to the end of the trail, you’re rewarded with crisp rosé wines in air-conditioned tasting rooms.

Or so I assume. We didn’t make it to the end of the trail. My Seattle kids don’t tolerate unrelenting sunshine very well, and the sun was beating down on us that day. What’s more, the Winery Trail offers very little in the way of shade. It does, however, offer plenty of raptor and vulture sightings. The enthusiasm for those was almost enough to propel our kids onward up the hill, but not quite.

It’s just as well. We chased marmots back down the trail, scooted over the more treacherous stretches on our bums, and lay on shaded boulders while we snacked. Added bonus: At the end of the trail, the kids played under a weeping willow’s canopy. My daughter insists it’s a whomping willow while my son prefers to call it a happy willow.

Finding the wineries

Rest assured, we did eventually make it to some tasting rooms. The Bonair Winery features a pond with fish and ducks that the kids can feed while you sip wine. (The tasting-room hosts provide food for the critters!) The VanArnam Vineyards has a sweet old dog that will frolic with the kids while you sip wine. See? The kids can interact with nature while you sip wine: parenting done right.

Toppenish

Another day trip took us to Toppenish, a small city noted for their outdoor murals—over 70 of them—depicting various historical scenes from the region. What does 70+ outdoor murals plus two kids equal? Several hundred rounds of I Spy with My Little Eye.

We hit the famed Miner’s Drive-In restaurant on our way back into Yakima. We were surprised (and a little frightened) to discover they serve burgers as big as your head. Honestly, just order one burger. Get your photo, then cut the burger in half and share it. Ugh, three weeks later and I’m still groaning from that burger. Their shakes are purportedly masterful, but we were too stuffed to try one.

Yakama Nation Museum

We visited the Yakama Nation Museum on our way out of town. The exhibits there are a bit choppy. I needed more background information to make sense of some of the stories presented. Then again, my attention was divided between the exhibits and my antsy kids, so it’s possible all the background one needs is there and I just missed it. Alas, museums and children are ancient and natural enemies. I had to do my part to keep them both safe from each other.

Hanford Site B Reactor

Never let it be said that the Dittmans failed to explore a nearby national park. Turns out, the Hanford Site—home to the world’s first plutonium production reactor; source of the plutonium used in the first nuclear explosion (the Trinity test), as well as in the nuclear bomb that the US detonated over Nagasaki, Japan; and the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States—is now a national park. And we went there.

We did our best to prep the kids for the tour. Husband covered the science of nuclear fission while I attempted to sketch out the history and prevailing fears that led to the Manhattan Project. Imagine doing this in four-minute chunks—the approximate attention span of our youngest—using vocabulary a kindergartener and third-grader could grasp. We mostly failed, of course, but it’s important that we tried, right?

Funny aside: I went into the tour thinking it might be the inspiration for the kids’ upcoming science fair. Maybe my oldest could do a presentation on how nuclear reactors work? In hindsight, I’m laughing my butt off. The tour lasted two hours. Twenty minutes in I knew we wouldn’t be explaining nuclear fission to anyone anytime soon.

The truth about the reactor tour

The tour is very science-heavy and disappointingly light in setting the historical context. It starts with a forty-five-minute bus ride (the kids’ favorite part of the tour—the bus was very plush), during which our tour guide, whom I dubbed Euphemism King, described the geography of the area and what made it suitable for hosting nuclear reactors. He sort of glossed over the fate of the people who were farming that land when the government moved in, just as he glossed over the environmental and social impacts of operating a nuclear reactor. Details about the weapons that Hanford’s plutonium enabled, and the millions of tons/billions of gallons of the resulting radioactive waste that is oh-so-leaky were similarly glossed over. All in all, it was a very glossy tour.

Junior Rangers to the rescue

BUT, they have a junior ranger program! Never let it be said the Dittmans failed to earn a junior ranger badge when within a five-mile radius of one. The requirements for this badge were tough. We had to chase down very persnickety details, but the kids nailed it. My favorite part of the ranger workbook was the fill-in-the-blank prompt: I saw my first _____________ at Hanford. Now, I don’t know how often you hang out in a nuclear reactor, but every square foot of it was pretty stinkin’ new to me. I could have filled in the blank with one hundred things that I was seeing for the first time. The kids, however, were most wowed by the typewriter.

Turns out, it’s a teletype machine, so make that 101 things I was seeing for the first time.

Hanford Site gift shop

There’s a funny little gift shop at the end of the tour. I don’t think it’s affiliated with the Hanford Site, though the owner does have official-looking memorabilia—Manhattan Project pins and patches, informational booklets and the like. She also offers a unique assortment of kitsch. The shop gives a kind of 1950s garage-sale vibe. My daughter fell in love with a frankly hideous porcelain keepsake for baby’s first haircut. As it was only three dollars and I had just finished praising her for her patience on the not-so-kid-friendly tour, I bought it for her. Maybe she’ll always remember the atomic bomb when she looks at it?

We chatted a bit with the shop owner and learned that she is descended from the first wave of folks who were recruited to work at Hanford. She graduated Richland High School, whose mascot is the Bomber, usually depicted with a mushroom cloud. A survivor of the Nagasaki bombing who had visited Hanford just last year expressed shock at discovering the mushroom cloud proudly painted on the school’s hallway floor. The shop owner mentioned the visit and politely, but firmly, defended the mascot and logo as a critical emblem of the town’s history.

A little too behind the scenes

When we didn’t cringe or argue (mostly because I was preoccupied with convincing my son we didn’t need the black velvet Elvis painting), she offered to take us to the back of her shop. There, she had a nearly perfect replica of a bedroom from the Hanford Engineer Works Village. This was a 1943 federally sponsored planned community to house Hanford workers and families. I admit to some initial trepidation about following her back there. The shop and the conversation had put me at unease, and the room we stepped into was eerily Stepford Wives-ish. I felt like I was in that scene from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull where Indy wanders into a fake Doom Town minutes before an atomic bomb test. Remember the much-maligned “nuke the fridge” scene? No? Don’t worry about it—just know that the bedroom creeped me out a little.

Once we were safely back in the sunshine, though, I came to appreciate the museum-quality collection the shop owner is cultivating. It’s an important part of the Hanford Site story. If it were put to a vote, I’d tick the box in favor of integrating the shop owner’s eerie room into the overarching tour.

A Hanford Site recap

Here’s the most important thing parents needs to know about visiting the Hanford Site: there are amazing wineries nearby. It’s imperative you make time for them. We visited Col Solare, which offers panoramic vistas, but not a lot of distractions for the kiddos (we read out to them from Harry Potter). Then we dropped by the Hedges estate where walked around the vineyard with glasses in hand, watched some of the workers wrangle chickens into a new coop, laughed at an ornery turkey who looked like he’d been in a few dozen bar fights, quit our jobs, pulled the kids out of school, and moved into a trailer on the estate.

Okay, that last bit isn’t true, but Hedges is the kind of winery that dares you to chuck all your priorities and take up the oenological life.

Potholes State Park

I was apprehensive about bringing our trailer to a park called Potholes. However, it turns out it got its name for the hundreds of tiny islands surrounded by “pothole” lakes that make up the nearby reservoir. And the park offers lush campsites with shorebirds, great horned owls, and long, even groves reminiscent of the manicured lawns Jane Austen’s characters are always walking about, plotting their marital strategies.

Exploring Potholes

We spent our days at Potholes building mud dams along the lakeshore, weaving wreaths from fallen weeping willow twigs, disturbing the fish with our splashing, and—in the evenings—playing a lawn game of our own invention: a blend of soccer, tag, and Game of Thrones (in which we convince Little Sister she not only wants to give the ball back, but giving the ball back is her brilliant idea). Also, the campsites have enough strategically-placed trees to accommodate hammocks, so the kids were able to do their two-headed-burrito thing while Husband and I read and napped.

A couple of birders we met who were familiar with the park told us it gets very busy during the weekends. Sure enough, by Thursday we had quite a few new campsite neighbors. Happily, our nearest neighbors brought kids roughly my kids’ ages, and the four of them hit it off right away. They shared bikes, scooters, bubble wands, marshmallow sticks, and Minecraft stories. (Minecraft stories are interminable, amiright?)

Gingko Petrified Forest State Park

Just when I’d given up on finding ideas for the kids’ upcoming science fair projects during our travels, we found a petrified forest! The final stop on our Central Washington road trip was Gingko Petrified Forest. This state park hosts a remarkably diverse collection of petrified wood species—we saw petrified spruce, elm, maple, and Douglas fir logs during our hike on the Tree of Stone Trail (which, by the way, is a very gusty and exposed trail; pack water and a sweater!).

We sought refuge from the wind at the Gingko Petrified Forest Museum where we discovered…wait for it…a junior ranger program! The requirements for this badge were fun to fulfill; we watched a short film describing how wood becomes petrified, and then we hunted for fossils hidden throughout the museum. I was especially taken with the display of small, polished bits of petrified wood. The natural markings on the wood, when polished, reveal painterly landscapes and ghostly portraits. (My daughter saw a Harry Potter Dementor in one.)

Petrified forest museum

The museum is also home to ancient petroglyphs which were relocated to the site when rising waters created by the Wanapum Dam threatened to destroy them. My son remarked that whoever made these drawings probably led a happy life; they depict sunny scenes of families and wildlife and gave us a kind of contended feeling—a contentedness that did not diminish even when I saw the signs warning of rattlesnakes. As it happens, the rattlesnakes in this area attack only men—at least according to the sign—so I had no reason to fret.

The deck at the back of the museum provides a lunch spot with an expansive view of the Columbia River, and it’s relatively protected from the wind. If you can time your visit right, take advantage of the beautiful resting spot so you have the energy to check out the Gingko Gem Shop afterwards. It’s just down the road from the museum, and it looks tantalizing to kids. We skipped visiting the shop—we weren’t in the mood for a touristy jaunt just then—but if you need examples of petrified wood for a kid’s science fair project, this is evidently the place to go!

(In the end, my third-grader chose rocketry and the kindergartner chose soap bubbles for their science fair projects.)

About the author

Evangeline is a family photographer and freelance copyeditor in Seattle, Washington. Thanks to her tirelessly adventurous husband, she and her two kidlets (and said adventurous husband) are always exploring the vast and varied wonders of the Pacific Northwest. From camping to cross-country skiing, Evangeline’s family embodies the Swedish maxim: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.”

Website: www.rosefinchphotography.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rosefinchphotography
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rosefinchphoto
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SUMMER
Five S’s of a Successful Bonfire that your Kids will Love
- June 10, 2019
Some of my all-time favorite memories involve sitting around a campfire with friends and family, telling stories and singing songs. There’s something truly magical about a summer bonfire. Today, we’ve got the fantastic Laurie Endsley here, Texas mom of 3 and photographer, with tips on how to create an incredible bonfire experience for your kids that they’ll never forget. From how to safely build a bonfire to how to make turn it magical colors, she’s sharing the five S’s of a successful bonfire that your kids will love.

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Five S’s of a successful bonfire

Every spring our family builds and relishes a massive and gorgeous bonfire. Living on acreage outside of the city allows us to build huge fires that really make our eyes light up and our skin glow. We take advantage of it every chance we can. Over the years, we’ve packed away fun (and tasty) tips that help us have spectacular bonfires each and every time. Here are the 5 S’s of a fun and successful bonfire with kids.

1st S – Safety

Safety always comes first with kids around. Before you even light a match, you need to be sure the location you are planning to use allows bonfires and does not currently have a burn ban. A quick Google search of “Does my area have a burn ban?” should come up with your location’s burn status so you can ensure it is safe environmentally. With the all-clear, you need to make sure you have the following things:
1. A first aid kit
2. Fire extinguisher, hose or bucket of water
3. A responsible adult
When these three things in place, it’s a good time to remind the kiddos of fire safety rules. Remind your littles that fire embers are always hot and not to directly poke the fire because it can be dangerous. By assuming it is hot at all times and not poking at the logs you can ensure that the changes of being burned have been lowered to a minimum. Finally, make sure to fully extinguish the fire when you are done, as Smokey the Bear says, only you can prevent forest fires!

You can find more fire safety tips from Smokey the Bear here.

2nd S – Set up

For most of us, building a fire is not something we do on a daily basis. Before you begin, you may need a quick refresher on exactly what to do. Step-by-step detailed instructions are always helpful, which I’ve included below. For those who are visual learners here is a video link for a GREAT video on properly building a bonfire.

Bonfire building directions:

1. Make sure the area is open with plenty of open space around where the fire will be to prevent jumping embers from sparking nearby greenery.

2. Gather the following bonfire materials:
- a small pile of kindling
- twelve or so medium width logs, roughly 5 inches across
- four large width logs, roughly 7 inches across
- two short thick logs
- a collection of longer medium logs, roughly 3 feet long (you will use the longer logs to build vertical frame of the blaze.)
- newspaper or fire starter
- fireplace matches or a long-stemmed BBQ lighter (a smaller lighter or matches will work but you will have to get up-close and friendly with the structure when setting the blaze
3. Now we build! First, place a small amount of kindling in a pile. On two sides of the kindling place two of the large logs. Then, top with the medium-width logs to make a crisscross pattern (this will be 3 logs tall). Pack the newspaper or firestarter into the small spaces between the medium sized logs. Add the rest of the medium logs continuing the lattice pattern until you are out of logs.

4. Place the two larger logs perpendicular to the two large logs at the bottom to hold your pile in place. The two short logs will be the top of the stack, becoming your fuel as the fire burns. Lastly, take the longer medium logs and place them standing up all around your stack like a teepee, this is what gives you your traditional bonfire look!

5. When it’s all ready, reach in and very carefully light the newspaper and kindling in the middle of your stack with the lighter and get the fire started!

3rd S – S’mores!

Making s’mores is my favorite bonfire “S.” Those amazing marshmallow treats are perfect for bonfires. You will need sticks sturdy enough to last when they are close to or in the fire. Search for s’mores roasting sticks in the nearby woods or you can always buy some durable reusable ones.

I’m pretty sure that everyone loves s’mores! The traditional s’mores are hard to beat, but there are so many variations to make your s’more perfect. Don’t like milk chocolate? Use dark chocolate! Want a little mint flavor? Add an Andes mint to your s’more. Nutella is a tasty alternative to the traditional Hershey bar if you want to take it up a notch. Feeling really crazy? Swap that graham cracker for a chocolate chip cookie or a donut! My favorite option for little kids is to use a waffle ice cream cone to house their s’more and keep it all contained!

4th S – Smiles

Building a bonfire is sure to get little ones out in the open air and excited about being unplugged, present and outside. So, it is immensely important that we bring on the smiles. Sometimes fun takes proper planning and other times its spontaneous. If you have trouble with coming up with spontaneous fun, don’t worry, there are plenty of planned activities for bonfire fun. Here are a few fun ways we make bonfires extra awesome!

Treats – If chocolate and gooey yumminess of s’mores isn’t your thing, try roasting hotdogs, making popcorn, grilling corn on the cob, baking potatoes or fire-roasting pineapple as a treat.

Stargazing – When bonfiring on a clear night, stargazing is a terrific way to throw a little learning into the mix! Stargazing is perfect for when you want to utilize your time away from city lights by fitting all the outdoor activities you can in at one time. I love the old school book method of learning the constellations and suggest the following books:
- The Usborne Book of Astronomy & Space
- Glow-In-The-Dark Constellations: A Field Guide for Young Stargazers by C.E. Thompson & Randy Chewning
Sparklers – Sparklers are so much fun for kids! They come in a ton of different colors and are cheap! They can be usually be found at your local party or wedding store year round. On a non-windy night, sparklers are always a crowd pleaser.

Songs and Stories – Telling stories and singing campfire songs are a wonderful way to pass down personal and cultural history in a memorable way. Tell stories about when you were a child or family traditions to create organic a bonding experience with your child. This allows you to chat about what is important to you, all while giving your kids a sense of belonging. Additionally, classic stories like Big Foot, The Hook, and Little Red Riding Hood are fun to retell around the glow of a bonfire. What bonfire is complete without singing Bingo, Home on the Range and Kumbaya?

5th S – Science

Once you’ve had your s’mores, sung your favorite campfire songs and told a ghost story or two around the bonfire, it’s time to bring out the finale! Nothing will dazzle your bonfire buddies like a good ol’ chemical reaction. There are lots of compounds you can either get at your local drug store or order online that will leave all your campers saying, “WOW!!!” and end your night with gusto!

Using chemicals to make your flames change color or spark gives you a perfect send-off before putting out your fire for the night. Here are a few options for wow’ing your crowd.
- Magnesium sulfate – white
- Borax- light green
- Copper sulfate- green
- Lithium chloride- pink
- Potassium chloride- purple
- Copper chloride- Blue
- Powdered coffee creamer- will cause sparks
- Flour- a flame flash
An adult should ALWAYS handle any chemicals and take all safety precautions such as gloves or eye protection. And remember to keep a fire extinguisher or bucket of water close at hand!

Final words

No matter how you decide to bonfire, a big traditional fire, a small colorful fire, or one just for making s’mores, bonfires are perfect for letting kids explore, learn, bond, and… run wild!

Hi, I’m Laurie! I live on acreage outside a very small town (we don’t even have a stoplight!) an hour and a half away from Dallas, Texas. I’ve been a photographer for almost 10 years, longer than any job I have ever had (except being a mom). I have three rambunctious and spirited kids who make my life anything but boring and a marvelous husband who helps me wrangle them when his job doesn’t call him in to “the big city.” If you want to follow along on our adventures and see my client work head on over to one of my social media outlets!

Facebook: laurie endsley photography
Instagram: @laurieends
Website: laurieendsley.com
FRIDAY FEATURES, PHOTOGRAPHY
Friday Feature: Sarah Robinson
- June 7, 2019
Happy Friday! Today’s featured member of our Instagram community is Sarah Robinson (@sunshyne.diaries). Sarah’s a professional photographer, model, adventurer and mom of two in Arizona. Her Instagram feed is filled with gorgeous light, fun adventures and lots of sunshine and smiles. She has a huge heart and a genuine love of adventure and the outdoors that shines through her images. There’s something about her photos that always make me feel warm and happy! Here’s a bit more about her and the inspiration behind the pretty pictures.

Favorite outdoor activity to do with your children?

The kids and I love to go paddle boarding and our whole family loves going to the sand dunes in Glamis, California. Read more about our sand dune adventures with kids.

How would you describe your photography style and Instagram feed?

My style is documenting our real-life moments. I try to edit to reality. Clean the images up and enhance them for color and beauty but not overly photoshop or fantasy. I want to remember our adventures exactly how they are.

What do you like the most about Instagram?

I obviously love looking at beautiful photos, but I also love learning about things and places I would not otherwise know of or discover.

Have you made any “real life” connections through social media?

Yes, getting to be part of the Run Wild My Child family! This is such a special connection that I adore.

List three bucket list destinations you’re dying to see?

(1) Lake Powell, which I’m planning a trip to this summer for my birthday. (2) I would love to explore Ireland since I’m Irish. (3) The Blue Lagoon!

Why is it important to you to raise your children to love nature?

Nature is where the good life is. Being outside in nature is where the best memories are made. It’s where you have the most amazing experiences that you will never forget. Nature is where you can learn so much and not even know you were learning. Nature awakes the soul.

What’s in your camera bag and what do you use most often?

I have 2 Canon cameras: Rebel T6 and 80D. I actually use the Rebel more often because it’s my spare. If I drown it (which I have done!) it’s not the end of the world. I save the 80D for clients. Someone once asked me why I take a DSLR paddle boarding with me and I said, “If I don’t take it, it doesn’t do me any good!” My favorite lenses are the “nifty 50” and 35L.

For more of Sarah Robinson’s beautiful images, find her online in the following locations:
Personal Instagram: @sunshyne.diaries
Client work: @sunshynepix
Website: Sunshyne Pix
FAMILY TRAVEL, INFORMATION, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Ten Road Trip Safety Tips for Traveling with Kids
- June 5, 2019
We are led to believe road trips with kids are certain to be fraught with danger, frustration, endless whining, and so much stress. That can leave us with so much fear and trepidation that we may never strike out at all! However, road trips don’t have to be scary or intimidating. Car travel is a great way to get from point A to point B and provides amazing opportunities to see the country and spend time together. Today we have the amazing Nichole from Luckey Wanderers here to dispel a few myths about road trips with kids and share all the road trip safety tips she implements while on the road. Nichole is a self-proclaimed road trip renegade and frequently does multi-day/multi-state road trips solo with her two kids. Here’s how she keeps them safe when adventuring and how to practice responsible bravery.

Road trip safety tips

Safety is our number 1 priority anytime I’m on the road or traveling with my children. The road trip safety tips I’m sharing today are not made up on a whim – they’re tried and tested. However, they cannot guarantee safety. I’ve developed a pattern that I go through on all of our road trips. A pattern that became a habit, hewn out of determination to keep me and my family safe. But also a determination to not let media or fear dictate the adventures my family and I would share.

In our family, we practice “responsible bravery.” We take chances, we make mistakes, and we get messy. But not without doing our research first and looking at a situation from all angles. From the hotels where we stay to campgrounds we visit, from the coffee shops where we hang out to the off-the-main-avenue adventures we have – I am always researching and scoping out the scenario before we go. I choose to be brave, but responsibly and respectfully so. We go, but I know the situation as best I can and am aware of the risks before we ever hit the road. Below, I will walk you through my top ten road trip safety tips that I use to keep our family safe while choosing to be responsibly brave.

Travel tip #1 – put down your phone

Road trip safety tip number one is to put the phone down! Resist the urge to scroll as you roll. No matter how empty, wide, or flat the highway is. Do not do it. Use talk to text on your phone, utilize the built-in voice assistant on your phone or connect it to your car’s Bluetooth if you’re able. If I need to book a hotel or research a route while we’re on the road, I pull over. I’ll find an interstate on-ramp or find a park to pull into for a few minutes so that I can use my phone safely. Use it as a chance to take a quick stretch break. Road trip selfies are fun but keep those snapshots in your memory only and please resist the urge to take video while you are driving! The only exception to this is when someone else is driving. In that case, I can do all the research I need to and record ridiculous AC/DC and Bon Jovi karaoke videos safely.

Travel tip #2 – check a map before GPS

Tip number two is to check your map before your GPS! I am not ashamed to admit that I rely heavily on my phone’s map system (Google maps or the navigation in my car). But, before we roll out in the morning, I always check the map. Looking at a map gives me the big picture idea of where we are traveling and a good break spot for the day. If you know/suspect you may lose phone service due to traveling in rural areas or national forests, it is a good idea to download an offline copy of your map. Or (gasp!), buy an actual paper map of the area where you are headed. I don’t keep a road atlas in the car, but it’s a great idea. Learn how to read a map and teach your children how to read a map. It’s an important skill that I am afraid many people are forgetting how to do.

Travel tip #3 – pack snacks and activities

Road trip safety tip number three is to pack all of your children’s snacks and activities at the beginning of your day. Or even the night before. Each child gets a medium sized, insulated snack bag, that is filled with the day’s snacks and a refillable water bottle. They know that once it is gone, that’s it for the day; this is also a really great lesson in self-control. Sometimes if it’s a very long day we will get treats along the way, but those are a bonus.

I also put a plastic tote that is filled with things to keep the kids busy. Here are a few of our favorites:
- coloring books
- small dry erase boards and dry erase markers
- a pencil case with some colored pencils
- sticker books (I also really like the Usborne ones)
- magnetic activity tins
- Buddha boards
- flashcards
- travel scavenger hunt games
- travel bingo
- mad libs
Again, this is easier with older children, but if you begin doing this with age-appropriate toys they learn to entertain themselves and to put the toys back in the tote after they are done.

Travel tip #4 – keep water bottles full

That brings us to tip number four: always keep your water bottles full! My children are somehow always dying of thirst whenever we are in the car. I make sure to refill water bottles in the morning and keep them full throughout the day. The same is true for me. However, I usually don’t drink enough water and instead drink too much coffee. Make sure you and all of your travelers are drinking water! Otherwise, you may end up having headaches and fatigue in the afternoon when you still have many hours to drive. Drinking plenty of water is key to staying focused on the road.

Travel tip #5 – bathroom safety

Tip number five comes from something that my Mom always taught me while we were growing up. If you need to stop at the bathroom, look for gas stations or truck stops that you can see from the interstate and are well lit. That won’t guarantee a clean bathroom but it will make you feel safer and be easier to make the stop a brief one.

Confession: I am not opposed to side-of-the-road bathroom breaks. When my son was little it was so much easier (and cleaner!) to pull over on a quiet on-ramp and let him go to the bathroom out the side of my old van. It was a little harder for my daughter but I still cringe every time she sits on a dirty gas station toilet seat. Sometimes we still opt for a side of the road bathroom stop in remote areas. It’s cleaner and faster, but again, do so responsibly and respectfully.

Part two of this road trip safety tip is to take your children into the stall with you. When my husband is traveling with us, we divide and conquer. However, if it’s just me and the kids, they both come into the stall with me. I do not care. I would rather have them in my sight and safe than waiting outside of the bathroom. If I let my son wait outside the stall, I make him stand where I can see his shoes. I’m sure I will have to amend my ways at some point, but for now, the system works for us.

Travel tip #6 – no broadcasting and be vague

When we began traveling, my children loved to broadcast the fact that we were traveling alone. Obviously, this worried me. Over time (and with lots of practice and patience) I have trained them not to mention that we are traveling alone. They also know that if I say something like “Let’s get back to the car, Dad’s waiting,” that is their clue that I am feeling uncomfortable and it is time to go. The same rule applies to hotels/motels/places where we are checking in. I always say there are four of us staying in the room and ask for two room keys. It makes no price difference for our occupancy rate and it gives me peace of mind.

I am by no means saying that a spouse or significant other is necessary to feel safe. However, I am saying that there are times where me sharing that I am not traveling alone is a prudent idea. I am quite confident in my skills as a solo traveler with my children and have never been in a situation where I felt otherwise. Be confident, bold, and forward when you need to be. And for me, training my children to not publicly claim that we are traveling alone is my way of being responsibly brave.

One more item of note here. When asked directly where we are from, where we are headed, or where we have been, I am always purposely vague. This is also a good opportunity to train your children to not blurt out the city and state they are from when asked by a stranger. There have many, many, times my children or I have been asked these questions by well-meaning retirees. While I know their purpose is mainly out of curiosity and a desire to strike up a conversation, my knee jerk reaction is to be vague.

Travel tip #7 – use the backpack system

Tip number seven is one of my favorites! When I first began traveling with my children, I would stress out each night when we arrived at a hotel. There was so much to unload and I still had to check us in. That’s when I developed our backpack system. My children each have their own backpacks with nightly toiletries, swimsuits, pj’s, change of clothes, their electronics and charger, and a favorite stuffed animal. I have a backpack with my valuables, toiletries, swimsuit, pajamas, and the next days’ clothes; as well as my purse and camera bag.

Having a few small bags allows us to make one trip into the hotel/motel/Airbnb with everything we need for the night. It makes me feel less vulnerable and we only have to park the car once. When my husband is with us we actually use the same system, but sometimes bring a bit more in since he is with us to help carry things. This has become easier as my children have grown. But, from the time my daughter was two she has been able to carry her backpack with her things into the hotel room.

Travel tip #8 – hide your valuables

Tip number eight is an important counterpart to the last tip. If you are not taking the valuables in with you, hide your valuables! However, if it’s something very valuable or extremely sentimental, I highly recommend taking it inside with you. Hide anything of value you leave behind in the car. A visible valuable might as well be a target on your car. This is true for any of our stops, whether overnight or just for lunch.

We always hide everything, every stop. Usually, this means moving things to the back of the car or inside other suitcases or bags. We always hide cords as well, because those can catch a wandering eye and perhaps make your car a target. One bonus of traveling with children: a messy car is usually a deterrent. And my car is always a mess when we travel. But the mess that I leave visible is usually sticker books, spilled snacks, stuffed animals, and mysteriously single socks.

Travel tip #9 – walk around your car

The next two road trip safety tips are two that you may not hear as often but are part of my normal routine. While there is some truth to insidious papers being placed on windshields, nails behind tires, and card skimmers, it is not as common as the media would lead you to believe. Tip number nine is to walk around your car before you leave, every time. If we have been parked for over an hour and the car was out of our sight, I always walk around the car quickly before we leave. I unlock it so my children can get in, but I do a quick sweep around the car.

Here is what I look for: any door dings or damage to note, tire condition and what is around the tires if anything, flyers or pamphlets placed on the windshield, that the backup camera is free of debris and anything suspicious. While I do not believe all the scary news stories about abduction techniques are true, I do believe that diligently checking your vehicle is a wise way to spend a few minutes before you leave. This behavior pattern has become a habit and second nature for me now whenever we are loading up to leave.

Travel tip #10 – ATM safety

Along with tip number nine, road trip safety tip number ten relates to being aware of your surroundings. I’ve never had any issues with card skimmers. However, we have had to replace our credit card before after traveling due to fraudulent charges. This is a small note but worth doing: look directly at a card reader before you pump your gas or get money out of the ATM. Card skimmers are fairly easy to spot, so long as you are paying attention.

On a similar note, be aware of anyone close by when withdrawing money or trying to get a look at your pin number. Those that would do you harm or attempt to steal from you are counting on you not paying attention. So, make the choice to be responsibly brave and be aware of your surroundings. These habits are easy to adopt, it simply takes small changes in your traveling routine. But these small changes can help steer you from a place of fear to a place of responsible self-reliance. There are usually plenty of ATMs around, so if one doesn’t feel safe, move on to another.

Road trip renegades

Road trips are our favorite way to travel and explore and have become an important part of our family culture. Here is a post about how we got started and a little bit about our why we road trip.

Here is a list of ideas for low tech road trip entertainment for kids of all ages.

And here is a fun story about choosing yes to spontaneous adventure. By having a system for safety in place I have gained confidence which has given us more freedom to chase adventure when it calls to us.

I hope that these road trip safety tips have inspired you to begin forming your own safety systems for travel.

What do you do to stay safe on the road?
Share your road trip safety tips with us below!

Nichole is mama to two incredible adventurers, an older boy and a younger girl. They are on their third year of homeschooling. She has been married to her best friend for nearly twelve years and they share a mutual love for the outdoors. An Iowan native now living in the south, she is happy to claim Arkansas as home. She is a wanderlust (and coffee) fueled, fearless, road-tripper who has been known to take off for epic adventures at a moments notice. Hiking and camping (of the backpacking variety) and crystal digging are a few of their favorite family activities. You can find her in the woods somewhere, (probably up a creek and jumping off waterfalls) or online at http://www.luckeywanderers.com.
FAMILY TRAVEL, HIKE, NATIONAL PARKS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Southwest National Parks Family Trip: Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon
- June 3, 2019
If you’ve ever wanted to cross multiple National Parks off your bucket list in one fun week-long adventure, this is the post for you! Today, we have Katie Walsh, teacher, explorer and mom of 2, sharing her family’s most recent national parks trip through 3 amazing national parks – the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. Plus they hit a handful of state parks and national monuments along the way. She’s sharing where they stayed, what to pack, the best kid-friendly hikes and info on getting those coveted Junior Ranger badges. Are you ready for an adventure?

Planning our national parks trip

We are a family of adventurers. There we stood looking at our National Park map. Tiny pins dotted the states representing the places we’d been. Up next? A spring break trip to the Southwest where we’d explore 3 amazing national parks – the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. Our 5-year-old and 7-year-old could hardly wait to lace up their hiking shoes and get started!

These three parks had been on our bucket list for a while. We did a lot of research and planning on exactly where to go, when to go, what to do and where to stay on this national parks trip. But, first things first, we had to pack! Deciding what to pack for a whirlwind adventure that would take us to three different states and a variety of terrain seemed harder than planning the actual trip!

What to pack

We were planning our trip for seven days of adventure in mid-March and would be visiting three different states. All of these states have different weather patterns this time of year. Packing light for our whole family was going to be quite a challenge!

The answer…layers! Oh, so many layers. We didn’t want to overpack, so here are the essentials that we took for each person:
- Wools socks
- Fleece jacket
- T-shirts
- Long sleeve tees
- Jacket shell
- Hat and gloves
- One pair of hiking/sturdy shoes
- 2 pair of pants
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 Reusable water bottle for each (there are refill stations in the airport and at the parks)
- Sunscreen
One of the most important items to have on a national parks trip like this is sturdy shoes. We did a ton of walking, hiking, climbing and running around. Good shoes were a must. I recommend going with shoes that have grip on the bottom for hiking and climbing. Trust me, purchasing the right shoes for yourself and your kids is money well spent. We discovered this during our first hike up a sandstone trail.

After doing some research, my husband and I decided on the Merrel Big Kid’s Moab FST Low Waterproof shoes for our children. They didn’t disappoint!

Trip details

With 7 days of traveling and many sights to see, we researched and put together an outline of activities before we left for our national parks trip. And of course, we made sure we had plenty of wiggle room to wander and explore built-in, just in case we found fun things to do along the way. We booked an early flight to Nevada, and finally, we were off! We landed in Las Vegas bright and early, giving us a headstart (plus, a two-hour time change). Once we hopped in our rental car, our national parks journey officially began!

Hoover Dam and Route 66

On our way to the Grand Canyon, we checked out the renowned Hoover Dam. While we didn’t take the dam tour (saying this never gets old), but there are plenty of turnouts to stop and admire this engineering wonder while completing the scenic drive.

From there, we hopped on the historic Route 66 and made our way toward Kingman, Arizona. With grumbling tummies, we stopped at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner for lunch. It was the perfect spot to get out, stretch our legs, and enjoy a meal.

Grand Canyon lodging

The first night of our trip, we stayed at the Yavapai Lodge located in the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim is closed this time of year.

Pro travel tip: To stay at one of the lodges in the Grand Canyon, get a reservation a year in advance. We were late to the party and lucked out due to a cancellation. We could only stay one night. Too bad. The lodge was perfect! Nothing fancy, but you’re not there for the accommodations, you’re there for the incredible view.

There were elk meandering the grounds. Guests are reminded to stay 100 feet away from these gentle creatures, but it became increasingly difficult as they wandered right next to the paths. Clearly, this was their home and we were all just visiting.

The South Rim has more opportunities for viewing the Grand Canyon. It also has many family-oriented activities and trails to experience with younger children.

The view was majestic. No words can describe this geological wonder.

Sunrise at Hopi Point

Bright and early on day 2, we got up early to enjoy the sunrise at Hopi Point. I highly recommend doing this! Although it was certainly a challenge getting everyone out the door on time (especially after the previous day’s travel), we knew we wouldn’t regret it. And we certainly did not! It was stunning!

6:27 am sunrise

Pro travel tip: If you go in March, it’s freezing in the morning! Bundle up!

We finished our cold adventure with a trip to the Lodge’s restaurant and enjoyed steamy hot chocolate and a plate of delicious pancakes. Once again, the elk stopped by to watch us enjoy our morning feast.

With full bellies again (notice a pattern? The key to hiking with children is always to have snacks and yummy food at the ready!), we set off to explore the Grand Canyon.

Pro travel tip: To get an overview of the Grand Canyon, I highly recommend watching the park film Grand Canyon: A Journey of Wonder at the visitor center. It’s a must see and as a bonus, one of the activity options to be completed for children to earn their Junior Ranger badge. The film covered the reintroduction of species such as the California Peregrine, the erosion and creation of the canyon, John Wesley Powell’s brave mission to be the first to chart the Colorado River, and how the Grand Canyon is an animal sanctuary and refuge for animals. It’s truly a wonderful film.

Desert View Watchtower

Next, we took a scenic drive to the eastern part of the canyon to explore the 70-foot historic stone watchtower. Perched on the rim, this watchtower reflects the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans. We climbed the narrow, winding staircase to the top to get a 360-view of the canyon, the Colorado River, and surrounding landscape.

Our kids also earned another Junior Ranger badge here.

Additional family-friendly trails/programs at Grand Canyon

If you’re looking for more kid-friendly and family-friendly trails and programs at Grand Canyon National Park, here are few that you should definitely check out:
- Bright Angel Trail
- Hermit Road Scenic Route (take by free shuttle, bike, on foot)
- Maricopa Point
- Powell Point
- Trailview Overlook
- Geology Glimpse (daily ranger-led program)
- Critter Chat (daily ranger-led program)
- Grand Canyon Special Event Calendar (including a star party for junior astronomers!)
Trail App

One of our favorite apps to use when searching for new trails is All Trails. This totally free app allows you to search by park, trail name, city, etc. to get a wealth of information on nearby hikes in your area. It provides lots of details on what you need to know before you go and even lets you upload photos from your hike.

Homebase – Kanab, Utah

From Arizona, we made our way to a beautiful town called Kanab located in southern Utah. It’s surrounded by towering Navajo sandstone cliffs and near three national parks, five national monuments, a renowned national recreation area, and two national forests. Talk about a great location!

Pro travel tip: Stop at the Kanab town visitor center for insightful tips and information. We learned that there are many areas with preserved dinosaur tracks. Our kids were super excited!

Kanab lodging

After doing some research, we rented a house through VRBO and made Kanab our “base-camp” for the next few days. The home was within a 30-minute drive to Zion, 90 minutes to Bryce Canyon, and 10 minutes to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Plus, the town is loaded with awesome trails to boot!

While there are many amazing options for camping, which we love to do, we chose to rent a house. Here’s why:
- It’s nice to have a home base, especially after a long day of hiking
- Washing machine and dryer = less packing
- A refrigerator = grocery shopping for the week = saving money on lunches and dinners
- Added perk (although not necessary) – the neighborhood pool!
- Price – we got more for the price that was nearly equivalent to a hotel
In the future, we’d definitely like to return and camp. There are many great sites that we discovered along the way, which I’ll briefly talk about.

Kanab kid-friendly trails & hikes

Right outside our backdoor the red cliffs towered above our neighborhood that was loaded with trailheads. It was nice to get up in the morning, go for a hike, return to the house for breakfast, map our plans for the day, then take off. Here are a few kid-friendly hikes and trails we liked:
- K-Hill Trail
- Squaw Trailhead
- Sand Caves- the climb was steep in parts along the slick rock
- Moqui Cave
Our favorite family-friendly Kanab restaurants
- Iron Horse Restaurant and Saloon – a yummy place for barbecue and old west ambiance
- Escobar’s Mexican Restaurant
- Peekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kitchen (vegan/vegetarian)
For a sweet treat at the end of the day, we enjoyed Soda Fountain, a small ice cream parlor attached to the town’s drug store that was established in 1916. I’m pretty sure we became frequent visitors. Perhaps they know us by name?

Toad Stools in Grand Staircase-Escalante

Ah, yes. The Toad Stools. This was our children’s favorite spot to hike. Hidden along the roadside, it’s a short 2-mile roundtrip hike to see a land of balanced rock formations that look like mushrooms. Located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument, this is truly nature’s playground for children. This was a great beginner hike to teach our children about following trails and proper footing while climbing.

Pro travel tip: There is climbing involved, although considered a moderate hike, children should always be supervised closely. Also, be prepared with enough water and sunscreen. This environment is an open and shadeless desert.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park was next on our national parks trip and it was magical! We were in awe of the red and white walls of Navajo sandstone, waterfalls, slot canyons, natural arches, and so much more. But it was busy! Due to the record amount of visitors and preservation of the area, you leave your car in a parking lot and take the free shuttle into the park. Buses arrive every 10-15 minutes.

Pro travel tip: Arrive at Zion by 8:00 am or earlier to avoid crowds and find parking. Parking lots are usually full from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. You can also park in the nearby town of Springdale and take a free shuttle into the park.

Favorite Zion National Park hikes with kids
- Emerald Pools- small streams and waterfalls with a view of Mountain of the Sun. It’s was beautiful!
- Weeping Rock Trail
- Riverside Walk
- The Grotto Trail
Due to flooding, many trails were closed, including the famous Angel’s Landing and The Narrows.

Bryce Canyon

Our next adventure on our national parks trip took us to Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah. We fell in love with Bryce Canyon! We went from shorts and sunshine at Zion to snow, hats, and mittens at Bryce. It made it for a challenging, and often slippery hike, but well worth it. Bryce Canyon was much less crowded and the kids enjoyed earning their ranger badges while taking in the extreme rock formations known as the hoodoos, which are spire-shaped rock formations.

Due to an avalanche and melting snow, some trails at Bryce Canyon were closed. We discovered that in the winter and spring, the weather from park to park is very unpredictable. However, there is always something to be discovered, nonetheless! We got there just in time to watch the prairie dogs wake up from their winter hibernation. Let’s just say they were not happy to see snow!

Pipe Spring National Monument

While not a national park, Pipe Spring National Monument lies on the Arizona strip about 20-minutes west of Kanab, on the Paiute Reservation. Although a dry, desert area, this land has drawn a succession of people because of the aquifers that hold water underground and push it to the surface in Pipe Spring.

There is so much history here. We took a tour of the Winsor Castle and learned about the relationship between the American Indians and Mormon ranchers as well as the plants and animals that still depend on this water.

Our kids earned another junior ranger badge here at Pipe Spring.

You can take a self-guided tour or join a ranger for an educational talk.

Snow Canyon State Park in St. George, Utah

Continuing west on our national parks trip, we added a state park! We made our way to St. George, Utah to visit Snow Canyon State Park. This place was awesome and has so much to offer! Snow Canyon State Park is a 7,400-acre scenic park among lava flows and sandstone cliffs. The hiking is fantastic.

Pro travel tip: Be advised, there is a $10 entrance fee.

With more than 38-miles of hiking trails from easy to more advanced, a three-mile paved walking/biking trail, and over 15-miles of equestrian trails, it’s all about picking what’s right for you. We completed a moderate hike that was 2.5 miles to see the volcanic caves and tubes. And we did some additional climbing. There is also great camping here. We checked out the beautiful campground and agreed that if we return, this would make a great home base. Our kids didn’t want to leave. There is so much to explore!

Red Cliffs

One final place you may want to check out on your trip is Red Cliffs. Unfortunately, on the day we arrived, the grounds were full and there was no parking available. We decided to skip it this time to avoid the crowds. There are short, scenic trails that take you along the canyon narrows along with a little waterfall. Camping is also available at the Red Cliffs Recreation Area.

We’ll be back!

This national parks trip was absolutely amazing. The night before we left was somber – we didn’t want to go home! It was hard to say goodbye to the incredible landscape and magical beauty of this region. With so many more outdoor treasures to explore and be seen, you can count on us to return to this 4-season wonderland in the future.

About the author

Katie is a mom of two adventure-loving children, a kindergarten teacher, and a writer for adults and children. She and her family love to travel, be outdoors, and live a sustainable life as much as possible. Katie enjoys finding ways to share these bigs ideas with the little ones who will shape the future of our world.

Follow Katie on Instagram: @adventuresparenting
Or learn more about her through her website: https://katiewalsh.blog

Month: June 2019

Must-have photos to capture this summer

1. Ice cream

2. Popsicles

3. Sidewalk chalk

4. Swimming pool

5. Bike riding

6. Playground adventures

7. Sand

8. Bubbles

9. The ocean

10. Summer details

11. Bare feet

12. Summer treasures

13. Dirt

14. Rainy days

15. Water play

16. Shades

17. Goggles

18. Summer milestones

19. Summer sports

20. Summer reading

21. Special events

22. Road trips

23. Bath time

More photography resources

What summer adventures are you looking forward to documenting? Share your must-have photos to capture this summer in the comments below!

Not all sunscreens are the same

Why choose a reef safe sunscreen?

6 reef safe sunscreens for kids

Other ways to keep kids safe in the sun

What are you doing to protect your family and the oceans this summer?

Meet Brandi Rondinelli

Favorite outdoor experience from this past year?

Favorite outdoor activity to do with your children?

What do you love/like the most about Instagram?

List three bucket list destinations you’re dying to see?

What is your favorite quote?

What is your favorite outdoor memory from childhood?

Why is it important to you to raise your children to love nature?

What is your favorite local/state/national park and why?

For more from Brandi Rondinelli, find her online in the following locations:

Benefits of hiking with kids

The start of neighborhood hiking

Neighborhood hiking with kids

1. Start a weekly tradition

2. Make it exciting

3. Find interesting things in your neighborhood to mark your destination

4. Find friends to hike with

5. Don’t worry too much about the destination

6. Don’t combine the hike with a task

7. Safety first

8. Leave the gadgets at home

9. Don’t forget to have fun!

Start your own tradition of neighborhood hiking

About the author

Spring break tradition

Central Washington road trip

Yakima

Hops & wine

Finding the wineries

Toppenish

Yakama Nation Museum

Hanford Site B Reactor

The truth about the reactor tour

Junior Rangers to the rescue

Hanford Site gift shop

A little too behind the scenes

A Hanford Site recap

Potholes State Park

Exploring Potholes

Gingko Petrified Forest State Park

Petrified forest museum

About the author

Five S’s of a successful bonfire

1st S – Safety

2nd S – Set up

Bonfire building directions:

3rd S – S’mores!

4th S – Smiles

What summer adventures are you looking forward to documenting?
Share your must-have photos to capture this summer in the comments below!

For more from Brandi Rondinelli,
find her online in the following locations:

What do you do to stay safe on the road?
Share your road trip safety tips with us below!