OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PARK
Playground Games for Preschoolers
- June 26, 2017
Being active outdoors doesn’t have to be complicated or require a lot of gear or planning – it can be as easy as exploring a local park or playground with your kids. Playgrounds are more than just a collection of swings, slides, and climbing walls—they are vibrant canvases for children’s imagination and creativity. While the traditional ways to enjoy playground equipment are always fun, introducing unique and inventive games can transform a routine park visit into an unforgettable adventure. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, finding new ways to engage kids on the playground can promote physical activity, social skills, and creative thinking. In this post, we’ll explore a collection of fun, creative, and unique playground games designed specifically for little kids and preschoolers. Get ready to spark joy and excitement with these inventive ideas that go beyond the ordinary, turning any playground into a magical world of endless possibilities.

Exploring playgrounds in your area

Summer means long days and plenty of time to get outside to play. Allowing kids to play outdoors does all kinds of wonderful things for their minds and bodies. Getting outside is easier than you can imagine, no matter where you live. Checking out a new park allows parents and kids to be adventurous without needing to leave the city or spend a lot of time researching or packing for an exotic outing. Most of the parks near us have wooded areas, lakes or ponds, hiking trails and a playground, which is always the most attractive feature for my kids and definitely the first thing they want to check out upon arrival.

However, not all playgrounds are suited for toddlers and preschoolers. Sometimes the ladders are too steep, the slides are too high and the climbing walls give me a panic attack just looking at them. I end up hovering over my kids, watching them like a hawk and barking orders at them to be safe. That’s not fun for anyone. In addition, my kids don’t seem to be all that interested in the traditional playground equipment. They love a good slide, but after a few minutes of initial exploration and conquering, they quickly grow bored with most playgrounds.

Encouraging independence and creativity

When I’m at the park with the kids, I love playing and interacting with them, but I also want to encourage their independence and creativity. I want them to feel confident and inspired to play together on their own, exploring the playground and inventing new games without me dictating their every move. By giving them the freedom to use their imagination, they can discover new ways to see things and create their own adventures, all while burning off that boundless energy in a safe environment.

Best playground games for kids

To strike this balance, I’ve put together a list of games that we play at the playground, perfect for preschoolers. These activities allow me to join in the fun without completely steering the direction of the play. Each game is designed to foster their creativity and curiosity, encouraging them to explore their surroundings and interact with each other in imaginative ways. This approach not only helps them develop social and problem-solving skills but also ensures they enjoy the park to its fullest, running (a little) wild and having a blast.

Slide races

While “slide races” may sound like a contest to see who can make it down the slides the fastest, this is a slightly safer version for smaller kids where you race small objects instead. We usually keep a little bag of goodies in our backpack that can be used for slide races, like toy cars, marbles, plastic coins and action figures. This is usually the same bag of goodies and trinkets we use for trading when we go geocaching.

Have the kids each choose and object and let them go at the top of the slide at the same time. Loser gets to pick a new object out of the bag and re-race the winner. This is a great way to teach preschoolers about speed, distance and why some objects are faster than others (weight, shape, etc.).

Obstacle course / follow the leader

One of my kids’ favorite park games is when we create obstacle courses around the playground. I usually go first and come up with elaborate ways to go all over (up, over, through and around) the playground equipment. They follow behind me and do whatever it is that I do (follow the leader style). I like to mix things up by making them hop on one foot during parts, jump like a frog, pretend swim, go backwards, do cartwheels, skip, etc. Once I’ve started them off, they’re on their own to come up with the next course with a new leader.

If you really want to wear the kids out and get your workout in, create an outdoor fitness circuit obstacle course by incorporating exercise activities like pushups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, sprints and burpees into the obstacle course!

Find the shapes

This is a great game to play with toddlers learning their shapes and preschoolers that are learning their letters. Explore your park and playground while looking for objects in the basic shapes (square, triangle, circle, etc.) and/or letters. You’ll be amazed at how creative kids can be and how they’ll start to notice the shape of things after playing a few times. If you can’t find objects in the shape of letters, you can also use park or street signs.

If you want to take it up a notch, take a photo of the shape/letter with your phone and make an album with all the pictures of the shapes and alphabet. You can include the park where you found the shape and the date to create a physical memory book and also help with recognizing letters.

Animal movement game

Assign different playground equipment to represent different animals. For example, the monkey bars could be for “swinging like a monkey,” the slide for “sliding like a penguin,” the climbing wall for “scaling like a spider,” swings can be for “soaring like an eagle,” and the sandbox can be for “burrowing like a mole.” Start the game by calling out an animal, such as “monkey.” The kids will then run to the monkey bars and swing across them like monkeys. After a few minutes, call out a different animal, and the kids will move to the appropriate equipment and mimic that animal’s movements.

Encourage the kids to make animal sounds and gestures while moving. For example, they can make monkey noises while swinging or flap their arms like wings while on the swings. Continue calling out different animals every few minutes, allowing the kids to experience various movements and pieces of equipment. Mix it up by adding new animals and corresponding movements as the game progresses.

The game taps into children’s natural love for animals and imaginative play. Pretending to be different animals allows them to explore new roles and scenarios, fostering creativity. While the game provides a structured activity, it also allows kids the freedom to explore the playground equipment in new and creative ways. They can experiment with different movements and discover new aspects of the playground.

Mother May I

A childhood favorite of my own playground days, Mother May I is still really fun for little kids and teaches them about patience, following rule and listening. Have all the kids stand on one side and have “the mother” stand on the other and give each person a command to move forward a certain way. The person must ask “Mother May I” before moving and the first person to reach the mother wins.

This is a fun game to play with a group of kids and taking turns being the mother is great if you have multiple kids that like to be the leader. If you need a refresher on how to play the game, here’s a great post with the classic directions, plus lots of fun variations.

Superhero Training Camp

The Superhero Training Camp game turns the playground into an action-packed training ground for budding superheroes. This game harnesses kids’ love for superheroes, allowing them to develop their physical abilities and imagination while engaging in a variety of fun and challenging activities.

Before starting, identify different pieces of playground equipment and assign each one a superhero training activity. For example:
- Monkey Bars: “Super Strength Training” – Kids must swing across the bars like they’re building arm strength.
- Slide: “Speed Training” – Kids slide down as fast as they can, simulating a quick escape or fast flight.
- Climbing Wall: “Agility Training” – Kids climb up and down to improve their agility and reflexes.
- Swings: “Flight Training” – Kids swing high and pretend they are flying through the sky.
- Sandbox: “Rescue Mission” – Kids dig and search for hidden “rescue items” like small toys or objects buried in the sand.
Gather the kids and explain the game. Each piece of equipment will help them develop a different superhero skill. Encourage them to come up with their own superhero names and powers. Guide the kids through each training station, explaining the superhero skill they are working on. Allow them to spend a few minutes at each station practicing their skills.

Introduce specific challenges or missions to make the game more dynamic. For example:
- “Villain Chase”: One child pretends to be a villain, and the others use their training skills to chase and “capture” them.
  “Save the Day”: Hide “danger” objects around the playground, and the superheroes must find and “neutralize” them within a time limit.
  “Hero Teamwork”: Set up tasks that require collaboration, such as two kids working together to complete the monkey bars or lift a heavy object.
Swing games

Some playground mothers will probably get irked at me for saying this, but there are so many fun ways to play on the swings, other than just swinging on them. While that can be fun, it’s also really fun to mix things up by swinging on them like Superman, standing on the swings (with supervision), and twisting on them. These variations help with balance and encourage creativity.

Swing and drop

Place targets (like hula hoops or soft mats) on the ground in front of the swings. Kids swing high and try to drop small objects (like beanbags) onto the targets as they swing forward. See who can get the most drops on target. This game adds an element of skill and precision to swinging. Kids enjoy the challenge of aiming and dropping objects accurately while in motion.

Swing High, Touch the Sky

Kids take turns swinging as high as they can, trying to “touch the sky” with their feet. Encourage them to describe what they imagine touching or seeing in the sky (like clouds, stars, or birds). This game fosters imagination and creative thinking while helping kids build confidence and develop their swinging skills. The joy of swinging high and sharing their imaginative thoughts adds to the excitement.

Swing Counting Game

Kids swing while counting out loud. They can count by ones, twos, fives, or tens, depending on their ability. For added fun, they can count in different languages or sing counting songs. This game is both educational and entertaining. It helps preschoolers practice counting and language skills while enjoying the rhythmic motion of swinging. The combination of learning and play makes it a favorite among young kids.

Action verb races

Parents can make anything a competition by having kids race each other. Mix it up a notch by making the races silly with various action verbs. Instead of running, make them gallop, hop, pounce, twirl, skip, sashay, roll and totter to get to the finish line. This not only teaches them to listen carefully, but can greatly expand their vocabulary and get them thinking about how many types of actions and movements they can do.

Sidewalk chalk

Sidewalk chalk isn’t just for your driveway at home. Bring a box of chalk to the park where kids have a huge area to color, draw and create. Let other kids join in on the fun and have them all create a giant collaboration. Assign them all a letter to draw and have them also draw objects or animals that begin with that letter and create an alphabet storyboard. Give older kids a theme or setting (the ocean) or have them recreate scenes from their favorite book or movie. Have little kids work on colors and shapes.

What games do your kids like to play at the park?
CAMP, FAMILY TRAVEL, HIKE
Overnight Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail with a Toddler
- June 21, 2017
Hi friends! As you know, Run Wild My Child is all about helping parents get their children outdoors and back into nature, one adventure at a time. While I wish I could quit my day job and spend all my time traveling and outdoor adventuring with my kids so I could share everything with you, I sadly cannot do it all. However, I’m thrilled to announce that in the upcoming months we will be featuring some great posts from some really awesome outdoor mamas around the country (and hopefully the globe). We’re always looking for fun, unique content about outdoor adventures with kids, so if you have a trip, hike, activity, craft or area that you’d like to be our resident expert on, just click on that CONTRIBUTE button at the top of the website.

Today we are bringing you our very first guest post – a three-night backpacking adventure on the Appalachian Trail with a toddler in tow. Talk about awesome and ambitious (and possibly terrifying)! This post was submitted by Rachel Sims of the OutboundTribe.com and is packed with great tips/advice on how to successfully backpack with a toddler. I’m super impressed with all of Rachel and Bryan’s adventures and wish we lived closer so our families could adventure together. If you have any questions about the post or want any additional information from Rachel, leave a comment below and she’ll get back to you. Enjoy!

When and where

After our first daughter (Summer) was born, we could not wait to take her backpacking on the Appalachian Trail as soon as possible. We knew there were some initial logistics we would need to work out regarding time of year and where to hike and our first big question was…when? May is one of our favorite months to backpack on the Trail – the nights are usually a little warmer with the days still cool. However, we also knew that in May, somewhere along the trail it always seemed to rain, so we’d have to make sure we account for the weather. We planned our first trip for May 2015, when Summer was 20 months old. This was a great age – old enough to walk a bit on her own and explore, but still small enough to pack in a carrier while hiking.

The next big question was…where to go? We knew we wanted to start her off on the Appalachian Trail, but with over 2,000 miles of trail, we had a lot of options. We knew there were some particular things we wanted along our hike, so after much research on different sections of the trail, we chose to start at Grayson Highlands State Park in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, near Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, Virginia’s two highest mountains. Grayson Highlands offers scenic views of alpine-like peaks more than 5,000 feet high with campgrounds, and hiking trails leading to waterfalls and overlooks. The park also provides year-round access to the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail.

Here are my top reasons why we chose this spot as our access point to the Appalachian Trail:
1. We could start at a campground (secure place to park the car)
2. The 2nd night in we could camp at a campground along the trail (this allowed me to dump the diapers!)
3. There are several road crossings along the trail (we can easily get off in case of emergencies)
4. This section has wild ponies and we knew Summer would love that!
Four days, three nights on the trail

On May 17, 2015, we arrived at Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. We planned to hike 5.8 miles for our first day before arriving at our campsite. However, we didn’t realize there was a 0.8-mile approach trail and 2 more miles inside the state park that we didn’t account for. So at the end of the first day, we hiked 8.6 miles total. We were thrilled that these extra miles did not affect Summer at all. She loved every minute of it! We collected sticks, acorns, and leaves along the way. The first night we camped at Old Orchard Shelter. We decided ahead of time we would bring the tent instead of sleeping in the shelters.

The next day we hiked 8.7 miles to Hurricane Campground. Our campsite sat right next to a beautiful creek. I will admit that this day I had some struggles. I used the Osprey Poco AG backpack to carry Summer. While it’s a great backpack (by far our favorite), it does not fit me correctly. The frame is designed more for a male, so I had to make a few adjustments (adding more weight to Bryan’s backpack) to get comfortable. Once we made the adjustments, I felt much better. We learned our lesson from this trip and now Bryan carries Summer and I use my Osprey Ariel 65 Womens Hiking Backpack and carry more of the equipment. Live and learn! We spent the 2nd night at the campground and it was such a great decision. This allowed me to trash all the diapers from the last 2 days (wet diapers add lots of weight!). From here we would turn around and head back the next day.

The third morning we woke up to rain. Luckily, by 10:30 am it moved out. The original plan was to hike back to Old Orchard Shelter; however, we decided to push the limits and see what Summer could really handle and ended up hiking all the way to Wise Shelter which was 14.5 miles away. About 1.5 miles away from Old Orchard Shelter the rain returned, but we had the rain cover for the backpack, so Summer never got wet and actually thought the rain was very entertaining. Once we arrived at the shelter we took cover for about 45 minutes until the rain cleared. That’s when we made the decision to head on to the next shelter.

The evening ended up being absolutely beautiful. We hiked through the grassy hills where the ponies roam right around dusk. Summer did start to get a little cranky but we were saved by other hikers. One hiker shared his Goldfish while another one gave her some peanut butter cookies. All it took was a little food and she was a happy little hiker again. Lesson learned! We finally reached the shelter around 7:00 pm.

On the fourth (and final) day, it was a quick 2.8 miles back to the car since we’d hiked so many miles the day before. By 10:00 am we were at the parking lot and packing up to head home. As soon as we reached the car Summer started crying, “I want to go hiking!” and didn’t want to leave. We could not have been more proud!

Tips for backpacking with a toddler

Want to try backpacking with your family? Here are some helpful tips that helped make our experience successful!
1. Take Plenty of Breaks – Let your little one(s) get out of the backpack and explore. There’s no magic number when to stop for breaks. If they are happy keep moving along. Sometimes Summer is perfectly content for two hours while other times she’s ready to stretch those legs after 30 minutes. Let them set the pace.
2. Sing Songs & Play Games – My husband loves to create songs as we’re hiking along. His silly songs entertain Summer and I get a good laugh. Sometimes we will have her point out objects or name everything she spots green.
3. Cut Back on Miles – Before baby, Bryan and I could hike anywhere between 15-20 mile days. Now we plan 8-10 mile days. Start off small. It’s better to get to your campsite early than pushing everyone and exhausting yourself. You don’t want to make the experience miserable.
4. Prepare your Toddler – Before you leave on the trip show your child pictures where you will be hiking. Set up the tent in the backyard and let them explore inside. I’ll even wear the backpack around the house with Summer in it or take her on a few short hikes in a park or our neighborhood. This gets her use to being in the backpack so it’s not a surprise when we’re on the trail.
5. Bring their Favorite Snack – This one was very useful for us. At some point in the trip, every toddler has a meltdown – trust us, it happens to everyone! When all else fails and Summer is just getting cranky we make sure her bunny crackers are a hand reach away. This will buy us at least 10-15 minutes and we can regroup. Most of the time after her snack she’s a happy little hiker again.
Rachel and Bryan Sims have been married for eight years and are the proud parents of two young daughters. They’ve enjoyed the outdoors together since their first date backpacking a section on the Appalachian Trail. They love backpacking, rock climbing, caving, camping, kayaking, road/mountain biking, any anything outdoors. They now share their passion for adventures and the outdoors with their girls. You can read more about their family, travels, and outdoor tips at Outboundtribe.com.

Now who’s ready for a hike?!!
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PHOTOGRAPHY
30 Must-Take Summer Photos
- June 14, 2017
At the beginning of every season, the kids and I try to come up with a bucket list of things we want to do and places we want to visit over the next few months. Having a bucket list is a great way to get their input on their current interests and what’s important to each of them season by season. It’s also nice to have that list of things to do to refer to when we have a free day or weekend and need ideas when the boredom kicks in.

Summer bucket list of photos

Our summer bucket list includes some activities that we can do at home or nearby, but it’s mostly a “wish list” of all the fantastic adventures we’ll take and trips we’ll make. It doesn’t necessarily take into account all the little details of summer life that I want to make sure get captured in images for the kids to look back on. Therefore, the photographer in me (or fauxtographer) also loves having a list of particular classic photos that I want to capture of the kids each season. My list is less location driven and more emotional driven. Of course I want images of the kids at the zoo and the amusement park, but even more, I want to make sure I get a shot of their smiles as they play in the sprinkler, the look of wonder when they catch a firefly, their dirty feet and scabbed knees at the end of a long summer day.

These seasonal must-take photo lists can be used year after year to capture the essence of the particular season and document how much the kids are growing each year. While the items on this list may not be specific places to visit or activities that are planned, each item is quintessential to summer and reminds me keep my camera out and help create memories for them that may not necessarily be at the top of a bucket list.

30 Must Take Summer Photos

1. Around a campfire
2. Eating ice cream/popsicles
3. Fishing
4. Riding bikes
5. Flying a kite
6. At the splash pad
7. Picking fruit
8. Playing Frisbee
9. Chasing butterflies
10. At the beach
11. Sidewalk chalk art
12. Picking flowers
13. Swinging
14. Playing in the sprinkler
15. In a tent (camping)
16. Catching fireflies
17. Blowing bubbles
18. Climbing a tree
19. Swimming
20. Playing in a creek
21. Watching fireworks/sparklers
22. Hiking
23. Having a picnic
24. Water balloon fight
25. Skinned knees/dirty feet
26. Watching a parade
27. Playing catch
28. At the farmer’s market
29. Eating corn on cob or watermelon
30. Running a lemonade stand

Can you think of any other classic “summer” images to include?

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!
INFORMATION, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SUMMER, WATER
Benefits of Creeking with Kids
- June 12, 2017
There are very few things my kids love more in life than playing in the water, whether that’s swimming in a pool, splashing in waves on the beach, running through the sprinkler or just hanging out in a bubble bath. My kids love water so much they volunteer to wash the dishes so they can play with the water in the sink. They get super excited about rainstorms because they know they can jump in the puddles. That’s why going “creeking” with the kids is one of our favorite family activities – it combines the kids’ love of water with our love of exploring the outdoors. Today, we’re going to show you all the amazing benefits of creeking with kids and how exploring a creek is one of the most fun and educational outdoor activities for kids!

Sensory benefits of exploring a creek with kids

There are so many incredible benefits to taking kids creeking. Not only do they get plenty of fresh air and sunshine while creeking, but they get to wade through the cool water, catch minnows, tadpoles and crawdads, hunt for fossils, climb over/around obstacles, skip rocks, build dams, observe wildlife and connect with nature in a very personal way. When kids go creeking, they’re part of nature – they’re surrounded by it, immersed in it, touching it and exploring it in ways that they can’t by standing on the sidelines.

Psychological benefits of creeking

I don’t have any hard scientific data to back me up here (although I’m sure I could find it if I looked), but I’ve seen amazing things happen when kids that have never experienced creeks get to play in one for the first time. We love taking our friends and their kids to creeks in our area (we’re familiar with a lot because we love them so much).

I’ve noticed that getting kids in the water in a little creek does something for them that’s hard to explain – it gives them a sense of adventure and independence and freedom. When parents give their kids permission to get wet, dirty and explore on their own, it promotes self-confidence and encourages curiosity and exploration. Shy kids become bolder. Clingy kids become more independent. Kids that don’t like bugs or worms suddenly become more interested in them.

Physical benefits of exploring creeks

Creeking also helps kids in a multitude of other areas – walking through a creek helps with balancing and stability (rocky creeks are unstable terrain), encourages problem-solving (how to get from one side to the other), teaches about life stages of nature (from tadpole eggs to live bugs to dead fish) and prompts kids to ask questions about nature and the environment that they might not otherwise think of.

My 4 year-old asks some of the most amazing questions while we’re creeking, like: Is this a dinosaur tooth? Is this the same kind of water that’s in the river? Do fish eat rocks? Why is the water cold? What kind of fossil is this? Where do frogs go at night? Why does that tree look like that? Is that a crocodile? Where can we find a snake? If so, can we take it home with us?

Cool blast from the past

Exploring creeks with kids is a wonderful activity to do in the summer when everything’s lush and green and thriving. Wading through cold creek water is the perfect way for kids to cool off without having to spend the day at a packed public swimming pool or running up your water bill and flooding your lawn with the sprinkler. Creeking seems to be a thing of the past and not a lot of people are out there exploring them with kids – you’re likely to have an entire stretch of any given creek to yourself. It’s also completely free and can be done with very minimal gear.

What to pack when exploring creeks with kids

Here are a few of our favorite things to take with us to the creek:
- Reef-safe sunscreen to protect you from the sun’s rays and keep the water clean
- Bug spray to keep mosquitoes and flies away
- Rashguard and sun hat, so you don’t have to keep applying sunscreen over and over.
- Bait net for catching bugs, minnows, and crawdads. This net has metal around the edges, which prevents the net from ripping when kids drag it through the sand and rocks.
- Water shoes that give kids some stability and grip, but keep the rocks and sand out.
- Polarized sunglasses are helpful for letting kids see underwater, although not necessary.
- Bucket or a small fish tank if you want to catch anything and watch it while you’re at the creek
- A change of clothes for the ride home – that way it’s totally ok for the kids to get as wet and dirty as they want.
Locating a creek

Creeking is a great activity for kids of nearly any age (my kids started before they were 2) and can be done almost anywhere in the country…so long as you know where to look. Knowing the location of a good creek is probably the hardest part about creeking and is possibly what prevents most parents from taking their kids. However, there are a number of ways to find local creeks in your area. Here are a few:
- Facebook pages for your area – feel free to ask local moms if they know of any good creeks (mom support groups or even buy/sell/trade groups)
- State parks and conservation areas – almost always guaranteed to have a creek or two, just call or ask at the visitor’s center where you can access one
- Google searches – a lot of times you can find a list on a local blog or website of some creeks to try out
- Google maps – scour the maps of your local parks and neighborhoods for creeks and go check them out
- Explore on your own – some of our favorite creeks are ones that we’ve found entirely by accident while out hiking or geocaching in local parks and conservation areas
Tips for parents when exploring a creek with kids

There are also a few things that parents can do to promote and encourage a love for creeking. First, make sure you (at least) act like you’re having fun exploring and discovering new things. If you don’t want to get your feet wet, skip rocks or try to catch minnows, your kids won’t either. They take their cues from you, so get in the water with them and share their experience – touch the crawdad, splash the water, show them cool rocks you find. They’ll pay attention to what you’re interested in, so make it count.

Secondly, keep a close eye on them, but allow them freedom to explore, touch and discover new things on their own. Giving them some independence will encourage them to be brave, explore and push their own boundaries. You’ll still be right there, but allowing them to go a little ahead of you or check areas out first means a lot to a little kid.

Finally, give them permission to get dirty and wet. Bring extra clothes for you kids and yourself and allow them to splash, throw rocks, fall down, stomp in the water, wade through mud, climb embankments, lay in the sand and all the other things that go along with creeking. So long as you’ve got some relatively unmuddy water to rinse them off before stripping them down and thowing them back in the car to head home, it doesn’t matter if they get a little bit dirty or absolutely filthy, so just let it go and let them do what they want…just this once. Believe me, it’ll be something they remember and appreciate.

Let’s go creeking!

I hope I’ve encouraged you (even just a little bit) to try to get out and explore a creek this summer. I promise your kids will love it and you won’t regret it. You might even get a bit addicted to creeking like we are and seek out creeks where ever you go!

We’d love to hear about your creeking adventures…

Did you go creeking as a kid?
Have you ever taken your kids creeking?

Also, be sure to check out our e-book on Exploring Creeks with Kids! It’s a great resource for parents filled with practical tips for exploring creeks, creek wildlife and conservation, how to know if a creek is safe, etc.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Twist Travel Magazine – Summer Issue
- June 6, 2017
I’m so excited to share the summer edition of Twist Travel Magazine with you today!

Twist Travel is an online travel magazine that launched a few months ago (this is the second issue). Twist is the brainchild of my friend Andrea Fellman, an awesome ex-pat mom living the wanderlust life (Wanderlust Living) with her family in Barcelona (and previously Costa Rica) and Keryn Means, travel writer (Walking on Travels) and mom of 4. They’ve got an all-star line-up of travel-savvy contributors – writers, bloggers, photographers, entrepreneurs and on-the-road moms. I’m absolutely honored to be a part of it.

The summer issue of Twist Travel is all about celebrating the traditional all-American summer. It’s got an awesome Southwest summer road trip itinerary, a cool guide to exploring the hidden gems of San Diego and a great article highlighting the fun of spending the summer in New York City with kids. There’s a wonderful list of favorite summer beach and beauty products for moms, a resource to the best ice cream trucks across the States and a couple festive summer recipes for Fourth of July.

Finally, there’s my personal favorite article and contribution to the issue, a quick guide to summer outdoor adventures. My article is all about getting your entire family outdoors this summer to create amazing childhood memories that don’t cost a fortune! My article starts on page 42 and I’d LOVE it if you checked it out!

But that’s not all, there are also international features on traveling to London, Lisbon, Sintra and Tofino with kids. There are great international hotel recommendations and an in-depth review of a wilderness resort. Plus, there’s a wonderful article about the experience of traveling with just one of your children on a special trip by the founder of Flytographer. I totally want to do this with each of my kids now!

Each issue of Twist is jam-packed with amazing recommendations, great travel tips and advice, fun features on unique destinations and absolutely gorgeous photography. I hope you’ll check it out and let me know what you think!
GEOCACHING, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Beginner’s Guide to Geocaching with Kids
- May 25, 2017
Raise your hand if your kids are into nature AND treasure hunting! If so, I have the ultimate hobby (addiction) for you – geocaching! Our family gave geocaching a try for the first time last year on a rainy spring day and quickly fell in love with it. Going for long nature walks with kids can sometimes lead to boredom or frustration, but geocaching will keep them focused, entertained, and begging to get back outside. It’s a really neat way to get out to explore local parks and nature trails while giving your kids a mission to focus on (finding treasure). And it’s totally FREE! So, get ready for some fun because this post is your beginner’s guide to geocaching with kids and will give you everything you need to know to get started.

Geocaching is easier than it sounds

When I first looked into geocaching, I was underwhelmed by the information out there on exactly how to get started and whether it was doable with little kids. The GPS and waypoints language frightened me. I was confused about whether I needed a separate GPS device or if my phone would work. However, we decided to give it a go and turns out it’s so much easier (and more fun) than we ever imagined.

(Update: since we initially started geocaching there have been a lot of new GPS-games for kids to come out (letterboxing, Pokemon Go, etc.). We’ve tried a few of them, but geocaching is still our favorite.)

Geocaching with kids

This Beginner’s Guide to Geocaching with Kids is for anyone wanting a fun new outdoor activity for the family to get them outside and active. Geocaching is great for kids of any age. It’s a fun combination of outdoor exploration and technology. It’s perfect for parents that want to be more outdoorsy and adventurous. My kids and I love it and had I known how easy and fun geocaching was, we would have started doing this ages ago!

So, if you’re interested in geocaching with your kids, but don’t know where to begin, let me walk you through the process.

What is geocaching?

According to the http://www.geocaching.com website, geocaching (pronounced GEE-o-cash-ing) is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunt using a GPS-enabled device (e.g. smart phone). Participants navigate to a specific set of coordinates and then attempt to find a geocache (container) hidden at that location.

Geocaches can be found all over the world and almost anywhere you can imagine. Geocachers usually hide caches in locations that are important to them, reflecting a special interest, memory or skill of the cache owner. These locations can be quite diverse. They may be at your local park, at the end of a long hike, along a bike trail, underwater or on the side of a city street.

What does a cache look like?

There are currently over a dozen “cache types” in geocaching, with each cache type being a different variation of the game. Geocaches vary greatly in size and appearance – everything from large, clear plastic containers to film canisters to a fake rock with a secret compartment. They can be large (traditional) or small (micro). The bigger they are, the easier (usually) for kids to find.

What’s in a geocache?

In its simplest form, a cache always contains a logbook for you to log your name and date of discovery. Larger caches may also contain any number of items, trinkets, souvenirs, etc. According to geocaching etiquette, you can take an item from the cache if you like, so long as you leave something of equal or greater value in its place. When you are finished, put the cache back exactly as you found it, even if you think you see a better spot for it.

What do you need for geocaching?

All your need to get started geocaching is a smartphone, a geocaching account (free), and a sense of adventure! Geocaches are everywhere and it’s a great budget-friendly low-entry activity that’s great for everyone in the family!

Step 1: Create an account and download the free app

Go to http://www.geocaching.com and create an account. It only takes a minute and is totally free. While you’re there, you can check out all the great information, videos and tutorials they have on how to play this GPS treasuring hunting game. Once you have an account, download the app to your phone. It’s also totally free and will give you “Basic” access to all geocaches with a difficulty rating of 1.5 and below (on a scale of 1-5).

If you’re geocaching with little kids, the free version will be perfect because it’ll ensure that you only get geocaches that are relatively easy to find, solve, and access. If you’re geocaching on your own as an adult or with older kids and want more of a challenge, you can upgrade your account to Premium plan, which gives you instant phone access to a lot more caches that are more difficult to find.

Step 2: Choose a cache to find

Open the app and use the map to find a nearby geocache. You might be initially surprised by just how many local geocaches are nearby in your area. They’re hidden, but everywhere! You can start looking in your neighborhood or drive somewhere with a variety of caches. I couldn’t believe how many geocaches there were close to me.

We picked a park in our area that has tons of local geocaches hidden within. We drove to the park, parked the car, jumped out, and picked the one closest to us. Your current location on the map shows up as a blue dot and all the “basic level” caches in your area will show as green dots, with the rest of them (the more difficult Premium ones) in grey.

The first time you use the app, it’ll ask you to point the phone in the direction of the cache you’re looking for, but you shouldn’t have to do that again. If you want more information on the cache, just click on the dot and it will give you information on the difficulty, terrain, and size of the cache (see middle photo above). Most of them also include a description of or story behind the cache. Some have clues/hints, if you want them.

Step 3: Click START and begin walking

Once you’ve picked a nearby geocache, click that green START arrow. The compass will guide you straight to your treasure! All you have to do is keep the red line of the compass directly in front of you. Adjust your bearings as the compass moves. Red arrows will appear telling you which direction to move if you’re too far off course. Your screen will tell you which direction you’re moving, how far from the cache you are (in feet) and a line showing the shortest route.

In the park we were exploring, most of the geocaches we found were just a little bit off the beaten path, which was really fun because it led us down hidden trails and into the woods. The kids (and adults) loved this and they thought the caches back in the woods that took some effort to get to were much more fun than the ones right along the road.

Step 4: Find the cache

As you get closer to the cache, make sure to zoom in/expand the map so you stay on track. Once you get within 30 feet of the cache you’ll get a warning on your phone that you’re almost there. The website and app both warn you that the location isn’t exact within 30 feet sometimes, so when your warning goes off, start to look around for good hiding places. This is when you let the kids know it’s time for treasure – first person to find it wins!

Remember that geocaches can be anything from a large Tupperware container to a tiny camouflaged film canister (or even smaller), depending on the level of difficulty (the app will tell you the size). Start with easy “traditional” geocaches. Initially, I was worried the kids wouldn’t be able to find them or would get discouraged/bored after searching for a few minutes. Not so! My 3.5 years old is amazing at finding the caches and gets super pumped every time he spots one.

The ones we found this day were hidden inside hollowed-out tree trunks, at the base of giant trees, inside stumps/logs, and in between rocks. They ranged in size from a plastic take-out container to a small barrel. Some were protected in Ziploc bags and some were hidden where rain wouldn’t bother them.

As the difficulty of the geocache increases, they get harder and harder to find. We had no issues finding five in one day ranging from 1.5 – 2.5 difficulty! Make sure you really celebrate every find, so your kids get really excited about finding more treasure!

Step 5: Check out the contents & sign the logbook

Even the most basic geocache should have some form of a logbook or sheet of paper. This is for anyone that finds it to record their name and date. All the geocaches we found this day had an available logbook with a pencil provided. However, I’d suggest bringing along your own pen and maybe a couple of sheets of blank paper in case the current logbook is full.

In addition, all the geocaches also had quite a few fun trinkets inside that the kids loved to look at and talk about. The rule is that you’re welcome to take a trinket, so long as you leave something of equal or greater value in its place. We brought along a handful of plastic gold coins, glow in the dark stars, and little army men. When we took a trinket, we left these in it’s place for the next finder. The trinkets are usually little toys, marbles or stickers. The kids thought this was the coolest thing ever and it made it feel like a real treasure to them!

Step 6: Log your find and post a message

Once you find the geocache, click on the big green button at the bottom of your screen that says “Log Geocache” and record your find. You can also leave a comment about the geocache. You can say you loved it, comment on how long it took you to find it, leave a hint for a future geocacher, post a photo, or note that the geocache needs maintenance or couldn’t be located. These posts are accessible to anyone, so try not to give away any secrets or take away the element of surprise.

Beginner’s guide to geocaching with kids

That’s it! So easy. The great thing about geocaching is that it’s basically free (as long as you have a smartphone) and you can do it anywhere! I can’t get over how many geocaches are out there close to me… and everywhere! Even the teeny tiny town I grew up in has at least a dozen! And since we started geocaching, we go treasure hunting everywhere we go, including when we go on vacation. We’ve found caches in four states so far!

Every cache is different and the kids are getting quicker at finding them. We’ve found a small pillbox container in the pilings outside our local fire station, a camouflaged container hidden inside a planter, under a trashcan, up a tree, under the beach boardwalk, and a geocache in a padlocked birdhouse where we had to crack the code!

If you’ve never tried geocaching, I highly recommend you make plans to get out this weekend and try it! There’s treasure out there waiting for you!

Have you ever been geocaching?
CRAFTS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Painted Tic-Tac-Toe Rocks
- May 23, 2017
Tic-tac-toe is a great game for kids of all ages (and adults alike)! It teaches kids valuable skills like problem-solving, anticipation, logic, strategy and more. Playing tic-tac-toe can be done anywhere at nearly anytime, but we have a fun way to take the game outside! Today, we’re sharing the painted rocks tic-tac-toe game we created out of river rocks and a slice of wood. This game is fun for the kids to make and portable so you can play anywhere. All you need are a few supplies and you’ll be set with a game that will keep your kids entertained for a long time!

Tic-tac-toe is great for kids

Tic-Tac-Toe is one of those games that’s easy enough for preschoolers, yet is still competitive enough to entertain older kids and adults. It’s one of my 4-year-old’s favorite games to play. It’s fast and quick, so it holds his short attention span and you can play many times in a row before he’s ready to move on to something else. I love tic-tac-toe because I believe it teaches kids a lot of valuable skills. Kid learn logic, reasoning, creativity, strategy, coordination, visual skills, motor skills, concentration and how to be a good loser.

Another great thing about tic-tac-toe is that you can play anywhere, with anything! There’s no required game board or small pieces, no batteries to charge or dice to lose. You can write with a pen/paper, a dry erase board or just by using your finger in the sand. Our favorite new twist to the game is to paint river rocks to serve as the X’s and O’s so we can play outside. We painted a grid onto a wood slice so we could take our board anywhere we wanted. However, if you don’t have a board to use for the grid, there are tons of ways to make your own! Use four long sticks for the outline, draw a grid on the sidewalk with chalk or use 9 large leaves to designate the spots.

Make rock collecting fun

If you want to make your own DIY painted rock tic-tac-toe board, start by collecting the rocks for your game pieces. Take your kids to a creek (or even just a dry creek bed) and let them explore the area and collect the rocks they want to use. Explain to your kids that round flat rocks work best and show them a few good examples and let them choose their own. Give each kid a small bag and tell them they can bring home as many rocks as they can carry! Once home, pick the best ones, clean them with dish soap and let them dry outside.

Let them pick the colors

When painting the rocks, you can use regular craft paints in any number of bright fun colors. We debated between using just 2 colors (all X one color and all O another color). We decided it would be more fun to mix them up. I let the kids choose 9 different colors and then painted two rocks (one X and one O) each color. Once my kids are a bit older, this might add an additional element to the game. Maybe part of the gem is that they have to use rocks in colors that haven’t been played on the board yet, so that each of the 9 spaces contains a different color rock. But for now, we don’t worry about that.

Put the rocks on paper plates or newspaper and let the kids paint them by themselves. If your kids are little (not the best painters) or if you’re a bit Type A (like me), just know that the rocks will need multiple coats of paint to fully cover and you can correct all the splotchiness later. After you get the rocks fully coated (top and bottom), let them dry overnight. The next day you can paint X’s and O’s on them with black paint. In order to keep the paint from chipping/scratching off, lightly spray them with a coat of Mod-Podge or any other type of clear coat you feel comfortable with (or skip this step).

Play anywhere

Once your rocks are painted and dry, you’re ready to play! The rocks make it easy to play over and over again and the board’s portable – we love playing it outside in the back yard or on the front porch on our swing in the rain. These tic-tac-toe painted rocks are a fun craft, easy for kids to make and don’t require a lot of prep work from parents. And at the end of the day, you’ve got a great game that they can play for years! Good luck!

Do your kids like playing tic-tac-toe?
NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Raising Butterflies with Kids
- May 16, 2017
One of our favorite spring and summer activities is to raise our own butterflies from caterpillars. Watching the life cycle of a butterfly is absolutely fascinating, for both kids and adults. My husband and I are always surprised to find ourselves incredibly invested in the health and growth of our little caterpillars and we watch over them like concerned parents. The kids love observing the caterpillars as they inch their way around and explore, they marvel at how quickly they grow and can barely contain their excitement when the first butterfly emerges from it’s cocoon. Watching this spectacular metamorphosis up close and personal is an incredible experience that every kid should try.

Raising your own butterflies from caterpillars is a much easier and low maintenance science project than you might imagine. It’s an easy project for parents to set up and teaches children valuable lessons about observing nature, the metamorphosis process and taking care of wildlife. Whether you want to hunt for your own caterpillars or just purchase a kit online, we’re here to walk you through the process and make this an experience that you and your children will always remember and want to recreate every year.

Finding caterpillars

Did you know that there are at least 725 different species of butterflies in North America? If you live in the U.S. it’s likely that there are about 100 butterfly species near you; even more the further South you are. If you know what butterflies are native to your area, you can look up the particular host plants that caterpillars prefer. Once you identify the types of plants, start looking for caterpillars on the leave. Caterpillars can usually be found on trees, grass and leaves near wooded areas. Caterpillars may also hide in piles of decaying leaves and on tree bark. Monarchs love milkweed. Caterpillars look different based on what species of butterfly they come from/will turn into. They can be brightly colored, dark and camouflaged, hairy, spotted, skinny or fat. June is usually a good month for finding caterpillars.

While it’s very exciting to go out and find your own caterpillars, that is easier said than done. Feel free to give it a shot with your kids, but if you can’t find any, don’t feel bad about ordering a kit online. Trust me, it doesn’t make you any less of a butterfly-lover to just have them shipped to your front door! Last year we purchased this butterfly growing kit that contained a mesh net butterfly habitat, feeding pipette and a voucher to order our caterpillars. Once our order was placed, a cup of 5 tiny caterpillars arrived at our door. The lid of the plastic container had air holes punched in it and there was a thick layer of “caterpillar food” (whatever that is) at the bottom of the cup.

Creating a caterpillar habitat

If you find your own caterpillars in the wild, you need to create a habitat for them. A large glass jar or small aquarium works great. Make sure it has a secure lid with lots of breathable fresh air (more than just poking a couple holes in a lid). Try using cheesecloth or mesh over the top. Gather some leaves of the host plant you found your caterpillars on and put them in a large jar with some sticks for crawling on and some grass in the bottom of the jar. Caterpillars only like fresh leaves, so change them out daily. And they get their hydration from the leaves, so no need to put any water in the habitat.

If your cup o’ caterpillars was shipped to you, you’re all set. There’s no need to take them out of the cup they come in, however, you can do the same thing and create a larger habitat for them, which makes it easier for kids to observe them and gives the caterpillars some extra space and things to crawl around on. We did this and left the cups of food at the bottom of the jar for the caterpillars to eat. We filled the jar with grass, sticks and leaves. The caterpillars loved exploring their surroundings, but they spent a lot of time down to the food cups to eat.

Watch them grow

It’s amazing how quickly your tiny little caterpillars turn into big fat caterpillars. The caterpillars you receive in a hatching kit will only be in caterpillar stage for 5-10 days. In that time they will more than triple in size. Mainly, they’ll eat, but they’ll also crawl around the habitat and practice spinning silk, which you can see on the outside of the container. You’ll also notice they they shed a bit, so don’t be alarmed when it looks like the caterpillars may have left a fuzzy segment or two behind. Keep the container around room temperature and out of direct sunlight, which can overheat them and cause condensation in the habitat.

Changing into a chrysalis

When they’re big and fat and ready to change into butterflies, the caterpillars climb to the top of the container/habitat and attach themselves to the lid with strands of silk. They hang upside down and form a J-shape, which signals the start of the chrysalis process. They shed a thin layer of outer skin. During this time it is very important not to disturb, shake or move your container.

Once all your caterpillars form chrysalises, wait 24 hours and then transfer them to the hatching habitat (mesh pop-up). Move the entire lid and do not detach the chrysalises. Be very careful when transferring and remove any webbing that may be stuck to them. You can rest the lid against the side of the habitat, so the chrysalises hang down and lay against it. Once a day, spray a fine mist of water into the habitat for a tiny bit of extra moisture, but do not over-water.

The birth of butterflies

After the caterpillars form chrysalises, they emerge as butterflies in 7-10 days. The change is absolutely remarkable and it’s a great time to read a book or two on butterfly metamorphosis with your kids. The chrysalises grow darker as they get closer to emerging and sometimes they even shake! When your butterfly emerges, you may also see a red liquid that looks like blood – this is meconium. We call that the butterfly’s first poop!

When butterflies first emerge, they cannot fly. They need some time to stretch and strengthen their wings and push blood into their veins. After a few hours, the wings will be fully unfolded, dried and hardened and the butterfly will be ready for flight! However, you’ll probably be pretty attached to them by this point, so it’s okay to keep them a day to two to observe before releasing them. Make sure to have some food in the habitat, like fresh fruit (watermelon, bananas, strawberries, oranges) and a few drops of sugar water. Butterflies taste through their feet and eat through a tube called a proboscis.

Release your butterflies

When you’re ready, release your butterflies into their natural habitat. The release can be done by just opening the top of the habitat and letting them leave on their own or by gently cupping them and letting them go. If your kids want to release the butterflies, show them how to hold them very gently, so as to not damage their wings. It’s ok to shed a tear when they fly away. Even though you’ve raised them from tiny baby caterpillars, don’t worry, it’s not nearly as hard as sending your kid off to kindergarten or college (or so I hear). Once released, butterflies usually stick around the area and can be seen for several days in the vicinity of their release. Hopefully you’ll get lucky and they’ll stick around!

Have you ever raised butterflies with your kids?
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, PRINTABLES
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
- May 11, 2017
Kids need adventures, but not every outdoor adventure needs to be deep in the woods, on a mountainside, or next to a river. While those types of adventures are great, adventures can also be found in your own backyard or while exploring your street. We realize that not everyone has easy access to trout streams or acres of wooded areas, but that doesn’t mean that kids can’t observe and connect with the nature that’s around them, wherever they may be.

As much as I love unstructured imagination play, sometimes kids (especially young ones) need a little encouragement to connect with nature and explore – they need some (loosely) structured activity to get them engaged. One of my favorite ways to get my kids to be more observant of their surroundings, particularly on days when we can’t leave the city, is to send them on a neighborhood scavenger hunt.

Neighborhood scavenger hunt

A few years ago I developed this fun Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt printable for my son. He was 2 years-old when our daughter was born and those first few months having a newborn and a wild toddler were hard. They were both happiest when we were outside, so we took a LOT of walks around the neighborhood. Eventually that started to get really boring for him, so I put together a scavenger hunt to make going on a short walk down our street fun and interesting for him. Nearly three years later, we’re still using this exact same scavenger hunt to explore our neighborhood, the surrounding streets and local parks.

Easy to find items

The items on our scavenger hunt are all things a kid should be able to find in any suburban neighborhood or park (with a little help from an adult if your kids are small). Our scavenger hunt contains a mix of natural items (butterfly, spider web, pinecones) with a number of “neighborhood” items (stop sign, truck, bricks), which makes it versatile for a variety of areas. If you’re in a super urban big city, start at home and play while going to a local park. There are 48 items on the list, both with pictures and words (for kids too young to read), which means 4 pages of fun. My kids have never really had the time (or attention span) to find all the items at once. Sometimes we try to find the things on one page together as a team. Sometimes we only find a few items on each page. And sometimes we get completely distracted and end up doing something else entirely…that’s fine too! This is just a starting point to get them outside and exploring, which is really the important part of this activity.

Never the same game

The great thing about this scavenger hunt is that it works well in the city, the suburbs and in parks (even small ones). It’s a great outdoor activity for all you parents that mentioned that you’re not super “outdoorsy” but want ideas for getting your kids outside. Plus, this is something your kids can play multiple times and never have the same experience twice – it’s always changing. Even though the items you have to find remain constant and your street probably doesn’t change dramatically, nature and your surroundings change with the seasons and the places you find flowers or bugs during the spring will not be the same places you find those items in the fall.

Some of the items in the scavenger hunt are harder to find during certain seasons. If we do the scavenger hunt during the winter, we don’t find any dandelions, pink flowers or butterflies. But that really doesn’t really seem to bother my kids at all. It’s more about the exploring and the adventure of the hunt that makes it fun for them. Kids like doing things they’ve done before, so once you do this scavenger hunt with them, they’ll love doing the same familiar activity in a new location or during a new season. It also grows with your kids and can be used for many ages – toddlers and preschoolers will need some guidance and coaching from parents, but school-aged kids will love leading the exploration on their own.

Watch and observe your kids

While the kids love hunting for the items on the list, I love watching them and observing how they play the game. What surprised me most was that some of the items on the scavenger hunt that were easy for the kids to find were less fun for them. While I thought they might really enjoy checking some easy items off their list right away, finding rocks or sticks or leaves was so easy for them that it wasn’t as exciting as finding something that we had to really hunt for. Even at 2 years-old, my son spent a lot of time digging in the flower bed in February for a roly-poly. We also sat at the end of our street for a good 10 minutes watching cars drive by and waiting for a red truck. We never found either one, but he didn’t mind. This showed incredible patience and determination from him that completely impressed me and in the meantime we spent that time talking and connecting and being a part of something fun together.

Four pages of fun

The printable contains 4 pages of items to find, ranging from squirrel sightings to stop signs and bird nests. Depending on how ambitious you want to be, your kid can do all four pages or you can split them up into multiple hunts. If you have multiple kids, you can give them all the same pages or divide them up so they each kid has their own items to find. I recommend you give them each a marker to cross off the items they find, which gives them a huge sense of accomplishment. (Who doesn’t love checking something off their to-do list!) If you’ve got competitive kids, turn it into a game with a prize (first person to find all the items on their page wins) or just go out and see how many items you can find together as a team effort. There are so many different ways to play and you can mix it up each time.

Download our free printable

Here’s the link to the free downloadable printable Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt. We hope that you love it and get as much use out of it as we do. This is a (at least) once-a-month activity around our house and is perfect for killing that hour of time after work and before dinner prep begins. It encourages kids to get outside to explore, be observant of their surroundings, appreciate nature. Hopefully you can play this with your kids and use it as a starting point to explore your everyday areas and get them to see their outside surroundings in a new way.

Have you ever done a scavenger hunt with your kids?
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Strawberry Picking with Kids
- May 3, 2017
Strawberry picking with kids is a fun and delicious outdoor activity to do with your kids in the summer. Our strawberry season in the Midwest starts around the end of May, just when it’s getting hot. Freshly-picked strawberries taste so much better than anything you can buy at the store and are perfect for making desserts, jams or just popping in your mouth. From what to pack, what to wear, when and where to go, we’re here to help you with everything you need to know before you go strawberry picking with kids.

Strawberry picking season

Strawberry picking with the kids is one of my all-time favorite spring activities. Every May, I stalk the “Pick Your Own” online calendar of our favorite local farm and dream of the day when we get to gorge ourselves on fresh strawberries. This May will be our 4th year going to the same place to pick strawberries (as well as peaches, blackberries, apples and pumpkins) and I love that my kids are familiar with the orchard and the “pick our own” process.

The first year we went strawberry picking, I had no idea what to expect. I felt a bit unprepared for the blazing sun, mud and entire picking process. But now that we’ve gone fruit picking a number of times, through various fruit seasons and developmental phases (the baby, toddler and preschooler stages), I feel like a pick your own expert! Here are a few recommendations and tips to ensure that your strawberry picking experience is fruitful! (see what I did there?)

1. Find a local farm & choose the right time

There’s a lot to be said about choosing the right “pick-your-own” farm for you and your kids. You can find most information on pick-your-own farms in your area with a quick internet search, or by going to pickyourown.org, where you can search farms by county (although not all local farms are listed). I highly recommend calling the farm ahead of your visit and asking about the pick your own process, busy hours, prices, etc. With little kids, choose a time that’s the least busy and works with your kids’ schedules.

We like going first thing in the morning to avoid the heat and the crowds. We usually get to the farm when they open on a random weekday and we have the entire strawberry field to ourselves for an hour or so. That gives the kids plenty of time to run around without bothering others before it gets too hot mid-day. If you’re in it for the photos, go in the evening when crowds are dying down and make good use of the golden hour in the fields. Harsh mid-day sunlight is tough when taking photos, but you can make it work.

When you call the farm, also be sure to ask: (a) if the farm provides baskets or if you need to bring your own (baskets with handles are a must); (b) the price for fruit and if they accept credit cards (some small farms don’t); (c) if/which pesticides they use on their crops (particularly if you’re organic).

2. What to take

Strawberry picking is very fun (and very delicious), but it can be hot, sunny and muddy. Make sure you dress your kids (and yourself) appropriately in clothes that are cool enough to wear in the sun, but ok to get really (REALLY) dirty. If you go strawberry picking soon after a heavy rain, expect it to be incredibly muddy. Strawberry vines are on the ground and kids have no problem sitting, kneeling or laying down right in the mud to get the best berries. Your kids’ clothes and shoes might get caked in mud and covered in strawberry juice stains. Bring an extra pair of clothes for the ride home and let them wear boots or Crocs/Natives or something that can be put in a plastic bag and then cleaned off with a hose when you get home.

Make sure to lather the kids with safe sunscreen before you go and reapply if you stay out in the fields for a while. If you’re not into sunscreen, dress them in UVF-protected clothing and a kids’ sun hat. Strawberries grow very close to the ground, so there’s no overhead protection from the sun. Bring along a pair of sunglasses for the kids and/or a hat. Most farms allow pickers to eat as many strawberries as they want as they pick (which is amazing!!), so unless your kids don’t like strawberries, you probably won’t need to bring snacks along, but a big bottle of water is encouraged. Good for re-hydrating and quick clean-ups on the go (also bring wet wipes).

3. Prep the kids

Don’t assume that just because your kids have eaten strawberries in the past that they’re qualified for strawberry picking. My kids had only ever seen red strawberries, but that didn’t stop them from picking all the small white/green unripe berries they could find. We had to have a quick team meeting to re-strategize and explain what was ripe to pick. Before getting in the fields, let your kids know only to pick the red strawberries. Tell them not to pick any that are smashed, mushy (overly-ripe) or covered in mud. Most farms grow their strawberries in elevated mounds covered with a tarp that keeps the berries off the ground and out of the mud. It never hurts to remind the kids which berries to pick and which to pass on.

Also, advise your kids to be kind to the plants. Don’t step on them (step/jump over them to get to the next row), don’t pick berries you don’t intend to eat/keep, leave unripe berries on the vine and try not to crowd others. Let them know that they’re allowed to eat as many berries as they want, but encourage them to eat the entire berry once they’ve taken a bite out of it.

Once you’re in the fields, there probably won’t be any bathrooms, so make sure the kids go before heading out to pick.

4. Let them run wild

Strawberry picking is a great opportunity to give your kids a bit of independence and let them do things their own way. As I mentioned above, strawberries grow low and you can see a very long way when picking. It’s okay to let them explore a bit on their own, rows away. Give each kid a basket and monitor their picking. Also, allow them to choose berries on their own and take ownership of their baskets. Trust me, your kids will appreciate the freedom and be so proud of themselves and the strawberries they picked.

5. Enjoy your berries

If you’ve never had freshly picked strawberries straight from the vine, you are going to be blown away. They are so sweet, juicy, and soft. Nothing like those cold rock hard berries you buy in the grocery store. The big red strawberries you bring home are going to be uber-ripe and ready for immediate consumption. Not totally necessary (unless your drive home is a beast and it’s miserable hot), but it’s never a bad idea to bring a cooler along so you can throw your strawberries on ice when you get back to the car.

Once you get home, immediately soak the berries in cold water and chill them in the fridge to keep them fresh longer. If you’re not going to be able to use/eat them right away, hull them and freeze them. The biggest/ripest berries are best eaten plain (or maybe with a little chocolate sauce or a dollop of whipped cream). Smaller/firmer berries are great for pies and jams. Frozen berries are perfect for throwing in smoothies or turning into popsicles or ice cream. The possibilities are endless!

Have you gone strawberry picking with your kids?