When you are 3, there’s a lot to learn. And one of the first ways you learn is by touching something. We had talked about the number of rings on the cottonwood stump and that we could count them to find out how old the tree was (answer; we gave up, that was a pretty…
Snap It Outdoors: Trail Kindness
I had a great hike without the family this morning. I’ve had a weekend off to recharge and catch up on work. I headed out for an early morning hike before staring at a computer for the rest of the day. It was busy because we’re in the season where the trails are hard and…
Six tips to teach your kids to ski
Have you taught your kids to ski? It can be daunting, especially if you’re just learning yourself. If you can get them started young, however, skiing becomes a part of their way of seeing the world and helps foster a love of the outdoors. At three, an age many ski schools recommend starting kids on…
Snap It Outdoors: Peer Pressure
Red’s friend received a new bike for Christmas, and was itching to take it out. Red, after a couple of weeks of a bad cold and coughing, was not keen to engage in anything like hard physical activity. Smalls was excited to get outside, but had never done this trail both ways without dropping his…
4 Reasons Why We Live In Snow Pants In The Winter
I have so many pictures of the boys in snow pants at this time of year, it’s silly. Today we went for a quick walk, which turned into a play in the garden, followed by a crawl up the street pretending to be animals, followed by a walk. Everyone has a bit (or a lot!)…
Snap It Outdoors: Nature Lover
Red has been working hard the last few weeks, preparing for the school craft fair. We’ve made bookmarks with pressed flowers and leaves, wall hangings from sticks we found in the Foothills (which were given away before the event!) and he produced his own books. He made his own banner with a logo to hang…
What to do when your kids hate hiking – the Reluctant Hikers Club
My husband and I had a glorious weekend off while my parents were in town and hiked to an abandoned mine near us. It was a 5-mile round trip, and we hiked it at least partially to see if the kids could handle it. We knew it was a bit far, but we felt the…
Why you should build a Bug Hotel with your kids
We visited the Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center this weekend. We were there for a family photo session, which was a lot of fun! It was a beautiful place to take photos and had lots of things for the kids to run around and do between shots. It’s getting cold, and so taking jackets off…
Snap It Outdoors: Shadows
We’re in one of the most beautiful times of the year; at least I think so. The weather is crisp and cold, and so, so dry, that I’m using up hand cream and lip salve by the day. We huddle in jackets and hats and gloves leaving the house in the morning in the low…
Why you should slow down and walk around with your kids
Yesterday we all jumped in the car ten minutes before the school bell was due to go, and it wouldn’t start. The battery had died, and no amount of furious turning of the key was changing anything. Luckily, we live barely a mile from the school, and although it was a chilly 28F, we could…