Dutch Oven Cooking

This summer I discovered cooking with a Dutch Oven and I must say that it is pretty fun. There is just something about cooking directly with fire. In the past I've stuck to marshmallows and hot dogs over the campfire and a camp stove for all other cooking.

The discovery of a Dutch Oven opens the doors to nearly anything you can cook in an oven available at your campsite. I've made cakes, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and even a pizza but Peach Cobbler is my specialty. The kids obviously aren't allowed to touch the Dutch Oven at any point in this process but they find it very intriguing and are always asking to peek in and see how the finished product is coming along.

If you haven't cooked with a Dutch Oven you might want to give it a try. It opens the possibilities for things kids love to eat such as Pizza and Deserts plus it is fun, exciting, and helps pass the time while sitting around a campfire.

Please feel free to share any ideas or recipes you may have. Here are the details for my favorite Lazy Peach Cobbler.

2 Cans sliced peaches (29-30 oz. cans)

1 Package white or yellow cake mix

Ground cinnamon to taste

1/3 stick butter

Pour peaches into oven. Spread Cake mix evenly over peaches. Sprinkle on cinnamon. Cut butter into small slices are distribute on top. Bake until done.

Easy as can be and delicious. Enjoy.

Junior Ranger

Last week we visited Rocky Mountain National Park for a fun family weekend. We stopped in at the visitors center and discovered a really fun program for children called Junior Ranger. The kids received a small activity book filled with games and activities about the animals, plants, and history of the park. The book included a Nature Sketchbook, Trail Bingo, a Scavenger Hunt, Riddles, and more.

Then we took a 45 minute walk around the visitor center where an actual Park Ranger taught the children the differences between the types of trees and helpful tips about hiking in the wilderness. The kids enjoyed spending time with the ranger and learned a lot.

After the hike the kids received an official junior ranger badge. The are very proud to be junior rangers. We went for a family hike later and they told everyone on the trail that they were junior rangers. At the end of the weekend we asked the kids what their favorite thing is that we did and of course they said becoming junior rangers.

Check with your local parks to see what programs are available in your area. Or you can become a junior ranger through this online program.

Take Time to Play in the Dirt

I love hiking. I like to get out and log some miles. It is my personal love of hiking and spending time outdoors that has led me to want my children to learn to love the same things. But it is easy to forget that they are kids and they have their own ways of exploring things.

Kids don't want to spend all day walking on a path. They see so many things to discover and play with along the way. Sometimes it is hard for adults to keep taking breaks and not get to their final destination but remember it is the little things along the way that make the trip fun and memorable for your children.

Recently we took a hike in Arches National Park near Moab, UT. Every time we stopped for a little water the kids found themselves playing in the sand. We live in the Rocky Mountains and the hikes we usually do around our home the ground is solid dirt, rocks, and often full of pine needles. The sandy paths of Utah were fun and different from what we were used to and the kids just couldn't keep their hands out of it.

I was tempted to rush them along so I could get to my destination but then I remembered that building the connection with the natural world was the whole reason we were out there and their desire to dig, follow bugs, and draw in the sand was accomplishing the goal even if I didn't cover the miles I had hoped for.

So get them outside but be sure to let them travel at their own pace and smell the roses or whatever they feel the need to do.

Backyard Camp Out

Many parents of young children are scared or reluctant to take their children camping. It seems like a lot of work, the kids might not like it, and there just isn't enough time in today's busy schedule.

Why not try camping in your own backyard? It is easy, safe, and a lot of fun. This past weekend my family was relaxing around the house since we had gone camping the weekend before and had a lot of things to catch up on.

On Friday evening we invited the neighbors over for a little camp fire. We roasted marshmallows and enjoyed each others company. The kids were reminded of recent camping trips and asked me if we could sleep outside. Of course my initial reaction was no way, but really it was just a matter of setting up the tent, so why not.

My daughter and I set up the tent in the backyard and had a nice little camp out all within a few hundred feet of working toilets. We read bedtime stories around the lantern and enjoyed a quick camp out without any of the work or stress of actually taking the family on a trip.

This is a great way to do something fun as a family without leaving home. It is also a good way to test out your family's ability to sleep all night in a tent. If something goes wrong you can just run inside. It is a great test run to make sure everyone is ready for a real camping trip and is a great way to test out all of your old equipment that maybe you haven't used in a few years.

You may just discover that the family loves camping and soon you'll be planning a real trip for more family fun.

Guest Post: Let The Kids Stay Up Late

Today we have a guest post from Suzy of Hip Mountain Mama.

There are so many amazing things that happen in nature after the sun goes down when most kids are sleeping. I am a pretty responsible mom and always make sure the kids get enough sleep, however there are definitely times that call for a little late night fun. Colorado summer nights can be breathtaking with the perfect temperature, bright stars, and fresh air. Letting the kids to stay up after the sun goes down allows them to experience nature in a whole new way, even in your own backyard. Left to their own devices they will undoubtedly come up with their own games, adventures, and explorations. However, you can also guide them or give them a few props to set them on their way to an exciting night. Below are a few ideas of things to do by moon light in your own backyard.

1. Get some blankets out and lie down to look at the stars. This activity is so simple yet so amazing that you can spend hours just gazing at the sky, stars, and moon.

2. Have a fire. If you have a fire pit already this is a great way to spend an evening. If you don’t you can purchase a fire pit from any home improvement store or you can build your own. Roast marshmallows, tell scary or funny stories, and really connect with one other.

3. Play flash light tag. Grab a few flash lights and play tag…the person who is it tries to shine their light on someone else and once they do then that person is it.

4. Play music and sing songs….if you have a few musical instruments grab them and have a jam session. If not you can always sing favorite songs together while sitting in a circle…just be conscious of not being too loud if you have neighbors close by.

5. Go for a late night walk. If the moon is out and bright you can walk by moon light, otherwise you might want to bring a lantern or flash lights.

6. Have a camp out. No need to pack up the car and travel great distances to go camping…simply set up the tent in your back yard and have a backyard camp out. The kids really love this one!

7. Just let the kids play. Don’t give you kids any ideas of what to do, just let them play…you will be amazed at how easily they will play and how excited they will be that they are allowed to stay up late and play in the dark!

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Suzy lives in Northern Colorado where she loves spending time in nature with two daughters. She is owner Hip Mountain Mama and blogs at http://www.hipmountianmamablog.com/.

Camping with Kids: Menu

One thing that many people worry about when they consider taking their kids camping is "What are we going to eat?" It seems daunting to have to feed a child while camping but it is actually pretty easy and can be half the fun of camping.

We bring a basic propane camp stove whenever we head out to the back country. With this simple and easy to use stove we can easily boil water, saute vegetables, or fry things in a pan. Think about your children's favorite foods. The might be grilled cheese, mac-n-cheese, pancakes, scrambled eggs, quesadillas, and pasta. All of these things are easy to make on a camp stove. Your child is sure to find something they will love that is easy to eat outside.

Everyone loves s'mores for a special treat around a campfire but if your child is old enough they might like roasting a hot dog on a stick. If an adult is close by and able to help this can be a lot of fun. It may even be fascinating for a child to watch if they aren't big enough to roast their own.

On our recent trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park our family ate veggie quesadillas, chicken burritos, peanut butter sandwiches, and just add water pancakes. The kids were as happy as can be. Add in some granola bars, chips and guacamole, and some fruit and you are good to go.

So stop using food as a reason not to take your kids camping. Actually feeding them outside is as easy as feeding them at home.

What are some of your favorite camping meals?

Geo Caching

I'll be honest, I always thought geo caching was kind of silly. Recently I was asked by a few different people if I've ever done it with the kids. This morning I was trying to think of something fun to do with the kids so I looked it up. My 7 year old daughter and I watched a video about it at www.geocaching.com and we were hooked.







I plugged in my address wondering if there was a cache somewhere near my house and discovered the closest one was literally only hundreds of feet from my door step. The girls and I grabbed my GPS and started our search.

After a few minutes of playing around in a large open space looking under rocks we found our prize. Our faces filled with smiles and we laughed with excitement. But this was just the beginning.

The girls begged and begged me to help them find another one. We visited two nearby parks where we saw birds, squirrels, mushrooms, flowers, and enjoyed some sunshine and fresh air while our search continued. All in all, we had a wonderful morning together outdoors and we had a blast searching for the caches. Believe me this is an awesome way to entertain your children while spending time outside.




Visit the Official Geo caching Website where you can learn the rules and get some helpful tips on geocaching. You can sign up for a free membership to find caches in your oun area and then you can let the search begin.





All you need is a GPS or Phone with GPS Capabilities and a desire for excitement. However, I would suggest you begin with an easy one as some are pretty well hidden and can be frustrating for children.

A Desire to Explore

I believe that it is extremely important for children to develop their own desire to explore. While I strongly believe in the Leave No Trace philosophy, I also believe that if you are in the right area it is important to leave the trail and just explore.

When we camp as a family the girls always beg for special time exploring with dad. They love to leave mom back at camp and head out where dad will encourage them to (safely) push themselves and improve their confidence and rock climbing skills.

Together we find new things, discuss the rock formations, work on climbing harder and harder rocks, and usually see more wildlife than if we just stayed at camp or on the trails.

I also usually 'pretend' to be lost at some point and test the girls sense of direction. The thrill and excitement of being lost and having to find our way back to camp is the best part. It is a great time to introduce route finding skills such as looking where the sun is in the sky.

I always have fun on these little exploring sessions but when I hear them tell mom the stories when we get back to camp and then hear them tell the story to their friends when we get home, I know it was a blast for them too. I love that they beg to go explore nature again.

A Place of Their Own

Whenever we go camping as a family we always bring a small kids tent just for play time. We have a small tent that the girls can use as their own little space. They can read books, play games, pretend its their own home or anything else they can think of. Obviously we encourage the kids to play outside in nature but at some point on each trip they just need a little space all on their own to do their own thing.

They've never even asked to sleep in it but they always want to bring it along. It is small, light weight, and has filled many hours of playtime around the campsite. I encourage you to find ways to help your children create their own space when camping in the wilderness.

May Day!

One great way to get your kids outside and having fun is to take part in seasonal celebrations. It is important to teach the kids about the seasons and to do activities tied to each season.

Today is May Day. We took advantage of a local living history farm called Timberlane Farms Museum's May Day Celebration. The kids had a blast feeding chickens, seeing a baby cow that was born the day before, taking part in a farm wide scavenger hunt, and of course dancing around the May Pole.

The prize for completing the scavenger hunt was a bag full of plastic flowers which we made into May Day Crowns.

I hope you are getting outside and enjoying the spring weather.

Earth Day!

Earth Day is a favorite in our household. We look forward to celebrating the Earth together as a family and we do many things all month with our business to help promote this special day. In previous years we have planted trees, worked on nature crafts, and celebrated in the park with friends.

It is wonderful that we can all take a moment and think about what we can do to help ease our stress on the planet and start conversations about reducing waste, working on renewable energies, and cleaning our rivers and streams.

Let's all remember that none of this effort is ever going to do any good unless we can get our children to buy into the idea of living green. No matter how much effort we put into Earth Day nothing will get better until the future generations make the decision to progressively move our society to live sustainably. The only way to do that is to teach the children to love nature. If they truly feel the connection they will preserve it to share with their children.

So please talk to your children about Earth Day. Make it fun, enjoyable, and educational. Teaching your children well is the single largest contribution you can have in truly honoring Mother Earth.

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." ~Native American Proverb

National Parks Week

It is National Parks Week and what a great time to get your children outside and exploring in our nations 394 National Parks. You can visit any National Park from April 16th to 24th FREE of Admission.

The park system has protected many amazing pieces of property and it is important that the children can see these natural wonders. So get out there and explore your local parks or make a trip to see something new. It will be a trip your children will never forget.

We are lucky to live near Rocky Mountain National Park where our family explores many times each year. We visited Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park about two weeks ago and have planned our annual trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park in June.

Please share your favorite National Park in the comments. Now get out there and experience it.

Children in Nature: Make it a Game

About a week ago we arrived in Moab, UT after about 7 hours in the car. The sun was setting and I had a tent to set up, a fire to build, dinner to cook, and some relaxing of my own to do. My two daughters had spent all day trying their best to be good in the car but the excitement of a 3 day camping trip was more than they could handle.

As I worked on setting up the tent and unpacking the car the girls kept asking me to do things with them. I was happy that they were excited about the trip but I just couldn't give them the attention at that moment. Just as I was about to get angry at them for not understanding the work I had to do, I stopped and helped them think of a game.

There were two large rocks side by side. I took a break from working and said, "watch this". I ran around the the two rocks making a figure 8. Then I asked the girls if they could do it faster than I did. Suddenly those two boring rocks that they hadn't noticed was now a game. They took turns running around and around the rocks seeing who could do it faster. Then they tried skipping around them. Then walking backwards, galloping, scissor steps, baby steps, and walking with waggling their arms.

Soon the tent was up, the car was unpacked, and the fire was burning. The games expanded and changed each night but a quick minute of my time was enough to get their imaginations started and the games never stopped.

Explore as a Family

What is the best way to get your kids excited about nature? Make your family time involve nature. Kids love spending time with their moms and dads and those moments are moments that they will never forget. If you can make your special family time happen in the great outdoors your children will automatically associate the outdoors with good times and will make it a priority for the rest of their lives and will then do the same when they raise a family.

Many people work long hours maybe even at more than one job and when they get home they just want to relax. Many families turn on the T.V. as soon as they get home and consider watching T.V. as family time. If you cut the T.V. and spend that time out in the backyard garden, at a local park, or on a neighborhood walk you can get exercise, spend valuable time together, and teach your children about the outdoors.


Also consider the family vacations you take. Do you visit large cities, watch movies, or visit theme parks or do you go camping, hiking, and backpacking as a family?

The way you choose to spend time together as a family does have a huge impact on who your children will be as adults. If it is important to you that your children have a love of nature then make an effort to explore nature as a family.

Guest Post: Nature journaling

Today we welcome a guest post from Melyna Harrison of Your Wild Child and Outdoor Baby Network.

To Thoreau’s eye a meadow was more then just undifferentiated green space, more than the green blur my college plant taxonomy professor tried to clear up for us. It was specific plants and creatures whose forms, colors and habits he knew well.

Almost all great naturalists, writers and artists were most certainly journal keepers. Journals develop an observant eye and acute senses. Journals help deepen perception and focus attention. Journaling reminds us that we all lead lives worthy of observation.

One thing I like to put in every journal is an observation log. Repeatedly collecting data at the same place provides a wealth of information to be used later on. The Observation Log does just that—it forces observation. Children begin to notice day-to-day or week-to-week changes. They can graph temperatures for a given month or year or average precipitation. Children can compare and contrast cloud cover at different times of day and look for correlations. The possibilities are endless and depend only on your creativity.

An observation log might look something like this:

OBSERVATION LOG
Place- Yellowstone National Park
Date- December 22, 2010
Time- 4:35 pm
Temperature- 5 F
Wind- Light, wispy breeze from west
Cloud Cover- Almost 100%, thin, low clouds
Precipitation- Very light snow, medium-sized flakes
What do you notice about this place?- Snow piling on the back of bison as they push the snow
with their massive heads looking for vegetation.

For the "What do you notice about this place?" question, Encourage kids to use descriptive words and to notice details. They don’t have to capture everything, but they should capture a of couple things well. Since this is a place they will be returning to, they should look for new details each time.
You can modify the categories, help younger children write the words down, or suggest they draw pictures. Nature journals are extremely adaptable.


Melynda Harrison is mom to two wild boys (ages 2.5 and 4), a writer, naturalist and ridiculously enthusiastic about playing outside with her family. She writes about connecting kids and nature at Your Wild Child and Outdoor Baby Network .

Nature Bingo: A Kids Nature Activity

Looking for a fun activity for your children to do in nature? Have you tried Nature Bingo? Nature Bingo is a fun and easy activity that is suitable for preschoolers through elementary ages children. This fun nature activity will have you kids busy searching for items in nature. It is like a nature scavenger hunt but when you find something you simply draw a picture of it and leave it behind for others to enjoy.

First, follow the link and print this page or make your own to suit the natural items you might find in your neck of the woods.

Then take your children to any natural area and send them out hunting for the items. When they find something on the page like a special rock, a pine cone, animal tracks, or a certain flower then have your child draw what they found right on the page.

Just like Bingo, if you get any four in a row you win. If you get four in a row then try and find as many more as you can.

This activity makes an afternoon in nature more fun and kids will learn more about the items they find and you can discuss what these items are doing in nature. Then my kids always enjoy looking over their drawing on the car ride home and talking about all the fun things we found. Drawing really makes the items come to life your your child's eyes and helps them remember more of what they experienced.

Go ahead, give it a try. Use mine or make your own.

Another option with younger children is to use pictures or clip art in the boxes and just have them search for items and check them off. For young children identifying items in nature is plenty fun but if the child can draw I recommend doing as described as above.

Have fun!

Print my game card here.

Make your own here.

Connecting Kids with Nature: Plant a Garden

One easy way to show children the wonderful powers of nature is to plant a backyard garden or to become active with a community garden. I think it is very important for kids to understand where food comes from. Many children these days think food just comes from the supermarket; all prepackaged and covered in corn syrup.

Growing food in your back yard is healthy, saves some money on the grocery bill, allows you time to spend time together as a family, and teaches kids how plants grow. Nothing makes me happier than to see my kids picking carrots out of the garden and taking a bite. My oldest daughter even sneaks tomatoes out of the garden and eats them like an apple.

The entire gardening process is a valuable lesson for children. My kids love helping dad prepare the soil, plant seeds, water the garden, pull weeds, and of course they love harvesting. They can also get involved in composting and seed collecting. Starting a garden in the spring is a great way to commit to teaching your kids about nature all summer long. The lessons your child will learn about growing food will affect your child for their entire lifetime.

I have talked about my favorite childhood memories and backyard gardening with my parents is definitely something I'll never forget. So if you already garden make sure to think of ways the kids can help out this year or if you don't garden why not start a small garden this year. If space is an issue start with one tomato plant in a planter on the patio.

Keeping Kids Engaged With Nature: A Final Destination

I personally love to go for super long hikes sometimes all day long. I have climbed many of the Colorado 14ers, some 13ers, and lots of peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. When I first started trying to get my kids out into nature I started with really short nature walks. I figured this was all they could handle and it was just nice to be outside. So we would go to a familiar trail head walk out as far as we could then when the whining started we'd turn around and go back to the car.

This accomplished the goal of getting the kids outside but never really got them engaged in the hike itself. I realized that my personal love of hiking is all about the destination. While I like short walks in the woods it is getting to a destination that really inspires me. It is far more exciting to climb to a summit of a mountain, hike to a waterfall, or arrive at a unique rock outcropping than to just walk into the woods and the return the same way.

I have found the children really respond to a hike to a destination much better than just a hike. You can use it as a motivator to keep going. When the kids start to complain it is easy to get them back on track if you can say, "We are almost there".

Some of our favorite family hikes include a short walk to a Keyhole in a series of rocks called the devils backbone, a small rock cabin and overlook, an old cabin at bobcat ridge, waterfalls, or even a hike around a lake. Starting out with the goal of reaching something exciting always leads to a more successful hike.

Animal Tracks

One conversation that I use a lot with my own kids to keep them excited about a hike is to talk about the animals. My daughters love to think about what animals we might see, what signs we might find of animals, and what animals might we hear.

It seems strange to me that every child knows what an elephant, tiger, and lion look like but they don't know the difference between a fox and a coyote. Television and books are quick to point out exotic animals and the sounds they make but our children don't know anything about the animals that live all around them.

How to have fun with talking about animals:

• What might we see today?
  
• Where do they sleep?
  
• What do they eat?
  
• Identify animal tracks
  
• Identify animal scat
  
• What animals eat other animals? How do animals protect themselves?
  
• What animals hibernate in the winter
  
• Do the animals come from an egg or live birth?
  
• How do they use camouflage to blend in with their surroundings
  
• Do they migrate? Why do birds fly south in the winter?
  
• Are they scared of us or should we be scared of them?
  
• Do they live in large groups (herds) or live alone?
  
• If you find a hole in the ground guess what animals live in there.
  
• Stop and watch an ant hill. What are they doing? Where are they going?
  
• Find a feather. Who does it belong to?
  
• Find bones, skulls, fur. Who does it belong to? What probably happened?
  
• Discuss the food chain.
  
• How does everything in nature fit together? (ex. Bees pollinate flowers)

These are just a few examples of conversations to start with your children. Their imagination and questions will follow and before you know it you've got a full hike in. Remember, be sensitive with children about animals that may scare them. I'm careful with my children about Bears and Mountain Lions. You don't want to scare them into wanting to go back to the car.

Don't be afraid to tell your children that you don't know an answer to their question. When you get home look it up online. There is nothing better than learning about nature together.

What other animal conversations could you start with a child?

A Great Day in Nature: Follow Your Child's Lead

This weekend we were planning on a quiet day around the house. My girls were playing with a couple girls from the neighborhood when they came running into my office screaming, "Daddy, Daddy, can we have a picnic at the park?"

I wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather but I wasn't quite prepared for a picnic. I thought I gave some general answer like most parents do just to put them off a bit. Something like, "Maybe later." The girls went in the kitchen made peanut butter sandwiches for all the kids, grabbed some strawberries, and found some girl scout cookies.

I was shocked to walk into the kitchen to see 4 girls holding a bag full of their packed lunch, a blanket, and a plastic ball and bat. They all had sunglasses on and were ready to go. Who was I to hold them back from their day in the sun. I grabbed the dog and followed the girls to the park.

I spend a lot of time planning hikes, snowshoes, camping trips, and other outdoor activities. I carefully assess the weather and pick the best trails and open spaces depending on the conditions. But I must say, it was a blast to just go along for the ride. The kids made the plan, picked the activity, picked the destination, and led the way.

I quietly sat in the grass as the girls played on the playground, ran around playing a 'dolphin tag' game, played Simon Says, ate a picnic lunch, and laughed till it hurt. When they were ready to go home I followed them back.

This was one of the most fun days we've had in a while. All I did was stay out of the way. I learned that sometimes you just have to let the kids take charge. If I had said we are going to the park for a picnic they probably would have moaned and said they didn't want to go. But when it is their idea it is all smiles and good times.