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