Free National Park Days

The National Park Service just celebrated 100 years of caring for America's treasures.  We sure had fun visiting Shenandoah National Park for the first time last summer and even bought an annual pass to encourage us to explore even more.

This year, you have several opportunities to get out and explore over 400 National Parks, both natural and historical parks, for free on the following dates:

January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 20: Presidents' Day
April 15-16 and 22-23: Weekends of National Park Week
August 25: National Park Service Birthday
September 30: National Public Lands Day
November 11-12: Veterans Day Weekend
If you take kids, don't forget to ask about the Junior Ranger program at the visitor center so they can earn a cool badge or patch.

 

 

(Don't forget to thank rangers and staff for their role in providing an excellent experience.)

Urban Nature

I've been thinking about my role as a Park Ranger lately.  I would like a change of pace, but it will take time to make that happen. In the meantime, although I am surrounded by history in a big city, I am drawn to signs of nature.  It is there, I just have to look closely.

Sometimes it is quiet and still...

Above my head in the London Plain tree sits a hawk watching cars go by.

...while other times, nature is noisy and energetic.



This squirrel chitted at nearby birds after burying a supply of acorns.















Sometimes nature offers an unexpected surprise...

yet often provides an expected comfort during change in a rushing world.

No matter where or when, signs of nature help me regain my focus

Nature Love - helping it grow for older children

It is Earth Day.  In years past we have planted seeds, fed our feathered friends, or made a nature craft to celebrate, but today the boys are in school and I am thinking about how to help their love of nature grow as they grow older.  It seems they are more distracted than ever. For heaven sake, how can Nature compete with Minecraft in the mind of a 10-year old boy? Well, I have a few thoughts about that:

- Get them out there!  If I do not take my boys to nature, how will they ever really care about it? I don't mean just telling them to go outside and play, but to take them to the wilderness for hours at a time. Let them explore at their own pace, wade in a creek or look for crawdads, bring a picnic lunch, and bring home a shiny rock, acorn, or bird feather for the nature table. Better yet, go camping - sleep in the wilderness.(We have a wonderful trip to Shenandoah National Park planned for the summer!) Really, how are they suppose to care about a tree if they have not felt or climbed several? How are they to cherish birds if they do not regularly hear the sweet songs?

- Have everyone keep a nature journal.  Make it lightweight and bring colored pencils. Allow children to draw or write whatever they want. They can press wildflowers in the pages or leaves can be a bookmark.  Let them see your nature journal - your love is contagious.

-Give them a variety of nature books to read and keep nature guides available in your home. One of our favorite books is Bird Songs that allows us to look up a bird according to its habitat then listen to its song.

I  think this is a good start. How do you keep your children's nature love real and growing?

Visit the Nation's Treasures - For Free

This weekend we have an opportunity to connect with some of our greatest national treasures as the National Park Services celebrates Founder's Day.  On August 25 all fees are waived, and special programs will be available to the public. (Don't forget to ask for the Jr. Ranger Program.)

The National Park Service (NPS) began in 1872 with the founding of Yellowstone National Park.  With dedicated early leaders, the NPS grew into a highly esteemed organization dedicated to preservation and helping the public connect to its' resources. 

To find the park nearest you visit www.nps.gov.  If you are near Philadelphia, PA, come visit us at Independence National Historical Park as we open the new Benjamin Franklin Museum.  We are having special speakers, walking tours, and activities for families. 

Wandering in the Woods

One mile from our home is a park with extensive, unmarked, rarely-traveled wooded trails that we love to explore. Typically, we go on the main path, then cut off on one or two more trails. Any more divergence off the main trail and I am convinced we would be lost. With the three year old in tow, "lost" is not a feeling I want to experience!

One day a few weeks ago, I saw a card from the game/book The Dangerous Book For Boys. It had a drawing of an arrow made out of 3 sticks, and it struck me... that is our ticket to hiking freedom... stick arrows. Now when we take a turn off a path we mark the path we are leaving with a stick arrow so we can find it on our way back. (Hansel and Gretel's fate will not be our own.)

The children can lead the hike wherever they chose. Unlimited adventure is around every bend. The return trip has turned into a game for little Shane... "Who can spot the arrow first & which way do we go?"




Sometimes they are big and easy to spot on a main trail.



Some tell us which way to turn at a Y.




Others are small and lead to a barely noticeable trail.


I have a feeling the boys will hear, "Get your hiking shoes on!" a lot this autumn...

Geocaching For the Whole Family - guest blogger

For some time I have wanted to post about how much fun it is to geocache with children. We have found them in many states from Hawaii to Florida to Ne wYork City and in between and even in Ireland. Countless times geocaching has led us to lovely hidden natural places we now treasure and often when we are in small and large cities geocaching has taken us to places only the locals know. For our children, and honestly ourselves as well, geocaching encourages our sense of adventure while fine tuning our observation skills.

Want to learn about geocaching? Visit the geocaching website, and read on.

To tell us more about geocaching, I have my first guest blogger, and my brother who introduced us to geocaching, Paul Tannahill.

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When a father or mother of young children first starts geocaching, one of the first thoughts they often have involves how much fun their kids will have finding hidden treasure. When you consider the number of hours most kids play video games and watch TV, it is definitely cool to see youngsters enthusiastic about outdoor exploration and adventure.

Like any other new outdoor activity, a certain amount of physical and mental preparedness is required. Adding kids into the mix increases the importance of that preparedness exponentially.

One of my favorite aspects of geocaching is that it is what I call a “lifestyle activity.” The only equipment you need is a modern GPS receiver or a smartphone with a geocaching app. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake. I like to compare it to golf: no need to spend hundreds of dollars on clubs, greens fees, etc., and you can play this game any time, anywhere. That type of capability allows for incidental opportunities to find a geocache. Have a half-hour to kill before the movie starts? There’s probably a geocache within easy walking distance. Most kids love that kind of spontaneity! Along with that spontaneity, though, comes the responsibility to make sure the kid(s) you are responsible for are safe every step of the way.

A large number of geocaches contain “swag” (Stuff We All Get), usually cheap McDonald’s toys, etc., and kids really love to hunt for those types of caches. In their eagerness to discover the cool treasure inside, they will often find a cache before you will. The general understanding is: if you take something from a geocache, leave something of equal or greater value. Of course, that eagerness can have a downside, and it’s up to you to be extra observant against tripping hazards, as well as watching where the youngsters stick their hands, faces, etc.

As fun as incidental geocaching is, a lot of us enjoy geocache-centric day trips. There probably a number of geocaches in your region that would make for a time of exploration and sight-seeing. I have devoted and entire day to find just one geocache on a remote mountain top . Long road trips (like one my family and I took from Oregon to Oklahoma) offers an opportunity to find caches in places you will probably never again visit now we’re talking high adventure!

When you plan and prepare to take kids on a geocaching trip, you’ve got to go beyond the basics of food and water, sunscreen and insect repellant. Is the terrain potentially uneven? Nothing beats a pair of hiking boots to make sure everyone’s feet are ready for anything. Could the weather change on you? Dress in layers. Don’t know how to use your GPS beyond finding an occasional geocache? Learn the features that could save your life and theirs: marking a waypoint for your car, using topo maps, knowing the value of a track log, among many others. Learn and practice using your GPS in the comfort of your own stomping grounds before needing that knowledge in unfamiliar territory.Is there any potential for dangerous animals (or people) to be concerned about? When you are focused on keeping one eye on your kids and one eye on your GPS, it’s easy to become less aware of your non-immediate surroundings than you would otherwise be.

Geocaching has taken me to some of the most interesting places of my life, and sharing those places with my family is something I very much enjoy doing. As the saying goes in geocaching: “Stay safe, and keep on cachin’!”

--Paul Tannahill, known as “Pablo Mac” in the geocaching community has been geocaching for a little over 7 years, having found over 2300 geocaches during that time. Some of his family & friends have accused him of being addicted to the sport/hobby/obsession. To that, Pablo Mac calmly replies: “I can quit any time I want… “See Pablo Mac’s Geocaching videos here: http://tinyurl.com/yebucth

Exploring after a New England snow storm

Last weekend, we visited my husband's parents in Connecticut just hours after several inches of snow had fallen on top of the 18 inches they received a week ago. It reminded me of my childhood in north Idaho.

We took the boys outside to play in the igloo that Papa and 2 cousins built. It was great! There was a slide entrance and a tunnel exit. Even Tug the dog enjoyed it.

While the boys, Papa and Daddy played, I explored as much as the snow would allow. Their home is settled on several wooded acres that I could explore for hours on end. It was noontime and the little birds were singing and raiding the bird feeders. Every once in a while, the wind would pick up and blow snow off the trees and into my face.

On a little walk down the long wooded driveway, we found some little mouse tracks climbing over a mound of snow.

Because the sun was straight overhead, it's beams hit the untouched flat snow just right to make each snowflake its own sparkling prism shining a rainbow of colors. It was beautiful and so hard to look away. (A photo just doesn't do it justice.)

Later that day, we went on a drive to see my husband's grandma On the side of the road were ice cicles that reached over 15 feet long and a scening creek pushing through the frozen ice.

The next time we go up, the snow will be gone and flowers will be pushing through the dirt (thanks to The Root Children, of course.) I look forward to more exploring.

Who knows what we will find!