Introducing Your Kids To The Outdoors

Hiking, trekking, camping, climbing, biking, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, whitewater rafting, and mountaineering with children of all ages 50 family adventure trips--close-to-home, budget-wise, and national parks How to plan, pack, and organize trips, especially tricky with infants and toddlers and extended, mixed, or blended families A helpful guide for parents who want to keep traveling, remain active in the outdoors, and get their kids interested in nature and the environment. Blends interactive parenting and coaching skills with outdoor sports, adventure, and travel. Taking children on camping trips or rafting trips can be a challenge, but by balancing safety and adventure, independence for older children, and family participation, everyone can have fun. A section on safety includes basic first aid and what to put in emergency kits.

Hiking is a great way to relax, connect with nature, and enjoy time with your family. Bringing your kids along can be rewarding for you and for them, but it can also add new challenges and concerns to your trip. Get Your Kids Hiking is loaded with everything you need to know to hit the trail with kids; from gear to simple proven techniques that will make your hike safe and fun. Written with both the novice and the seasoned hiker in mind, Jeff Alt provides all the information you need to take your child out on the trail. This books offers: Age-appropriate ways to include your child in all aspects of the hike Checklists of what to pack for any type of hike Kid-friendly menus Advice for hiking with a child who has special needs. Get Your Kids Hiking is the playbook to inspire an appreciation for the great outdoors in your children and keep your young child or teenager interested in a family hiking trip.

Outside, you notice things. Time spent in the outdoors stirs a child's imagination. Nature sparks wonder, wonder leads to curiosity, and curiosity brings about a greater knowledge of the world and one's self. In Outside, You Notice, a meditative thread of child-like observations (How after the rain / Everything smells greener) is paired with facts about the habits and habitats of animals, insects, birds, and plants (A tree's roots reach as wide as its branches). Author Erin Alladin invites young scientists and daydreamers to look closely and think deeply in this lyrical nonfiction text, celebrating all the kinds of "outside" that are available to children, from backyards to city parks to cracks in the sidewalk. Illustrator Andrea Blinick portrays these spaces bursting with small wonders with a child's-eye view, her naïve and nostalgic style capturing the joy of endless discovery.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An imperative call to action” (Nick Offerman) to get children off their screens and into nature, with tips for bonding activities that teach the importance of outside time and build tough, curious, competent kids—from the New York Times bestselling author and host of the TV series and podcast MeatEater “A revelation for families struggling to get kids to GO OUTSIDE, or to just stop using the darn smartphone.”—Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent In the era of screens and devices, the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for kids’ physical and mental health, it jeopardizes their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment. Thankfully, with the right mind-set, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors. Here, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem. No matter their location—rural, suburban, or urban—caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as: • Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire. • Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work. • Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure. • Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food. Living an outdoor lifestyle fosters in kids an insatiable curiosity about the world around them, confidence and self-sufficiency, and, most important, a lifelong sense of stewardship of the natural world. This book helps families connect with nature—and one another—as a joyful part of everyday life.

Whether you're a longtime outdoorsperson looking to get your kids involved in the activities you loved B.C. (Before Children), or have no outdoor experience but want to enjoy a new sport alongside your children, Extreme Kids will take the whole family on an adventure. Learn the basics of outdoor sports, some extreme (whitewater rafting, kiteboarding, backcountry skiing), and some less so (day hiking, peak bagging, flatwater canoeing), and how to share them with your kids. The book also includes practical and philosophical reasons for family outdoor adventuring. It's never too early to hit the trail (or the river, or the vertical wall) with your kids--each section has an easier version of an extreme sport to get the family's feet wet before diving in.

No-nonsense, sanity-saving insights from the Washington Post on Parenting columnist--for anyone who's drowning in parental pressure and advice that doesn't work. Ever feel overwhelmed by the stress and perfectionism of our overparenting culture--and at the same time, still look for solutions to ease the struggles of everyday family life? Parenting coach and Washington Post columnist Meghan Leahy feels your pain. Like her clients and readers, she grew weary of the endless "shoulds" of modern parenting--along with the simplistic rules and advice that often hurt more than help. Filled with insights based on child development and hard-won lessons in the trenches, this honest guide presents a new approach, offering permission to practice imperfect parenting with a strong dose of common sense, empathy, and laughter. You'll gain perspective on trusting your gut, picking your battles, and when to question what's "normal" (as opposed to what works best for your child). Forget impossible standards and dogma, and serving organic salmon to four-year-olds. Forget helicopters, tiger moms, and being "mindful" in the middle of a meltdown (your child's or your own). Instead, discover relatable insights for staying connected to your child and true to the parent you want to be (and already are).

New England has a lot to offer so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the top outdoor tourist destinations in the country. It sees many people traversing its land each year, and many are there specifically seeking outdoor adventure. And, with families spearheading the need to get outdoors with their little ones, there are places a-plenty for exploring with littles of all ages. Whether you live here or are simply traveling through, Hiking with Kids New England offers up new and exciting adventures for parents and their elementary school-age kids alike. Organized around location, for ease of knocking out all of those “bucket list” places, the book features 40-50 easily accessible day hike locations, with each hike featuring a color photo and a map. As is standard with FalconGuides, all the basic information—from trailhead GPS to best times to go to fees and contacts—will be there, along with trail descriptions geared directly for the kids. The book’s handy “Best Hikes For” chart in the beginning will identify the best hikes for water features, historic geographic features, views, cool flora/fauna, and more. Hiking with Kids New England will keep its young participants engaged with tips on cool scavenger hunts; how to identify various animals, bird calls, and more; fun facts about the history of the land; and more.