I built this one in under an hour.  It’s not hi-tech, but it doesn’t need to be.  The students were completely captivated by the idea of being The One who slung a ball the farthest down the field.  As a result they listened intently to my (short) lectures on trajectory, velocity, force, mass, and aerodynamics.  I set it up on the grassy field behind the school, and ended up with every kid on the playground standing in line, waiting for a turn, and offering advice on how to get the next ball to go just a little bit further.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Two 10-foot long 2x4s
• One 6-foot long 2×4 (you’ll have a little bit left over at the end).
• Six feet of latex tubing.
• Some tennis balls—the kind that come in a little mesh bag—you’ll need the mesh bag.
• A little bit of twine—say two feet.
• Ten screws long enough to go through a 2×4—say 3 or 3 1/2 inches long.
• Some weights—logs, bricks, or whatever other heavy materials are lying around.

And

• A circular saw or handsaw.
• A drill and two bits: one of a slightly smaller diameter than the 3 inch screws, and one with a Phillips head.

All of these items can be found at your local giant hardware store.  They’ll be confused when you ask for the tubing, but it is there with all the other types of tubing (in my store on the very top shelf).

And here’s what you do:

Step one:  Cut one of the 10-feet long 2x4s in half so that you have two 5-foot long sections.  Cut another ten foot long 2×4 into two 4-foot lengths (you’ll have 2 feet left over that you’ll need).  An cut the third 2×4 into one 3-foot section and one 2-foot section).  You’ll have one foot left over.

Step two:  Connect the 2-foot sections to the ends of two of the 5-foot lengths, so that each forms a T.  Place the 2-foot board so that it is flat against the end of the 5-foot board.  These are the ‘feet’.  Two screws in the base should hold them on.

Step three:  Connect the two 4-foot lengths to the now T-shaped pieces… about 18 inches up from the T-junction.  These should be connected at between a 45° and a 60° angle.  Again, you’ll need two screws per side to keep the piece from swiveling.  These are the braces that extend out the back, so you want them angled in such a way that when the post (the 5-foot piece) is standing straight up, one end of the 4-foot length touches the ground.

Step four:  Connect the two legs that you’ve just created to each other, using the 3-foot section of 2×4.  Two screws per side.

Step five:  Cut the tubing in half, so you have two 3-foot lengths.  Tie each to the top of a 2×4 leg.  I used a couple of half-hitches.  Tie the other end of each piece of tubing to a piece of twine, also using a square knot.  Cut open the tennis ball mesh bag and fasten it between the two pieces of twine to create a ‘basket’.

Step six:  Put weights on the T-pieces on the ground to hold them down.  Alternatively and if you want something more permanent, bury those ‘feet’ in the ground.  You’ll have to dig the angled supports in a bit too, to keep the posts upright.

Step seven:  Insert a tennis ball in the basket, stretch, and release!  You’ll have to practice where to hold the ball to get the best launch.  We’ve launched tennis balls over 50 yards now…

To make it slightly inquiry based, I gave the kids a whole selection of different balls (tennis, nerf, softball, etc.).  We weighed them and measured their diameter, and then compared the distance achieved with ball weight and diameter.  I also attached a protractor to the side of one leg and asked them to determine which angle resulted in the maximum distance, holding all other variables constant (thus, they learned the word ‘variable’ and also one of the keys to a successful scientific experiment without even knowing they were *gasp!* learning.)

Cautionary note:  I used light enough balls that having kids run around underneath to catch them was not a problem, and was half the fun for those waiting their turn (and for a ball).  If you use softballs, beware the sting of catching one.  Each kid was required to yell “heads up!” before firing (which they loved), and they couldn’t fire til everyone was paying attention (which was good for scientific observation too).  One of your kids will eventually think to try water balloons… I can’t comment on this as we haven’t tried it yet (but it would be a great way to ‘mark’ where a ball landed if you’re measuring distance).  We also thought of setting up cardboard boxes Angry Birds style to knock down, but didn’t have time.  Also, helpful reader George points out that it is possible for these to backfire, and shoot the projectile at you instead of forward (not with as much force, but still unpleasant).  I don’t have any personal experience with this so am not sure how it happens, but be aware that it can!

If you have a child with a learning challenge or special need and have used the outdoors as a tool, we want to hear from you.(See the bottom of Sarah’s article for more specific questions, or add your own thoughts).

Thanks for sharing your story Sarah, I absolutely love this post. I for one think Michael is a pretty lucky kid.

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This is my firstborn, Michael:

His little fetus self hit me in the gut at twelve weeks pregnant and didn’t stop moving the rest of the pregnancy. At twenty weeks, he kicked the TV controls off my belly. After his birth, he screamed for three months straight.

I stopped comparing him to other kids, or asking for help from other moms a year into the adventure. My son was just—different. Tough, independent, confident, and able to take down a full grocery cart in 2.3 seconds. He climbed out of his car seat before other kids even realized they were in one. (P.S. Duct tape around the straps solved this problem for awhile).

Around his third birthday, he was evaluated for early learning disabilities (including autism and ADHD). Twenty minutes into the evaluation he pulled out every toy, had to be told to go back to his seat fifteen times, ran into the door twice, and spun in a circle for three full minutes… Oh and he tried to set some turtles free. Anyways, after all this, the evaluator scrunched up her face and went, “Yeah. It looks like ADHD.” As if to drive this point home, the kid ran into the concrete block wall and bounced off with a huge smile. Then did it again.

One of her suggestions—find a gross motor activity that allows him to practice his missing executive function skills.

A little bit about Executive Function:

Executive Functions are a group of key cognitive skills, the lack of which is where learning disabilities and ADHD collide. People with ADHD have less executive functioning skills than everyone else, plus, they acquire the little they do have much slower (about thirty percent slower).

The skills themselves are things like: anticipating the future, avoiding repetition of the same mistakes, planning, having a sense of time, paying attention, staying awake, finishing a task, controlling emotions, being able to internalize thoughts, analyzing, organizing information, error correction, and performance in situations where activity is not rehearsed or planned. (Zeigler Dendy, 3)

So when the therapist suggested a gross motor activity that included executive function practice, I immediately thought of climbing.

It made perfect sense that my son’s lack of executive function could be helped by rock climbing. My husband has severe ADHD, even as an adult, and has used rock climbing as part of his coping strategies since he was about eleven. His dirt-bag years in the New River Gorge got him through college. On the rock, he is safe, thoughtful, technical and precise. He is in control of himself and one of the most conscientious climbers I have ever come across. But when he’s in the basement packing his gear, he forgets to pack QUICKDRAWS. OR ROPE. OR ANCHORS. (true stories– I check the gear bags now).

But while it made sense, it was only a theory. Michael, after all, was only three. I couldn’t see climbing having a huge impact on a three-year-old. He’d been out with us before, but nothing focused on him, and especially nothing focused on working through these brain issues.

I decided to take the suggestion and run with it. What could it hurt to try?

Climb On:

The week before his third birthday, I strapped my ten-month-old in the Ergo on my back and *firmly grasping* Michael’s hand, we went to the climbing gym with the sole purpose of a quasi-therapy session.

Note: I would have taken him outside, but we have no safe outdoor climbing near us. Great Falls National Park is our local crag, but he is so impulsive that he will not go climbing there until he’s like…twenty-five. The climbs are all in a gorge along the Potomac River and you belay on ledges above the water. When you fall in the Potomac there, you die. Seriously.

I planned to keep it simple. I had a bag of M and M’s to use as motivation (to put in the holds for him to climb after). After getting the candy, he would sit on the mat for a set amount of time before moving onto another climb.

I went in the very early hours where he would be the least intrusive. And I kept my expectations low. The kid couldn’t listen to me read a book for more than twenty seconds, after all. Even if it was only ten minutes in the gym, it would be something we tried.

We were there two hours. Climbing for two hours.

He furrowed his brow and walked around the edges of the walls until he saw something he liked and pointed it out.

The candy piece went into the hold he was going for, and off he’d go.

Occasionally he had problems focusing on the climb. His eyes would ping back and forth in his head in excitement, and when he got on the wall he couldn’t keep his body from flailing. In those instances I pulled him off the wall and had him jump up and down on the mat in order to regain focus.

He climbed like a boy—all arms, pull-ups and aggro, brah. And he was proud of himself for getting the candy. I didn’t realize until that moment how little opportunity he had in everyday life to be proud of himself for achieving something.

When it came time to sit in between climbs, he sprawled out on the mat and relaxed without any problems. It’s very rare for him to even slow up, let alone stop and be calm. It did my mommy heart good.

In the calm space, I was able to point out the few other climbers in the gym. He normally cannot break out of his own fast paced world to notice other people, but that day he could. And we were able to practice climbing etiquette (no screaming for the most part, no running around, respecting other people’s space).

There was this moment about halfway into it where we were sitting on the bouldering pads just talking in between climbs. I’ve never gotten to just sit and talk with my child before like that.

For two hours my son could operate at a normal speed, be proud of his achievements, and connect in a way he hadn’t been able to before.

The other surprising thing? It lasted. He didn’t get a nap that day, but was still focusing and connecting better than if he had, hours after we left the gym.

Going Forward:

We’ve started changing some things at home. He asks to watch climbing videos on my ipad a lot now—the kid who cannot watch Sesame Street can sit frozen through Chris Sharma climbing videos. His favorites though, are the kids climbing. Anyone in a diaper climbing anything is awesome to him.

We’ve started taking him to the gym more frequently.

Our winter project now includes building a small bouldering wall in our basement for him. I think this might work out really well for “therapy” during those days where he just cannot get a grip on himself.

We’ve found some little baby boulders at a park that he loves to play on.

He asks every single day to go climbing.

And here are my questions to the Outside Mom community:
What other ways can I harness the outdoors and apply them to the way his brain works?
Have you heard anything about types of outdoor therapies that are succesfull with LD/ADHD/ASD children?
How do I help him progress in climbing?

Things I’ve learned about taking two small children to the climbing gym:

1. Go when no one is around. I mean 10:00 am on a sunny, seventy degree Tuesday type of no one is around.
2. Make them wear the harness even if you have no plans on putting them on the rope—thinking towards the future AND you can grab them quicker.
3. Do not have someone with ADHD check the harness you’ve never put on before and say “uhuh” when you ask if it’s on right. It’s not on right. He will tell you this after you get home all proud of yourself. Then he will have no recollection of telling you it was.
4. Give them something to climb for. We adults climb for something. Kids don’t have much awareness for esoteric reasons why they climb. They do understand candy. I’ve even used my keys. So they climb for candy and shiny objects.
5. One in the carrier on your back.
6. Pray everyone is forgiving of your toddler being fascinated with the echo.
7. Stash snacks in the Ergo and your pockets.
8. I think this is obvious, but don’t let them anywhere near chalk!
9. Point out other climbers for them to watch. I did this for the ADHD as I tried teaching him etiquette in a gym and to notice other people. He loved watching—especially the girls!
10. Don’t get sucked into “two mama?” because two climbs later, the question becomes “three mama?” and you’re like, wait, it’s ONE PIECE OF CANDY per climb. I don’t care how hard it is.
11. Don’t skip the sitting on the mat quietly part. Even if it wasn’t for the ADHD, I would make him do it, because at some point he will have to take turns climbing.

Works Cited: Zeigler Dendy, Chris A., M.S. Teenagers with ADD and ADHD: A guide for parents and professionals. Betheseda: Woodbine House, 2006. Print.

Article by: Sarah Lemon

I saw her at a local pet adoption extravaganza. She was the only dog not barking. She was malnourished, had a pretty good case of mange, and looked completely miserable. I couldn’t bring myself to leave her there. I took her home and nursed her back to health. She loved me. I was the Alpha and she was happy to be whatever other greek letter I desired her to be.

Like most non-kid couples we treated our dog to all the luxuries you would bestow upon a child. Undivided attention, training, treats, exercise, playtime with other dogs, and car rides in the front seat. She enjoyed her life immensely.

When I became pregnant with our first child she sorta fed off the energy. We were happy, so she was happy. I mean really, this picture, taken a few weeks before Ari was born says it all: Happy, excited and ready to party!

When Ari was born, K-So quickly settled into her new role at the bottom of the totem pole. She took the toddler maulings with grace and patience. I think she understood that I was grateful for her good temper, and that Ari had something other than me to look at once in awhile.

Then I got pregnant with child #2. She seemed to enter a state of insecurity the day she noticed my growing gut. Or maybe her insecurity came from the fact that I all of the sudden found myself totally repulsed by the smell of dog. The more I tried not to be around her so that I didn’t puke, the more she felt the need to follow me. My poor clingy dog was constantly under my feet. Literally. She was a furry yellow stinking shadow. It was dangerous. I couldn’t see my feet, let alone my dog, and I was constantly tripping over her, thus yelling at her, thus reinforcing her feelings of woe.

This photo, taken a few weeks before Isaacs birth sorta sums up how she felt: resigned, resentful, and missing the good ol’ days.

Then there was this pregnancy. To me, K-So seriously smelled like a rotting corpse. I took her to the vet, horrified by the odors emanating from my dog’s very skin. I thought she must be dying. They couldn’t smell it. K-so gave up on shadowing me this time around, instead slinking to her bed upstairs and staying there all day–for the entire pregnancy. She’d come down from time to time, but hid behind chairs and under the table. Her gusto was gone; she was clearly depressed. I felt guilty. I felt terrible.

By pregnancy number three she’d apparently lost the desire to even face the camera. She’s just looking at us like she doesn’t know where she fits in anymore.

Poor K-So. My pregnancies are about as hard on her as they are on me. Thankfully she bounces back quickly as my activity level and smelling censors return to normal; and in true canine fashion she doesn’t seem to show any lasting resentment.

Is my dog the only one?

Thanks Teresa for sharing your ideas on staying active in the outdoors during pregnancy, for providing clothing that helps women do just that, and for making me wish I could be one of those active pregnant women…

1. What outdoor activities do you enjoy most when you’re not pregnant?

I’m the classic multi-sport outdoor athlete – the more fun things I can find to do outside the better! I joke with my husband about my “triathlon” days, which is just any that I can squeeze in three or more sports. Since I was in high school, I’ve had a passion for rock climbing, but a good mountain hike with my family is fun, too.

For summer, I’ve picked up SUP (stand-up paddleboard) which is just loads of fun and manages to combine my love for kayaking and surfing. I’m excited to teach my 3-year-old skiing and have hopes of getting him on the slopes yet this spring. For fun and transportation, I enjoy riding bicycles. I have a trusty city bike for getting to coffee dates and shopping, a great mountain bike my husband got me to celebrate finishing my Ph.D., and the road bike I did the AIDS Lifecycle (SF to LA) on a few years ago.

2. Part of Mountain Mama’s mission is to provide apparel that let’s expectant mothers continue to enjoy playing outside while pregnant. Why is this so important to you? And how does having the right clothing fit into that?

Well, the answer to the sports question gives you some insight on this. I think the experience of the outdoors is just a spectacular part of life.

My personal goal was to introduce my children to the fun of outdoor adventure as early as possible—before they were born! Both my boys knew what cycling and kayaking and climbing and other fun things felt like from doing them with me pregnant. And staying active and healthy is a big part of having a good birth experience and a healthy baby.

I couldn’t believe anyone would think women should give that up when they get pregnant, so I was shocked when I discovered that no one was making even the outdoor basics, like baselayers. But I’ve been part of the outdoor industry in various capacities for more than 15 years, so I knew that this blind spot about the needs of pregnant women reflected some of the old “boys’ club” nature of the industry. Women have more of a place these days, but there are still old attitudes about what we’re capable of that have to be overcome.

We’re on a mission to make a difference by making clothes that let sporty outdoor women maintain their dignity while they’re pregnant. And if we can help those women maintain their identity and lifestyle, we’ll be helping them be active, healthy moms who bring active, healthy kids into the world.

3. How do you stay active during pregnancy? What activities worked best for you?

As we’ve already talked about, the list is long, but it varied a bit between pregnancies. With my first son four years ago, I was a regular at the prenatal yoga classes and there was more cycling because I was riding my bike to campus through 40 weeks since it was easier than walking. With the baby I just had in October, I was swimming almost every day in our neighbors’ pool and on weekends having fun with the SUP (stand-up paddling) and mountain hikes with my 3-year-old, Fausto.

4. What advice can you give someone who wants stay active during pregnancy but gets distracted by morning sickness, fatigue or just feeling like they are ‘too big’ to get out?

The key is to stick with the activities you enjoy that fit your routines. Having other women to share the experience with helps, too. That’s why prenatal yoga and swim classes are so popular. Stroller Strides and Fit4Baby both offer great workouts for mothers.

But it’s not just other pregnant women who can provide a support network.  Getting the whole family out for hikes is a great way to keep the fun factor going. A bicycle that lets you sit upright is really great for late in a pregnancy when the round ligaments get so loose that running or even walking can be uncomfortable.

5. What advice do you have for staying active after pregnancy, when you have little ones around?

A high-quality jog stroller can help you get back to running, if you enjoy that. We’re big fans of all the Luna programs such as Stroller Strides, too. Good baby and kid carriers such as the Ergo and Baby Bjorn let you get out for walks and hikes, and then when they’re a bit bigger it’s an easy transition to a backpack carrier such as those made by Kelty and Deuter that let you really hike.

There are lots of great bicycle options now, too. We have a Zigo, which is basically a reversed tricycle so you can keep an eye on baby up front but that part also detaches so it’s a stroller once you reach your destination. More and more companies are figuring out innovative ways to support active families, so keep an eye out and ask around!

I followed a similar course with my second pregnancy.  It was harder to stay active while also taking care of a 2 year old, but I managed to do pretty good until I hit 32 weeks. At that time I started showing signs of pre-term labor and was put on bed rest until my second son was born at 38 weeks.

Then there was this pregnancy…

I spent the first 24 weeks feeling incredibly nauseous; all food sounded terrible and I didn’t sleep well. Consequently there was not a lot of extra energy to go around. I tried to keep exercising a few times a week, as exercise was the only thing that helped with my nausea, but most days it took what little energy I had just to take care of my kids.

When I finally got over the nausea, I had two really great weeks.  I celebrated with an awesome November bike ride. Alas, at 26 weeks I (again) started showing signs of pre-term labor. I was put on “low mobility”. This means walking at a snail’s pace, and as infrequently as possible.  No hiking, no biking, no jogging, no cavorting, no anything vigorous, exciting, or otherwise resembling ‘fun’.  I felt like I’d been grounded for bad behavior.

At 31 weeks I went into labor.  They put me in a bed in the hospital with instructions not to move a muscle, this turned out to be pretty easy considering they pumped me full of horrible anti-contraction medicines that turned off all muscle control.  I spent four days staring at a ceiling that I couldn’t make focus, willing my baby not to make an early appearance.  When they finally sent me home it was with instructions for full bed rest.  They weren’t kidding.  I tried to drive to Kinko’s and almost went into labor in the parking lot.  Thankfully, and by holding very still for seven weeks, Viv made it to 38 weeks.

Did I want to have an active pregnancy?  Most definitely!  Did I go insane with all that bed rest?  Completely!  It was incredibly hard.  I’d planned to be pregnant during the winter since winter sports are my least favorite.  I’d planned to give birth a month before kayaking season was in full swing.  Imagine my dismay when Mother Nature opted for a snow-free winter (i.e. year-round mountain biking weather, and a short early kayak season).  Knowing the joy I was missing out on REALLY didn’t help.

I truly believe that staying active during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for you and your baby.  But no matter how much some of us WANT to have an active pregnancy, it’s just not always a reality.

The thing is, being outdoors is vital to my sanity, so I had to make some modifications. I thought I’d share a few tips from my coping strategy on the off chance that other outside moms encounter a similar situation.

1. Get a hammock
Bed rest is actually borderline enjoyable when you HAVE to lay around outside. On second thought I take that back, “enjoyable” is not really the right word… but you get my point. Aside from having a hammock in the yard there were days when Joe would come home from work, pack up the hammock, the kids… and me, and we’d head out into the hills. I’d lay in the hammock while he explored with the kids. Just being outside made me feel infinetly more sane.

2. Take a 50 foot saunter
When I was on low mobility the kids and I would head off down our favorite trail until we found the closest place to play. We often stopped at a big dirt pile just off the trail about 50 feet from the trailhead. The kids would play on that hill for hours while I propped myself up next to a boulder and watched them, while also enjoying a little sun on my face.

3. Live vicariously through others
I was actually pretty content being a shuttle bunny. I’d drop Ari and Joe off at the top of a trailhead with their Mt.Bike set-up, then find a place to park along the trail, pull out my chair, and then Isaac and I would throw rocks in the creek and wait for them to pass. Likewise watching kayakers at the kayak park was a great substitute for the real thing. I also didn’t mind shutteling friends and family to and from adventures I couldn’t attend.

4. Park your chair by a window
Bed rest meant I could also lounge in my lazy boy, so I parked it where I would stare out the window. Since it was the end of winter I kept tabs on when certain species of birds came back from their winter quarters, monitered the blossums, the polinators, my wind chime etc. Nerd? Maybe.

5. Modify your adventures
I don’t know if you saw, or remember my post last Valentines Day about our van party. There was a reason for this. I couldn’t walk very far, so instead of staying home with no festivities we had a party in our van parked in the closest national forest. It worked, I recall those simple little adventures being a high point for all of us.

6. Make sure your kids get out
If me AND my kids were stuck sitting around that would have been a pretty bad combo. This is where your spouse, friends or family come in handy. My kids still got to take walks and do some outside exploring with their Dad. Sometimes I’d stay home, but a lot of the time I’d go and just recline in the van with a good book, my coat and beanie on and the windows rolled down.

The kids also got full reign of the backyard. I’d send them outside and they’d have the hose on in the middle of winter. I didn’t care as long as they were getting out, and I think they enjoyed their lawless backyard time.

7. Take a drive
I felt like my Grandparents on several occassions. Sometimes we’d take a drive just to be taking a drive. We wouldn’t go far, in fact our favorite spot was a series of cow fields owned by the University. We’d drive the fields looking for birds, marmotts, rabbits and deer. Not something I’d normally enjoy, but it did my mental stability good.

8. Remember that there is an end
I had to keep reminding myself that  I was not terminally pregnant. I knew there was an end in sight, and that before I knew it I would be back to my active self. Turns out I was right…

If you’ve been through a hard pregnancy, what was your coping strategy? How did you still sneak in that vital outside time?

1. I got the following email a few days ago from outdoor blogging friend Amelia. She said:

Hi Lindsey, Checking emails real quick and saw the Chaco email with you nice and big and happy!  Congrats…

My first thought was “what is she talking about”? My second thought was “what does she mean by nice and big, did they somehow get a picture of me pregnant”?

I wrote her back admitting I had no idea what she was talking about, so she forwarded me an email from Chaco with this Mothers Day ad (right). Kinda weird to see yourself staring back at you, didn’t see that coming at all. Quite an honor however!

2. I was recently nominated for the Circle of Moms Top Outdoorsy Mom Blogs of 2012. I’m not sure how I got on the list, so thanks to whomever nominated me. It’s an honor to be among some really great bloggers.

If you want to vote for outsidemom.com, or any of the other cool mom blogs (you can vote for more than one) please do so here. There is no prize if you win, but the recognition for being near the top of the list would be nice (we’re currently #14). You can vote once every 24 hours until May 7th.

Our little Viviann arrived about a week ago. The birth went quickly and beautifully. In fact I think choosing a name was almost harder than actually giving birth… almost. Everyone is doing really well. Her oldest brother paid her the highest compliment possible when he said “Mom, I think Viv’s even funer than R2″ (his R2D2 robot). Little brother is still adjusting right along with the rest of us.

Happy Screen Free and I Had a Baby Week. See you all soon.

Tales of a Mountain Mama has pulled together a group of bloggers (like us) to help celebrate with blog posts (such as this one) aimed at encouraging families to go ‘screen free’ next week. She’s also got a week full of giveaways on her site, you can find out more information about that here.

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While helping plan a father/son backpacking trip last summer, we were brainstorming about ways we could keep our boys (ages 4-6) moving on the trail. What could we do to encourage movement and limit whining…

We thought of the usual things: Plenty of snacks and treats (i.e. trail incentives), take some play breaks, emphasize the ‘big boy’ aspect, be patient etc.

We also brainstormed something far more genius: What about creating a kid friendly map, with pictures of prominent landmarks they could keep an eye out for. This would not only give them something to stay busy with on the trail, but would also incorporate some observation skills, as well as a little introduction to reading a map.

It was worth a try.

I can’t take any credit for the final product. One of the men on the tip ran the trail the week before and took photos, then he and his wife put together the maps. I love how it turned out! The large map was printed out as a 4X6; the way-point pictures were printed out smaller. All were laminated and stuck together with a metal ring.

Here’s a picture of the Map as well as a few way-point pictures.

NOTE: Word on the street is that the 6 year old took to it better than the younger kids, so keep that in mind.

A couple of additional ideas I’d recommend for keeping kids moving on the trail:

• Let your kids help plan the hike.
• Find a stick.
• Check out this article by REI. Loads of ideas.

If you have a random blog post or news item that struck you as particularly great, please share in the comments.

1. This post from Creative Star Learning Company has a ton of Earth Day activity ideas, many that correlate with books. This particular post highlights one of my favorite kids’ books called I’m In Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor, but if you scroll down to the bottom of the post there’s about 56 different links to other Earth Day activities.

2. The very title of this article beckoned me to read it, and I was so glad I did! Einstein May Never Have Used Flashcards, but He Probably Built Forts. It’s one of the best articles on outdoor play, imagination and childhood that I’ve read in a long time.

3. Growing a Naturalist: Developing a child’s passion for nature. On of those articles that makes you say “aaaaah”. My favorite quote:

The way to grow a naturalist – someone with a voracious appetite to learn about the wonders of nature and an appreciation for what is found there – requires just two ingredients: unstructured time in natural places and an adult who models respect for nature and enjoys the outdoors.

4. I’ve been scheming a bikepacking trip. But with a new baby on the way, when exactly is that a good idea? I came across this article Babies First Bike Tour: At What Age? I thought it had some good insights, and at times made me sorta laugh.

5. You know what else made me sorta laugh. This video. Gotta get the gear…

I like to think the story of how I became a Chaco Ambassador dates back to just past the turn of the century. The year was 2001. Y2K had proved a fluke–my computer still worked as it should.  The stock market hadn’t crashed.  Aliens hadn’t landed.  And I was more than a little disappointed. It was also my last semester of College.  My future, empty, and vast as a future without Y2K catastrophes, awaited.

I was planning a move to a little desert town in south-central Utah by the name of Escalante. I had landed a job on a research crew studying the native bee population in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. I knew the job involved a lot of hiking, backpacking, and observing in extremely hot weather, in a country replete with sand.  So I  purchased a brand new pair of Tevas (my sandal of choice since the late 80′s) to celebrate the occasion.

I packed up my ’85 Corolla with all my belongs.  My hope chest, a 20-gallon blue cooler, sat in the back, nestled between my trusty sleeping bag, a bag of clothes, and a water jug. I set my sparklingly clean new shoes on top of the car, under the kayak mounted on my homemade 2X4 roof rack. I ran into the house to bid adieu to my roommates. And I hit the road!

Somewhere around mile 14 something else hit the road. I saw a foreign object fly off the roof of my car and land smack dab in the middle of the highway.

Yep. It was a Teva.  Of course, it was only one of them. The other shoe was nowhere in sight. I drove back and forth several times trying to find its mate, but to no avail.  After hours of angst and guilt at the loss of my new shoes, I gave up.  Knowing there was nowhere to buy sandals in Escalante, I stopped at a local gear shop to buy another pair.

Believe me when I say that I entered the store intent on buying a new pair of Tevas to my replace my recently lost beauties.  Believe me when I say I was shocked to emerge with some fancy new shoes called ‘Chacos‘.  I didn’t even know how to say it (then again I never knew how to pronounce “Teva” either).

I’d heard of these so-called Chaco’s before.  But resistant to change as I am, I swore I’d never own a pair.  My uncle was one of the first Teva sales reps in the U.S.  My entire family of eight owned a pair (if not two).  We loved those sandals; Teva’s were a family thing.  In the same way that voting for the opposite political party from your father is something never to be spoken of, owning a pair of these new-fangled foot-apparel, was, well, borderline sacrilegious.

I guess I’m a sucker for a cute salesmen with a foot-tan.

In this case that turned out to be a good thing. My life was forever changed. Never have I loved a sandal so much as I did (and do) my Chacos. To this day they comprise 50% of my footwear.

And what does this new Ambassadorship mean for the blog? Well, I’m sure you’ll notice the upgrade in my kid’s footwear.  You’ll probably also likely see a giveaway or two.  There’ll be occasional updates on Chaco happenings. And in addition to my regularly scheduled posts here, I’ll be writing monthly articles on their blog.

And I’ll be one happy blogger, living my life as usual in some pretty awesome sandals.

Thank you Chaco, for my foot tan, for tagging along on my adventures these last 11 years, for allowing me the chance to work with y’all, and for making amazing sandals.