Doing activities outdoors as a family is enjoyable, especially around the Fall season. The weather is cool and brisk - comfortable for outdoor fun! Hiking is a one of those activities that is known for appreciating and respecting nature as well as building companionship.

If you are not a regular hiker with children, it is important to plan your hike ahead of time. Here are some recommendations for you from an online article on The Wilderness Society’s website titled Take Your Kids Hiking: Ten Tips to Make the Adventure Fun for the Whole Family:

In the beginning, keep your hike easy and friendly. Select a trail that has features – such as a stream – to keep children occupied until they get there. Remember this: “It’s about the journey not the destination.”
Include a lot of time on the hike. Children love to explore, so give them the opportunities to do so. Don’t rush them as it is an adventure.
Prepare for anything that could happen. The article provides a link to essential items to carry with you.
Dress appropriately. Make sure that your children wear adequate clothing, coats and shoes. Bring a change of clothes.
Plan frequent stops for water and snacks. Children expend a lot of energy and will need to get their tanks replenished. Having water and plenty of healthy snacks ready for them is essential to a good hiking adventure.
Select a leader for the hike and rotate leadership during the hike. This will give each child an opportunity to lead.
Make the hike fun. Plan ahead of time what children can search for. Have games for them to play.
Give positive feedback. Children loved to be praised so think of things that you can say to praise their efforts. This will encourage them to keep on hiking!
Be role models for your children and leave no trace of your presence behind. Pick up your trash and throw it away responsibly.
Continue to hike as often as possible. A hike can last a couple of hours or a day or a weekend. It is up to you. Remember that national and state parks have a variety of trails for hiking and welcome families.

We live in such a beautiful world so let us be mindful of all the beauties of nature. We should enjoy them as much as we can and include our children, so they learn to appreciate and respect nature too.

To read the entire article, visit: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/article/take-your-kids-hiking-10-tips-make-adventure-fun-whole-family

Start a Family Movie Night as a Regular Family Activity

What is a special family activity that can become a regular event? Try a family movie night! Since it is a night for movies for kids of all ages, be sure to find appropriate ones for all tastes. Here are some helpful tips.

Research what movies would be good for all age groups. There are many websites that list family friendly movies so review the selections. I have links to some of those websites below.
Negotiate with your family members what movie will be seen on a specific day. Since sibling rivalries are almost certain to happen, prepare a method of selecting a movie that will be fair to all. Also, because children are watching, adults erroneously believe that only kiddy or cartoon type movies would be appropriate (and often boring). However, there are many types of movies that would be acceptable to both adults and children. Take the time to read up about them.
Be sensitive about the themes of the movies and the impact on a child. For example, I never enjoyed “scary” movies as a child (and still don’t).
Make it feel more authentic by having some theater-type snacks for movie night. Popcorn, of course, is a ubiquitous treat, but there are many others such as nachos and hot dogs. Perhaps add candy bars. The selections are up to you.
Talk with your children about the movie after it ends. What were their favorite characters and why? What did they think about the way the movie ended? There are many questions that you can ask to stir their imagination and help them express their thoughts.

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