Today my son and I began working towards making our backyard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat, per the guidelines provided by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). I figured it would be best for my four-year-old if we only focus on one aspect of certification at at a time. Our focus today? Step one: Provide Food … Continue reading »
After struggling with what to do with our little backyard for the last several years, I think I’ve finally found a solution. The main constraint for us is an oak tree that covers our entire yard with shade, making vegetable gardening difficult. The only plant thriving in our yard is rosemary. Kale does pretty well, … Continue reading »
I found the Alamo Creek Trail in the center of Dublin when my son was about four months old, and this great little trail has grown along with him. While he was a baby, I would put my son into the ERGObaby carrier and walk around, showing him the little things we saw along the … Continue reading »
Simple park play… ride scooters at the skate park! We like to go when the park is quiet, when the big kid skateboarders aren’t there. And safety always comes first.. notice my son has on a helmet and both elbow and knee pads. Photos from our outing yesterday to Val Vista Community Park in Pleasanton, … Continue reading »
Children’s Fairyland is a storybook park that’s been around longer than Disneyland. In fact, it inspired Walt Disney to create his Magic Kingdom. Fortunately, Fairyland has maintained it’s small size and original charm since it opened in 1950. I have fond memories of visiting the park when I was a child, during visits to see … Continue reading »
At this time of year (Spring), the turkeys are all over around here. We hear them when we go on hikes, we see them when we’re driving around, and we hear them from our home. We have one, though, who visits us each day. She jumps (can we call it flying?) up onto our backyard … Continue reading »
For those kids (and adults) who love animals, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek is a must-visit. The facility is beautiful, but what they do here is even more incredible. The wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center within the museum is the oldest in the United States. The veterinarians, staff, and volunteers treat more than … Continue reading »
As the weather has been warming up, we’ve been seeing more and more lizards on our walks. I believe these little guys (they are about 3-5 inches long) are Western Fence Lizards. We have them all over the place here in the East Bay. Maybe your child(ren) would like to go on a walk to … Continue reading »
To celebrate Earth Day today, my son asked if we could walk around our neighborhood and collect trash. He’s been totally into this activity since last summer, when he earned his Junior Ranger badge on one of our visits to Yosemite. The ranger made a big point about continuing to be a ranger after we … Continue reading »
After several days stuck home due to sickness, my husband, son, and I headed out today for a short hike through the Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve in the Oakland Hills. The 1.7 mile Huckleberry Path seemed about the right distance, and I’ve heard from many sources that it’s a great hike to do with a … Continue reading »
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area (or plan to visit) and you have kids and enjoy hiking, you should have Laure Latham‘s (aka Frog Mom) book, Best Hikes with Kids, San Francisco Bay Area, in your personal library. When this book first came out last year, I checked it out from the … Continue reading »
How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day this weekend? Assuming my son is feeling better (he has a horrible sore throat today), on Saturday we will head to Crissy Field in San Francisco for Earth Stroll 2012. Sounds fun… “Adventurous activities and games, hosted by some of the Bay Area’s leading environmental organizations, will … Continue reading »
I’ve recently been given two blogging awards by fellow bloggers, and I want to give a big thank you to the two bloggers who thought of me. First, I want to thank Family Outdoor Adventures for recognizing my blog with the Liebster Award. Even more, I want to thank them for writing their blog about … Continue reading »
We’ve had a membership to the Oakland Zoo for over three years now. We visit frequently, as it is a beautiful place to run around, with a great Children’s Zoo for the kids. And what better way for a child to see, in relatively close and safe proximity, wild animals from around the world. Usually … Continue reading »
The wildflowers are starting to bloom, new leaves are growing on the tips of branches, gardens are beginning to sprout… this is the time to take the kids out for a walk to look for the signs of spring. This can be a quick walk around the neighborhood or the park, an exploration of your … Continue reading »
Need a bit of healthy, energy-expending outdoor time for your child(ren), but not sure what to do? Keep it simple. Go to the park. Any park. Just let them run around. Bring a bike or a scooter, and let them ride. Bring some balls, and kick them around. Climb on the play structures. Swing on … Continue reading »
Sunshine and warmth… much appreciated after a week of storms! And a beautiful day to celebrate our Scottish heritage. We attended the Tartan Day Scottish Fair, held today at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. The bagpipes, the fiddlers, the people walking around in traditional dress, the highland games, and historic reenactments were all interesting, but … Continue reading »
The 3.5 mile, paved Bayview Trail in Coyote Hills Regional Park is perfect for the beginning cyclist. I consider a good bike route for my son to be relatively flat, separate from cars, and under five miles. This trail seemed about right. My four-year-old had a little trouble with a slight hill at the beginning … Continue reading »
One of our favorite Bay Area festivals, the Sunol Wildflower Festival, is being held this Saturday, April 14th. We attended this the last two years, and my son (then age 2 and 3) and I both loved it. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to attend this year, but I’ve been telling everyone I know to … Continue reading »
Aargh, Batman… there’s treasure in yonder hills! OK, so pirate speak and Batman don’t really go together, but I can’t seem to get my little one out his Batman raincoat these days… not even for a bit of treasure seeking. We had an unexpected break in the rain today, so we drove into San Francisco … Continue reading »
With summer only a couple months away, it’s time to begin training for summer hiking in the Sierras. Also, after the social and kid-oriented Easter festivities yesterday, I really needed to regroup this morning with a little alone time. I also felt the need for some exercise after the feast at my parent’s house yesterday. … Continue reading »
We did this art activity at the Chabot Space Center‘s Tyke Explorer class last week. When I asked my son if he’d like to do this again at home, he said, “yes, but we’ll have to do it outside.” I asked him why, and he said, “it would be WAY to messy to do in … Continue reading »
A friend recently told me about some fun-looking educational treasure hunting booklets created and sold through the Urbia Adventure League. These booklets were created based upon the concept of letterboxing (which I wrote about last week), but add so much more. Each booklet has at least ten pages packed full of information and activities designed … Continue reading »
As much as I love my family and friends, sometimes I need to get out into nature for a little alone time. Today my husband suggested he take our son to a friend’s sixth birthday party, so that I could go out for a hike. Hm… birthday party with ten or more kids, spun out … Continue reading »
