Sometimes I feel like hibernating during the northwest’s long, cold, wet winter months, but spending time outdoors is important year round, especially for kids. If you find your family avoiding the great outdoors these days, check out these links for tips on getting kids outdoors -– and spending quality family time outdoors -– even when it’s cold and wet out! More…

Category: Family Fun, Nature // Posted on December 14, 2011 // Leave a Comment

Earth Day falls on April 22 each year, but we know most of our readers strive to raise children who are responsible stewards of the Earth every day. Still, it never hurts to focus on our environmental responsibilities –- and the joys of the great outdoors -– when Earth Day does roll around.

To help you find ways to celebrate our wonderful planet, More…

Category: Events/Performances, Nature // Posted on April 11, 2011 // Leave a Comment

Heading to the beach for Spring Break? Why not do a little community service while you’re there to ensure our fabulous Oregon beaches stay clean and healthy for years to come? SOLV’s annual Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup is scheduled for March 26, with thousands of volunteers gathering — rain or shine — to help keep our beaches clean and our marine wildlife safe. More…

Category: Events/Performances, Nature // Posted on March 23, 2011 // Leave a Comment

Did you know our Family Fun Editor posts online reviews of great kid-friendly local attractions every week? From outdoorsy activities around town like Tryon Creek State Park, Kelley Point Park, Bishop’s Close and Whitaker Ponds to indoor family fun such as North Clackamas Aquatic Park More…

Category: Events/Performances, Metro Parent, Nature // Posted on January 26, 2011 // Leave a Comment

In our July issue, we ran an article called Cool Science for Hot Summer Days offering simple ways to infuse your summer fun with scientific exploration. In our upcoming September issue, we’re featuring an Ages & Stages article about raising kids who are scientifically literate. (Are you sensing a theme?) It’s not that we think all kids should aspire to have careers in science. It’s just that we think all kids (and all adults!) should be enthusiastic about exploring the world and drawing their own, well-reasoned conclusions. More…

Category: Education, Nature // Posted on August 25, 2010 // Leave a Comment

My family and I just returned from a two-week road trip, including some truly glorious hikes. We spent time in the northern California redwoods, Bend and even stopped at Crater Lake, all fabulous places for families to hike.

Of course, we have plenty of remarkable places for family hiking right here in the Portland metro area! Forest Park, Tryon Creek State Park, Hoyt Arboretum, Powell Butte and many other wonderful urban oases are easily accessible, and tempting day trips include the Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood, the Oregon coast and beyond. But this summer, my family is determined to explore even more of the local flora and fauna, so this week we’re asking our readers to recommend their favorite local family hikes, and we’re offering a chance to win a copy of Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson (Mountaineers Books, 2007) for doing so. More…

Category: Contests, Nature // Posted on July 26, 2010 // 6 Comments

This Saturday, June 12, is National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day!), a new annual event designed to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun in communities across the U.S. Locally, the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center is celebrating with Second Saturday festivities for the whole family.

The theme for their free event is “Explore Your Backyard,” with activities to encourage families to experience active outdoor fun in our own backyards, neighborhoods and region.

Smokey Bear and Ranger Rick will be in attendance, and activities will include More…

Category: Events/Performances, Nature // Posted on June 7, 2010 // Leave a Comment

Inspired by the article on Urban Farming in our April issue, my family got out the planning paper last week and sketched our garden for 2010. In addition to our must-have favorites – tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins and a variety of herbs – we’re branching out this year with a few new crops. We’re swapping zucchini for yellow squash, planting strawberries for the first time (can you believe we’ve never grown them before?), and experimenting with a “salsa garden” complete with hot peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro.

If you’re looking for some inspiration – or want to increase your gardening prowess – check out the Master Gardeners’ Earth Day Celebration at the Community Demonstration Garden this Saturday! This free event More…

Category: Events/Performances, Nature // Posted on April 12, 2010 // 1 Comment

Spring has sprung – what better time to get outside and play? Besides, this week is National Wildlife Week (March 15-21), sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF)! This year’s theme is Be Out There At Home, School and Play, encouraging kids and families to explore nature and find out how much fun the great outdoors can be as well as getting schools involved in going green.

The first National Wildlife Week was held over 70 years ago when kids spent most of their free time playing outdoors. Today, kids spend an average of only four to seven minutes outside each day. (That’s not a typo! It’s minutes!!!) Meanwhile, More…

Category: Nature // Posted on March 15, 2010 // Leave a Comment

This weekend we took our inspiration from the spotty patches of sunshine to break free of our winter routine (reading, baking, jigsaw puzzles, afternoon movies and such) and reacquaint ourselves with the great outdoors.

On Sunday we visited the Audubon Society for their Wildlife Care Center’s Open House. The event was so popular there was a two-hour wait to take a tour, but we met some of the amazing birds (owls, a turkey vulture and some kestrels) outside the center with their caretakers and took an easy, muddy hike around the nearby trails. My son was in heaven, More…

Category: Health and Wellness, Nature // Posted on February 16, 2010 // Leave a Comment