When the kids were both under the age of 5, I was the one schlepping any “gear” we took with us on our nature adventures – be they in the backyard or beyond. (I even wrote about what we kept in our adventure bag back in the day.)
But now that he’s 7, The Big Explorer prefers to have his own things. Sometimes he’s even willing to carry them. And I’m sure The Little Explorer isn’t far behind.
So when I was approached by one of the creators of naturebag to field test their product, I was intrigued.
What, you ask, is a naturebag?
It’s a kid-sized, organic shoulder bag (with an adjustable strap, I might add) that’s packed with hands-on nature-based tools and activities.
I just think it’s cool that the idea was born of then Vancouver-based moms Sylvie de Sousa and Katharine Byers. The two friends shared a vision similar to my own – to help children and their families reconnect with nature.
They wanted to create something that would make it simple for busy parents to get their kids outside having fun in nature without too much fuss or complaining. The idea is that you can hang your naturebag right by the front or back door, making it simple to grab and go.
Oh, and did I mention that the materials used in the naturebag are recycled and organic? Yeah, cool. I know.
Anyway, here’s exactly what comes in every naturebag (which retails for $34.95):
- 1 rubber wood magnifier
- 1 box of soy-based crayons
- Hemp twine
- 8 recycled cardboard color cards
- 2 recycled cardboard leaf viewers
- 1 recycled notepad
- 1 recycled jeans pencil
- 1 organic cotton blindfold
- 1 all-season activity booklet, which guides you through activities you can do with the contents of the bag (plus more!)
The Nitty Gritty on naturebag
I’ll be honest: When we received our naturebag, The Big Explorer promptly emptied it out, filled it with his own set of tools (a magnifying glass, camera and bug container – he kept the notepad and pencil) and proclaimed it his “adventuring bag.” He has since used it on the trail, to sketch backyard birds, climb trees, take photos of nature and more.
Believe it or not, we haven’t even had a chance to put all the other amazing tools the naturebag comes with to use! Our verdict?
- The comfortable, kid-sized shoulder bag is adjustable, lightweight & looks cool!
- Contents provide a self-contained kit for a wide variety of nature-inspired activities you can do in your own backyard (think: leaf viewing, blindfold walks, leaf & bark rubbings, making a dreamcatcher & more)
- Materials are environmentally conscious & high quality
- Designed for kids 3 to 12
The Giveaway
I’m thrilled that naturebag co-creator Katharine has been gracious enough to provide a free bag to one lucky reader. I hope you’re as excited as I am!
To enter, leave a comment sharing one way you and your family played in nature in January (or hope to in February!). Good luck!
- This giveaway will run through midnight PST on Sun., Feb. 5, 2012.
- This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian residents.
- The winner will be chosen using the nifty random number generator at random.org.
- Winner will have 24 hours to reply to my notification; if I don’t hear back after that, I’ll pick another winner.
Note: I was given a complimentary naturebag to field test in exchange for providing my honest review with you. Read my full disclosure policy for more information.
