Our 2013 Winter Fun List

The calendar tells me that before weeks’ end, winter will have officially begun. And although the season here in Southern California might look a little different from other parts of the country, things are changing. (There have been many a cold morning and evening. And thankfully, lots of rain.)

Amidst the excitement of the pending holiday, it’s been tough to get The Explorers thinking about what comes after. That’s where our winter fun list comes in handy. It gave us an excuse to talk about all the fun we’re planning for life beyond the next two weeks.

A few tips for creating your own winter fun list:

• Keep it simple. Kids like crossing items off the list, so keep yours short. We aim for one to two ideas per week.

• Involve the kids. The ideas we come up with are at least 90% kid-generated; the other 10 percent are kid-approved (’cause sometimes I have fun ideas The Explorers may not think of on their own).

• Make it visible. Our winter fun list will hang on the inside of our front door, where everyone can see it every day. 

• Schedule time to go exploring. Instead of thinking of your winter fun list as a wish list, make it your go-to guide for winter planning.

Keeping in mind that our winter might look a little different from yours, here’s what we’ve got planned for nature fun over the next few months:

Backyard Nature Fun

• Set up a backyard weather station
• Build a bird house
• Plant an indoor succulent garden
• Create mud art
• Host a snail race
• Go on a puddle walk
• Build a fort
• Make binoculars out of toilet paper rolls
• Design a terrarium

L.A.-Area Day Trips

• Explore some local tide pools (winter is the best season!)
• Check out a new-to-us Los Angeles-area beach
• Go orange picking
• Visit a monarch butterfly grove
• Head to the Skirball Cultural Center
• Fly a kite
• Write words in the sand

Nature Travels

• Spend New Year’s on the beach in Oxnard, Ca.

Your turn! What’s on your winter fun list?