All month, I’ve been sharing ways to make time in nature part of your holiday traditions. I hope you’ll end on a high note: with a Christmas Day family hike. Last year we enjoyed a day-after Christmas hike and it was the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of the holiday stress. It offered us a chance to reconnect with each other away from the house and the … [Read more...]
A Kid’s Take on Camping at Leo Carrillo State Park
I finally did it – took The Explorers on their first real camping trip (you may remember our backyard camp out last year, but this was the real deal). I heeded the sage advice I found around the web and kept our first adventure close to home (at nearby Leo Carrillo State Park) and limited it to one night only. I even went a step further and teamed up with a camping-savvy … [Read more...]
Exploring Tide Pools at Leo Carrillo State Park
We’ve come to enjoy afternoons spent touring local tide pools. We’ve checked out Point Fermin State Marine Park in San Pedro, Abalone Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes and the tide pools at El Matador State Beach in Malibu. So this month we wanted to try exploring tide pools at Leo Carrillo State Park for our family nature club adventure. This outing turned out to be our most … [Read more...]
Finding Inspiration on the Trail at Will Rogers State Historic Park
Living in Los Angeles definitely has it perks. Just three weeks ago we were enjoying our first snow on a weekend trip to Yosemite National Park and yesterday we took a hike near Santa Monica in 80 plus degree weather. Gotta love it. This month’s family nature club outing took us to Will Rogers State Historic Park, just a 5-minute drive from the Santa Monica Pier. I’m sad … [Read more...]
Birdwatching With Kids at Malibu Lagoon State Beach
We’ve been backyard birdwatching now for quite some time, thanks to our birdbath and the bird feeders we really need to replenish. We’ve enjoyed becoming more familiar with our regulars – the crows, hummingbirds and finches we see so frequently. But I’ve wanted to step up our birding game for a while now, so when I learned of a free, guided program for birdwatching with kids … [Read more...]