New Year's Resolution

 Whether it is once a week or an hour a day... Resolve to make spending more time outside a priority for you and your family in 2015. You won't regret it! It's good for the heart, mind, body and moral of the whole clan!

 

A Part of the Whole

Did you know JOFN is part of a bigger statewide community? 

Currently there are three Alaska Outdoor Family Networks in Anchorage, Kodiak & Juneau. Together we have a membership of over just over 1,200 Alaskan families across the state and reach many more with our various webpages, blogs and facebook groups. We have hosted over 1,300 events/outings since the first group in Anchorage was founded in October of 2010.

Thank you to all the families that participate and are eager to provide their kids and themselves with engaging outdoor opportunities! An even bigger thank you to the families that step up and help organize all our activities. Simply posting a time, activity and a place is a powerful tool providing not only your family, but others with avenues to connect with each other and nature!

Feel free to contact us if you are interested in creating a similar group in your community. We might be able to save you some errors in the trial and error department as an enormous amount has been learned through the process!

If you happen to find yourself in one of the towns look up the local chapter to connect with other Outdoor Families. We have met so many families and learned so much about each of the amazing places we have lived in this amazing state! 

It is truly outstanding how powerful connecting with peers in nature is for the physical, cognitive and emotional well being of children and parents alike. So much wonderful insight has been gained from the other parents I've covered miles with on the trail, or chatted with on the beach while our kids throw rocks into the waves. It is important to not feel alone in this journey.

 

Keep the Holiday Cheer Alive - Go Outside!

Winter Break Planning

Winter break is just around the corner. The Juneau Outdoor Family Network Facebook page is a great place to plan outdoor activities with other families! You can create your own event by going to the "Events" tab at the top of the groups FB page or you can just post where you're headed and when. I can be as simple as "My family and I are heading to Sandy Beach... or the Airport Trail at 10:30 tomorrow morning and would love to have other families join us." Activities could be, but are not limited to ice skating, sledding, snowshoing, skiing, playdate at the park...

JOFN is designed to be a place where parents are empowered with the tools and the venue to create their own outings that fit their own family's schedule. Part of the reason why I created this group and similar ones in Anchorage and Kodiak, was to make sure I had things I knew my boys and I would love to do at a time that met our needs, while making new friends. I'd like to extend that luxury to other families.

Top Outdoor Gifts for the Southeast Family

Here's a list of tried and true, gift ideas for the Southeast Outdoor Family. We've made a concerted effort to make sure everything can be found at local Juneau retailers or are made in Alaska. We've also given online shopping options for reasonable prices or harder to find gear. All gift ideas listed are items that will endure and can be passed down if grown out of. It is my strong belief that if we want to protect nature, we need to spend our money wisely and buy good items once instead of cheap items many times over. 

Is there anything you would add to the list? Please post it in the comments section. We'd love to hear it!

1. Nomar Tote - MADE IN ALASKA! This bag keeps your stuff dry! It is perfect to take on the boat, to the beach, to the cabin or any outdoor adventure. It's like the old L.L.Bean canvas tote, but waterproof and you can wipe it clean inside and out. The wide mouth zipper closure is fantastic for easily accessing gear, especially the stuff that migrates to the bottom. It also has handy external pockets. We use ours just about every day. It is indestructible! Nomar has a whole line of dry bags and they make kid fleece jackets too! 

2. Rain gear - We all have rain gear if we want to get outside regularly living here, but extra gear is great, especially for the kids to have a pair to wear when the other pair is drying out. It's a year round staple. This is a good time to get the next size up. My kids often wear their rain gear over many layers instead of snow gear. Mommy N Me Wear, near the airport, carries the whole line of Oakiwear. Foggy Mountain Shop and Nugget Alaskan Outfitters are great places to get rain gear for the parents.

3. Nets - for exploring tide pools. We found this great net at the Imagination Station, here in Juneau, a while back. Oakiwear, the rainsuit makers, also have some great ones with extendible handles.

4. Baselayers/PJs - polypro or merino baselayers have double lives as jammies in our house. Stay away from cotton as it keeps moisture close to the skin. REI Outlet online is a great place to find reasonably priced sets. I also saw some in the infant and kids' section of Fred Meyers called Cuddle Duds. We of course love our merino Wee Wollies.

 

5. Eaglecrest Season Passes - rates for children's season passes are amazing! I especially love how it takes the pressure off to get in as many runs in one day as possible. Instead my husband and I can squeeze an hour our two in all over our schedule. Though the preseason sale is now over, if you're planning on going a lot they're worth it. They also have lesson packages and camps for the winter school breaks. Many of which are already filling up fast! This is the first season everyone in our family has one! Come on snow!

6. Ice Skates - we have some of the world's best pond and backcountry skating in the world! Skates are also a great hand-me down investment for younger siblings in the future. Play it Again Sports is a great place to find some new and used.

7. Socks - moisture wicking socks are the perennial stocking stuffer in most every outdoor family. Like baselayers avoid cotton. Choose synthetic or wool brands to draw moisture away from the feet and to dry fast. Again I found REI Outlet online to be a great deal. I've also found fantastic prices at Western Auto Marine in Lemon Creek. 

8. Sled - A great way to hike across frozen lakes with the kids or take to the hills.

9. Helmet - Give the gift of safety. A great helmet is a must for ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, sledding, biking, skateboarding. Many are multi-purpose. Parents are important role models, wearing helmets is just as important for you too!

10. Sleeping Bag - A necessity for camping in the living room, the tent, the boat, a cabin, a fort. Many manufacturers make extendable ones that grow with you child.

11. Make a Cabin Reservation - There are many fantastic public use cabins in the area to rent from Eagle Beach to Douglas and beyond. Reservations must be made months in advance. Have something to look forward too.

12. Make a Activity Coupon Booklet - Last, but not least, my favorite... Make a booklet of coupons good for 1 Hike, 1 Ice Skating Expedition, 1 Fishing Trip etc. Throw it in the stocking. It's a fun way to have the kids choose the weekend destination and to hold you accountable!

Toasty Tootsies

The second in a series about gearing up for safe and comfortable outdoor winter fun with the whole family, we'll keep our focus on the feet and work our way up in the upcoming posts.

 

Choosing the right boot to keep your kiddo's feet warm and toasty on hikes or while playing in the winter has been a hot topic lately. It can be maddening to find the right boot in the right size. We have 4 major requirements we look for in boots.

1. Buy Used & Local - Like most winter gear, boots can be expensive and will only last a single season, if that. We buy our boots second hand. Even if you have more then one kid they will surely last. Since this is an important piece of gear we also want to make sure that they've been tried on. If you don't feel comfortable buying boots used, try buying them locally. We've attempted ordering online for footwear in the past, only to have to make more then one return to get the right fit.  We live in the ultimate winter wonderland. Stores here, especially locally owned ones ought to carry the tried and true gear that has proven to work for families before.
2. Light Weight - Brand doesn't matter to us, what does is the weight of the boot. While it seems a heavy boot would provide more insulation this isn't entirely the case. Heavy boots are tiring to wear. They drag the feet down and make life very frustrating, especially for the early walker who's already wearing a lot of restricting gear. Light weight boots can be deceiving. Looking at my own Mukluks made of moose hide, canvas and wool I would never have suspected them to keep my feet warmer then a pair of bulky Sorels, but they do and down to temperatures well below what most other boots are rated to.
3.  Waterproof - In our wet environment you want to find a boot that is water proof. There are many makers or neoprene boots like Bogs and Oaki. Some brands of rainboots make an additional liner you can add in the winter to boost the warmth.
4. Extra Room - A boot that is too tight will restrict circulation and increase the chances for frostbite. Buying a boot a little larger accommodates many needs: allows for growth over our long winter season, allows for some air which actually helps insulate, provides room for extra socks and foot warmers. 

How will the boots be used outside? 

There are also a couple of other things you need to take into account when dressing your child's tootsies for the cold. What will they be doing outside? If they are playing then they will be generating heat that will help to keep their feet warm. If they are being pulled in a sled, pushed in a stroller or worn in a back pack they won't be generating as much heat. Foot warmers are a good idea when they aren't doing the work, especially when worn in a back pack. Dangling feet tend to loose circulation more quickly.

Moisture Wicking Socks!

As mentioned in many of our gear posts before - all the outdoor experts say "Cotton kills." Cotton takes a long time to dry out making the fabric stick to the skin, which in the cold freezes directly to the skin. Socks are your foot's baselayer and like a good baselayer you want a moisture wicking fabric like wool. There are also many synthetic fibers out there if you find yourself sensitive to wool. These materials not only dry faster but they also pull the moisture away from the skin to the outside so that should the sweat start to freeze it isn't directly on the skin.

Traction

With the snow making its way down the mountains, comes winter and with winter comes ice and the absolute need for parents to wear shoes with proper traction. Your carried/worn child is only as safe as you are. Ice grippers, cleats, crampons or studs are all ways to keep yourself and your little ones out of harm's way. Weather your on the trail, walking your neighborhood or simply carrying you child out to the car they are a necessity. If you fall, so does your kid. It is also important if you are pregnant.

Many stores around town offer reasonably priced gripper/cleats that you can attach right to your shoes or boots. While other shoes you can buy locally or online, such as Icebugs, already have built in studs. You can also go to the hardware store and buy some hex screws and stud your own pair of shoes or boots. I recomend using and old pair that you can dedicate to being your studded tires.

I love my Icebugs. I just wore them on super slick sidewalks walking or should I say being walked by my big lab who pulls like heck and I felt totally secure. The only downside is the cleats are permanent. I need to be totally prepared to leave the house when I put them on or otherwise they would do some damage to my wood floors if I walked around the house with them on. Some do have rubber around the studs though so that if you were to go into a grocery store with them you won't slip and fall once you hit the tile floor which is the downside of cleats/grippers. 

There's always an extra pair of pull on grippers in my car should I need them to make my way across an icy parking lot!

Rain, Sleet, Snow: Why it is important to venture out in inclement weather.

It is hard to gain confidence in preparing the whole gang for warm, comfortable and dry fun in all kinds of weather. Fortunately we have some amazing resources in Alaska such as my dear friend and Alaskan author Jennifer Aist, whose book Babes in the Woods, is a wealth of knowledge for getting outdoors with the kids. There also happens to be a global movement to connect and reconnect children with the outdoors. This movement has largely been spurred on by the author Richard Louv and his books LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, and most recently, THE NATURE PRINCIPLE: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder.

Why is taking your kids out in cold or inclement weather important and actually healthy for them? Oh the reasons are numerous:

• Fresh air is so important for so many health reasons, it helps with croup, colicky babies, it is very important in the winter months to help ward off colds and bugs that thrive indoors in close quarters.
• Endorphins are thought to be released by engaging in physical activity and to elevate mood and energy levels, as well as promote a healthy immune system. They are said to help you recover from injury and illness faster too.
• Emergency preparedness - when you know how to prepare yourself for being comfortable, safe and warm no matter what the elements have in store for you, you have a better understanding of how to keep yourself alive should you or your children find themselves in an unfortunate predicament.
• Process skills and planning - as a veteran elementary teacher process skills and the ability to plan are traits that are widely lacking in today's children. Pushing on through and planning for an outing in inclement weather teaches kids how to predict what their needs will be and meet them trough planning and being proactive.
• Follow through & determination - the ability to see a plan through to the end. If you say you're going to accomplish something like a hike... then do it. Teach your children not to let obstacles get in their way.
• Flexibility - teach and role model for your kids how to roll with the punches and not let little things like rain get in their way of doing what they had intended.
• True sense of satisfaction - there is nothing more satisfying than conquering an obstacle, even one as silly as weather. Some of the best hikes with Taiga Trekkers have been rainy or cold ones, because we all thought about bailing before we even got to the trailhead, but we all persevered and felt better about ourselves than we would of if it was a regular old sunny day.
• Perspective - seeing life through another lens - rainy & snowy days aren't often thought of as beautiful, but they really are.
• Deeper understanding of nature/science & its cycles - if you only spend time outside when it it is "nice" or rather I should say sunny (now that we've established that other kinds of weather are nice too), you miss out on all the amazing lessons to be learned about nature and how all it's phenomenal systems function. A simple example is leaves turning themselves over before a rainfall or flowers battening down the hatches by closing themselves up. 
• Wards off depression - I recently read a staggering statistic, from a reputable source, that claimed that symptoms of depression could be reduced by 50% when a person spends time outside every day. I know from personal experience, that it played a huge role in helping me back out of the dredges of post-partum depression.

Now of course there are limits to what we will expose ourselves, an more importantly our children to. Those limits are different for every family, but it is important for us to not let a little rain or cold get in the way of our time outdoors. We'd miss out on so much wonder and opportunity if we did!

***This is a repost from my older blog Taiga Trekkers****

We're going on a scavenger hunt

Plant identification - a great way to get outside with the kids and show them how to use reference materials/do research, discuss attributes/identifying characteristics, use descriptive vocabulary, common uses and discriminate what a reliable sources of information is. Its like a scavenger hunt! 

What plant is this?

Here are some great resources:
-Alaska Native Plant Society
- Wildflowers of the United States, Alaska
- USDA Plants Database