Share Your Outdoor Hobbies with your Kids

This is my sixth (and last) in a series of posts for Nature Rocks, a wonderful movement that encourages families to spend more time outdoors connecting with nature. It's an idea that my family tries to live out each and every day. This week, I'm their featured ambassador, so Nature Rocks will be posting some of my tips for enjoying time outside with kids, and I'll be posting more detailed posts that correspond with each tip.

Read my earlier posts here:

• Tips for Making Backyard Play More Fun
• Tips for Connecting with Nature in your Neighborhood
• Tips for Finding Nature on Vacation
• Babywearing in Nature
• Giving Kids Nature-Inspired Gifts

Today's tip is to share your outdoor hobbies with your kids.

I have no interest in raising little clones of my husband and I. I fully realize that my sons will develop interests and nurture talents that are different from my own. But I have found that being outside is a great equalizer. Long before we had kids, my husband and I discovered that we both really enjoyed hiking and camping. We grew up doing those things with our own parents and have fond memories of great family time in the outdoors.

So naturally, we didn't want to stop hiking and camping just because we have young children. So we bring them along on these adventures. And we have found that they thrive joining in the fun.

Hitting the trail at TC Steele State Historic Site

Regardless of what you enjoy doing outside, look for ways to involve your children. If you love to ski, enroll your kids in ski school on your next trip, perhaps they'll enjoy it too! If you love to bike, invest in a bike seat or trailer so that your kids can come. I've read posts about kids rock climbing, snow shoeing, and scuba diving.

A lot of children love to try new things and are always up for an adventure. But I know my oldest son can be a bit timid when he's forced outside his comfort zone. Here are a few pieces of advice if you're worried your kids won't enjoy your favorite hobby:

• Start slowly. In other words, don't plan a 4-hour hike your first time out. Or camp in your backyard one night to test things out.
• Show your kids a YouTube video to introduce them to a new activity. I have a friend who often does this with her toddler, with great success. Many kids are visual learners, especially at a young age. This may help them to conquer their fears. 
• Don't give up. I remember that our son got pretty fussy toward the end of our first family hike. But we tried again a few weeks later, and he did much better.
• Keep it relaxed and fun. If you're having a good time, chances are your kids will too.

For more information on camping and hiking, I'm linking to a few posts I've written about each activity (some links will take you to Visit Indiana's blog, where I'm a regular contributor).

CAMPING:

• Things I Learned While Camping with a Toddler
• Camping with a Toddler Must-Have Items
• Improvements to the Indiana State Park Camping Reservation System
• Trip Report: Camping at Warren Dunes State Park (Southwest Michigan)
• Camping at Brookville Lake (Southeast Indiana)

HIKING:

• Hike at Tangeman Woods (Columbus, Indiana)
• Hike at T.C. Steele State Historic Site (Brown County, Indiana) 
• Trails at T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• Hike at Sodalis Nature Park (Plainfield, Indiana)
• Features of Sodalis Nature Park
• Hiking at Brown County State Park (Nashville, Indiana)
• Hiking the Lakes of Brown County
• Hike at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge (Seymour, Indiana)
• More on Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge
• Hike at Indiana Dunes State Park (Northwest Indiana)
• Trip Report: Red River Gorge, Kentucky

That concludes my week as the featured Nature Rocks ambassador. I hope you have found my tips helpful. Please share a few of your own! I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy nature with my kids, and I enjoy connecting with others who feel the same.

If you've enjoyed my posts, please consider subscribing to Arrows Sent Forth, or keep up with my family's adventures on Facebook or Twitter.

A Week in My Life: Saturday and Sunday

You just can't beat a beautiful fall weekend in the Midwest. The beauty of this season is a big reason why we love living in this part of the country. We did our best to savor autumn's bounty this weekend. Here are a few highlights:

Saturday Morning Nature Walk
Our church just developed a memory walk on its property (which is a beautiful piece of land at the foothills of Brown County, which is probably the most popular place to delight in fall in Indiana). We've been meaning to check it out before or after church for the past couple of months, but it just hasn't worked out. So we drove out that way and hiked the short trail on Saturday morning.

I got some fun pictures of our "walk in the woods" as The Arrow called it.

The Arrow made a new friend that morning when we stumbled upon a frog. Perfect timing, as I'm hoping to take him to the new frog exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis this week.

Dining Al Fresco
On Saturday night, we thought about taking The Arrow to his first movie, as the local theatre was showing Smurfs in the early evening. But the weather was just too perfectly crisp to spend indoors, so we chose to grill burgers and eat dinner outside instead.

This was followed by about an hour or so of outdoor playtime.

A Sunday Spent in the Leaves

Sunday morning after church and lunch, we tackled raking leaves.

The Arrow was a big help, as you can see (ahem...)

IndyCar Tragedy

We were supposed to babysit one of The Arrow's little arrow buddies in the evening, but she was sick. Instead, my husband fatefully flipped on the television to see who was winning some of the football games and to check in on the IndyCar race in Las Vegas. The minute he turned it to ABC, we just knew something had gone terribly wrong at the race. About an hour later, it was announced that Dan Wheldon, the winner of this year's Indy 500, had died in a horrific crash.

My husband and I enjoy following the IndyCar series, mostly because we are huge fans of the Indy 500, our community's premiere annual event. I've written about our enjoyment of the race often here. Needless to say, the unexpected and tragic death of such a popular and successful driver cast quite a shadow on the night.

But you can always count on the innocence of kids to lift your spirits. The Arrow was oblivious to what was unfolding on television, and he kept demanding a trip to the park. So off we went to the same park I wrote about on Friday, and it was a nice way to cap off the weekend on a positive note.

End of Week in My Life Series

It's been fun to blog nearly everyday (although I admittedly lost a little steam by the time the weekend rolled around). It certainly wasn't a typical week for us, but I guess no week ever is. I heard from lots of friends who enjoyed a little glimpse into our day-to-day life. I know I'll be glad I captured this moment in time. Afterall, we now have orange juice that expires by the time the baby will join our family!

Anyway, thanks for joining us this week. Kudos to Melissa at Adventuroo for putting all of this together. If you found this blog via her link-up and have enjoyed learning about our week, feel free to "like us" on Facebook and keep up with our family's adventures.

More fun at T.C. Steele State Historic Site

Last week, I shared photos highlighting the fun we had on our family hike at T.C. Steele State Historic Site. And while I mentioned that it now ranks as one of our favorite hiking destinations, there was more to see and do then just wander the woods.

After our hike, we let the arrow explore the Dewar Cabin. As I mentiond in my post at Visit Indiana about our trip there, 18 kids were raised in this 2-room cabin. Puts the Duggar family to shame, huh?

The arrow loved running in and out of the cabin, and peaking at us through the windows.

He also thought the cemetary was great fun. We might need to schedule a lesson on showing proper respect for the dead. I hope T.C. Steele doesn't mind his light-hearted attitude. (We did keep him from climbing on the gravestones though. We have a little bit of class.)

The beauty of the grounds is something that those of all ages can appreciate. I thought this lilly pond looked like a great spot to read a good book (you know, if I had time for that sort of thing these days...)

And while we visited before the buildings opened, we got a glimpse of the artist's home and studio. Letting the arrow walk about freely is just another reason this site is great for young kids. (Although I doubt he would have enjoyed a formal tour.)

More information about the T.C. Steele State Historic Site is available at their website.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Things we'll be a little quiet around here next week, as we head to Boston tomorrow for the July 4 festivities. Can't wait to share all about our fun adventures there!

Hiking at T.C. Steele State Historic Site

Our family experienced an exciting right of passage last weekend: our first hike without the backpack carrier. We had a sense from a previous long walk in the woods at Sodalis Nature Park a few weeks ago that the arrow was ready to hit the trail on his own two feet and we decided to test our theory at T.C. Steele State Historic Site in Brown County, Indiana. I wrote about our morning there for Visit Indiana last week.

Brown County has long been a favorite place for us to hike as a family (I've written about past hiking trips to Brown County State Park here). But the home of famous impressionist painter T.C. Steele was an even better location for the arrow's first "real" hiking experience. It featured flatter and shorter trails that were much easier for him to tackle. And yet because it's deep within the Hoosier National Forest, it's a beautiful spot.

We hit two of the trails: Wildflower Trail and the Trail of Silences. Each about 3/4 of a mile, there was some areas of steep incline and a few spots with challenging terrain, but he could either manage it himself or hitch a ride on dad's shoulders when it got too tough.

I loved watching him more deeply connect with nature. He could touch the leaves and pick up rocks. Can't do that while on dad's back.

I'll always love that carrier and I think baby wearing is great for traveling parents. It made hiking possible for our family back in his pre- and early-walking days. (And we'll use it again soon enough!) But it's nice to be free of that this summer.

Next week, I'll share some of our other favorite finds from the historic site.

If You Visit:
T.C. Steele State Historic Site
4220 T.C. Steele Rd., Nashville, Indiana
The site is open year round. Tours are available Tuesday-Saturday from 9 to 5 and Sundays from 1 to 5. Cost of a tour is $3.50 for adults and $2 for kids 12 and under.
Insider Tip: If you choose not to take a tour, visiting the site is free and you are welcome to roam the grounds. You can pick up a map/brochure outside the office building. We visited on a Sunday morning before they "really" open and were greeted warmly by staff. Plus, we had the place all to ourselves!

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Indoor Aquatic Center at Brown County State Park: A look back at 2010

One weekend back in November, we headed out for an overnight at the Abe Martin Lodge at Brown County State Park (I've written about our love for this beautiful park here). The best part about a stay at this cozy inn during the winter months is the indoor aquatic center (free when you stay overnight). I wrote about the pool at the Indiana Insider a few weeks ago.

Every once in a while, despite my best efforts to plan the perfect outing, we experience a little hiccup. Once we got checked in and suited up to spend a couple of hours in the pool, we walked in and immediately the lifeguards blew their whistles and announced the pool was closed for the next 15 minutes. Try telling that to a toddler who sees a really fun place to play! It was a good lesson in patience.

By the time the 15 minutes was up, the arrow was practically jumping in (and he's normally pretty skiddish of the water). Needless to say, he spent the next couple of hours splashing around in dad's arms and having a grand time. He even asked to go back to the pool for some more fun after dinner, which we happily obliged. The pool is a great spot for kids of all ages. It has a zero-entry splash area that's only about a foot deep, perfect for little toddlers. There's also a fun waterslide and a mini lazy river (which you float around on those noodle rafts!).

We had a wonderful time that weekend. It was a little taste of summer fun in the dead of winter. In other words, it was the perfect cold weather outing, 15-minute pool closing aside.

(This is my final look back at favorite pictures from 2010. You'll find other 2010 reflections here, here, and here. Thanks for letting me share some of these favorite memories from a fantastic year!)

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Backyard Adventure: Brown County State Park

Yesterday I gave a sneak peak into last weekend's trip to Brown County State Park. I decided there's no day like today to finish that thought. We love Brown County. Its a great spot for a family weekend away. The park itself has a great lodge, complete with brand new indoor pool/waterpark. We are already planning a few cold weather trips to the pool this fall/winter. They also have a nice campground and family cabins available for rent. If you want to stay someplace a little more spacious, there are a gazillion cabins and cottages available to rent all over the area. Hills O'Brown manages many of them.

The town (Nashville) is so quaint and fun. Cute little shops, plenty of spots to grab a treat. It gets really busy on nice weekends, and insanely busy in the fall, so be warned. It's also not very stroller-friendly, although we manage to navigate it ok with our jogging stroller. You're also only about 20 minutes to Bloomington (home of Indiana University) or our hometown, Columbus (home of world-famous architecture).

But mostly we love Brown County for the hiking.

We've done most of the trails there with our little arrow, but our favorite and most kid-friendly is the trail around Ogle Lake (Trail 7). Relatively flat compared to the other trails (which is nice when there's a 22 lber strapped to your back) and gorgeous views of the water the entire way. A little snapshot of paradise in our own backyard. If you're a horse lover, check out Trail 3, which you can pick up near the Saddle Barn and visit the beautiful horses.

Live in Indiana? We love the state parks and have invested in a yearly pass ($35 for in-state residents) and therefore we don't pay the gate fee every time we visit. It has encouraged us to visit the parks more and get good use out of our pass.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby. Go see where everyone else has been going.