I don't have anything cool to give away, but over at Delicious Baby they are giving away a Sit N Stroll. It's a car seat and a stroller--perfect for airplane travel. Take a look. Win a stroller.

With this blog I suggest ways to get kids outside and connected with nature. The activities last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, but some families take getting outside to the extreme.

Two blogs I've been following and been inspired by are Family on Bikes and Toast Floats.

Family on Bikes are two parents and twin 10-year-old boys. They left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in June 2008. About thirty months and 20,000 miles later they plan to arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina. They are peddling two single bikes and a tandem.

Family on Bikes is working with Reach the World (RTW), an educational 501(3)(c) non-profit organization with the mission of linking students in under-funded schools to online, global expeditions that have the power to expand learning beyond the four walls of their classroom. The family is linked with classrooms where school kids are learning about their adventures.

According to their website:
"We are very excited the possibilities of this expedition - kids who otherwise would have no idea about the world they live in will now have a global perspective. Although small fries by some standards, we will be helping children become caring stewards of the Earth's environments and cultures. Given the geopolitical and environmental crises looming on our horizon, and the global outlook that we all must share, there may be no more important goal than this."

I've been reading their blog everyday. These kids (and their tough parents!) have been riding big hills, meeting interesting people and trying to beat winter weather to warmer climes (with only some success with that last one). Along the way they are exploring National Parks and viewing our country at a slower pace than most of us ever will. Sounds like a grand adventure! Right now they are in New Mexico, so it won't be too long before they cross the border into Mexico.

The other blog I check out daily is Toast Floats. This time it is a set of parents and three girls. I'm not sure of their ages, but I believe they are between 6 and 12. They started sailing their catamaran in Washington and are now down in Baja California. Along the way the girls are homeschooling, sailing, playing with their new kitty and learning the ways of the sea. This blog is pretty humorous. Reading the posts takes some of the romance out of sailing around the world, but it is a great way to experience it virtually.

After spending a year or more outside everyday, these kids are going to be totally connected to their surroundings, in tune with the weather and culturally enriched.

Both of these families get me thinking about what I would like to do with my family once the boys get older (at 2 months and 21 months, trips like these are a little out of reach right now). I don't know if bikes or ocean boats are right for us, but I could see extended backpacking trips (I've always wanted to hike the Pacific Crest Trail) or canoe trips (Canada, perhaps?).

What is your family dream trip? Are their any online family adventures you follow?

Nobody wants to think about their child getting lost in the woods or going missing from a campsite, but don't let that fear keep you from taking a few small steps to aid in finding your little ones should they stray.

Mike at Trailmix.net posted about a super easy method of creating a boot-print that you could hand over to rescue personnel if your child goes missing. It is also a good idea to have a recent picture on your cell phone (or a print version) and something with your child's DNA, like a toothbrush.

Mike's post got me thinking about all the times I've been in charge of groups of kids outdoors and what I did to keep them from getting lost.

Boundaries: Whenever I stop somewhere or set up camp, I look around for some natural boundaries. Maybe it is a fallen log, a row of trees, the edge of a meadow, a trail, a road, or the perimeter of a campsite. I make sure everyone knows the boundaries and no one leaves without telling me or another adult.

Buddies: Kids love doing things together, so a buddy rule is easy to enforce. When someone needs to go outside the boundaries, they take a buddy (and make sure an adult knows about it).

Bright colors: Normally, I like to wear colors that blend into the environment. I'm not dressed in camo or anything, but greens, blues and browns are less intrusive to others' viewshed than reds, oranges and yellows. However, if I want to keep track of kids, bright colors sure help them stand out.

Breaker-breaker: If you have them, walkie-talkies or even cell phones can help you keep in touch. There are a lot of places where these devices won't work, but I see families using them all the time on the ski hill and other places where a signal can travel. Walkie-talkies give older kids a little freedom to explore or play on their own, but still keep in contact with the family. Even a whistle can be helpful.

Plan B: If your child does get lost they should know what to do. So should you. You can practice this scenario before you even leave the house.

For kids
• Stay calm. It isn’t easy when you are scared, but someone will be looking for you. Think about what you can do to get found.
• Stay in one place. Moving around makes it harder to get found.
• Tie something bright to a nearby tree. A bandana or bright jacket works well, but don’t use clothes if you need to stay warm. Stay warm and dry.
• Don’t hide. Stay in the open where rescuers can see you. They may be looking from a helicopter or airplane.
• Blow a whistle ever few minutes if you have one.

For parents
• Stay calm. Panic is not helpful.
• Make sure you have everyone else in your group with you. Don’t let people start wandering off to look for the lost child without coming up with a plan first.
• Do a voice search. Without going far from where you last saw your child, yell in a calm voice and listen for a response.
• Call a forest ranger, police, search and rescue or whoever’s jurisdiction it is. Dialing 911 will get you to the right person.
• If you are in the backcountry or somewhere where you cannot make a phone call, send one or two people from your party out to make the call. Someone (hopefully more than one person) should stay put in case the child returns on their own.

What else do you do to prepare for a lost child? Extra credit if it starts with "b".

Check out this book for more ways to stay safe and found outdoors.

"I Sit and Stay is a unique safety guide for all children and parents who enjoy the outdoors. As families explore the natural beauty of America's national parks, forests, and wilderness areas, they need to be prepared. Leah Waarvik, a dedicated search-and-rescue professional, empowers children by showing them how to help themselves, and educates parents about a subject that most know little about. I Sit and Stay uses real-life search-and-rescue dogs to teach the lessons that can save lives. The cute and talented dogs, Emma and Koa, make being lost less scary."

I Sit and Stay: A Survival Guide for Kids (And Parents Too!) by Leah L. Waarvik

Classic Safety Red Whistle

Ever wondered how tall your favorite tree is? What about the one at the park, or that huge one on your favorite trail. Here is how you can estimate the size of a tree without the world's longest measuring tape.

I got this activity from Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide by Lynn Brunelle, but I think I did this in one of my classes in college. Nice to know it is a kids' activity! Next thing I'll find out is that 8 year-olds can identify every plant in California down to genus, and many more to species.

1. Stand at the base of a tree, facing its trunk. Grasp the bottom of a ruler in you right hand so it points up. Extend your arm and close your left eye--the ruler should be lined up with the tree.

2. Carefully walk backwards.

3. Stop walking when the ruler appears to be the same size as the tree.

4. Have your partner measure the distance between your feet and the base of the tree. That distance is about equal to the height of the tree.

There are more cool things in this book:

Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide by Lynn Brunelle

Some days you just have to stay inside. These are the days I usually start to go a little crazy, but if I can find something interesting for the kids to do, it makes everyone's life a little easier.

I got the idea for this activity from the Children's Museum of Bozeman. Since I like to keep the really messy activities outside, this is a good one for me. And it seems pretty fascinating to the little ones.

Basically, I just dump a bag of rice into a container, provide a few more containers and a scoop or two and stand back. Kids know what to do. If you can keep it in the kitchen, or another room with a hard floor, all you have to do is sweep up when they're done.

Tip: Don't take this one outside unless you are sure you can keep the rice contained. If birds eat it, the rice will swell up in their stomachs and potentially kill them.

Ages:6 months-5 years
Materials: rice, containers, scoops (measuring cups, yogurt containers)
Place: inside on a hard floor