Since I am off camping with my kids, I thought I'd pull up this post from last summer. I'll give you the full trip report when we get back.

Around here, summer time is camping time. We have just a few short months of warm weather, so we need to take full advantage of it.

Our family has been camping three times this summer. With an almost 2.5-year-old and a 11-month-old, camping can be a little bit of a challenge. At least, more than it was when it was just me and my dog.

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Last week we got dumped on. Yeah! Snow on the ground in November makes me very happy. Rumor has it that it is going to be warm this week, so we had to take advantage of the fluffy, white happiness.

We pulled out our sled and head for the hills. Well, a little hill in the park. I can't wait until my boys are big enough to slide down some bigger hills, but I get the feeling that when they are, it will just scare me.

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I don't know if it is the ability to create a still image from real life, wanting to mimic mom and dad, or if they just like pushing buttons, but kids seem to be drawn to cameras. If you have a digital camera that you are willing to let your child use, it's an easy and cheap way to let them explore nature.

My inclination is to hand the child the camera and let them go for it with little or no instruction. The results might surprise (and impress) you. However, if your child is interested in learning more about photography check out these tips.

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Last weekend we took the short drive to Yellowstone National Park. Since we would be biking in the park (and thus the kids would be sitting in a trailer or bike seat) we decided we needed to get the boys out and moving before the ride. (I wrote about our bike ride to Lone Star Geyser last week)

The Boiling River is a hot spring that flows into the Gardner River near the north entrance to Yellowstone. The Boiling River itself is way too hot to get into, but where it mixes with cold river water, it's perfect.

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This is a guest post from the folks at Play Outdoors. Check out their Campfire Blog for great articles about getting kids outside and having fun.

Whether it is a mid-winter blizzard, a full moon summer night, or a crisp spring morning, each day of the year offers a new opportunity for an outdoor family adventure.

Discover ideas for outdoor activities that can get you and your kids outside and learning about the natural world around us, whether away on a week long trip in the woods, or with a spare hour at home in the city. Incorporating nature-based activities every day can be easy, and will certainly be fun:

• Hiking & Camping
• Waterfront Activities
• Out & About
• Backyard Fun
• Snow

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Just a few more days until Earth Hour: a worldwide event where everyone turns off their lights for 1 hour at 8:30 pm local time. It is being billed as the first global election between the Earth and global warming.

This is an opportunity to discuss global warming and our role in it with kids. When you have your lights off for an hour Saturday night there will not be any distractions, such as TV or the Internet, to stymie the conversation.

In the lead up to the event there are lots of activities for kids on the Earth Hour website. (I know it is a little strange to use the electricity-sucking computer to learn about global warming.)

Kids can watch a PowerPoint-like presentation describing global warming (I found this oddly compelling), view letters to President Obama and find how other kids are participating in Earth Hour.

There are quizzes and memory games for the younger set and a page just for teens. Parents and teachers can find teaching guides for grades K-12.

Go check it out and get ready to turn the lights off.

It's my birthday and I am officially in my late 30s. How did that happen?

To celebrate, I plan to take the kids cross-country skiing this weekend. They are too young to ski, but I'm not, so I'll pull them in the Chariot Carrier.

This will be the first post on teaching kids to cross-country ski. I hope to have some video at some point, but my videographer (aka my husband) is pretty busy these days and I just can't figure out how to hold the camera and film myself skiing at the same time!

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