Rain or Shine Mamma

There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes

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5 Things to Bring for a Day In the Park

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Read my full disclosure policy here.
April 6, 2017 By Linda McGurk

Countless kids have had their first nature experiences in parks, and for children who live in urban areas, public lands are an essential gateway to the natural world. National parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and the Smoky Mountains may be among the most famous and iconic public lands, but our nation’s thousands of local and state parks are just as important when it comes to connecting children with nature. Regardless of where you live, on Saturday, May 20, you’ll have a chance to celebrate our public lands during the 7th annual National Park Trust Kids to Parks Day. PLUS you can enter to win a pair of Northside shoes as well as a camping package from The North Face. How cool is that?!? More about those giveaways in a minute.

5 Things to Bring for a Day at the Park. From Rain or Shine Mamma.

In short, Kids to Parks Day encourages kids from across the country to “discover science, history, nature and adventure in a neighborhood park right around the corner or just across town.” Many parks will host kid-friendly events, or you can create your own park adventure using NPT’s free resources. Anyone can participate and last year, more than 730,000 people in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. did. This year, the goal is to have 900,000 people enjoy Kids to Parks Day all across the country. (And if you wonder why you should join too, check out 5 Reasons to Take the Kids to Parks.)

A day trip outdoors with the kids requires some advance planning. Just how much you need to plan depends on A) your child’s age, B) the weather conditions and terrain where you’re going and C) how long you’ll be gone. My kids are big enough now that I no longer have to lug around diapers, pacifiers, baby bottles and various colorful teething toys (and boy, was that a HUGE milestone for an outdoor parent!), but there are still some things that I always bring along if we’re going to be outdoors and away from home for a few hours. Here some things that I consider handy.

5 THINGS TO BRING FOR A DAY IN THE PARK

A backpack

A backpack is the most useful and ergonomic way to carry things around when adventuring with children. I personally use a CamelBak with a hydration pack, since this makes it easy to drink on the go. A few years ago, I also bought smaller backpacks for my girls to get them used to carrying their own snacks and water. Genius move. They LOVED them and were super excited about having their own packs. My oldest daughter, who is 9, sports the CamelBak Trailblazer with a 1.5 liter bladder, whereas the slightly smaller CamelBak Scout was a perfect fit for my 6-year-old.

Food and drinks

Nuts, fresh and dried fruit, granola bars and sandwiches are my go-to picnic foods, but sometimes we’ll switch it up with some leftover pancakes or some of these healthy and homemade trail snacks. For drinks, we always carry water and often hot chocolate as a special treat. Bringing food doesn’t just prevent little people from getting hangry, eating together outside also creates a special togetherness, or hygge as the Scandinavians call it. And if you want to surprise the family with an extra special treat, make a batch of these healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies. I promise you they’ll thank you.

Extra clothes

Bringing extra clothes is always a good insurance policy for a successful outing. For recently potty trained children, an extra set of underwear and pants can come in handy, and for kids (and adults) of all ages, a water resistant shell jacket can be a hike saver in case of unexpected weather changes.

A first aid kit5 Things to Bring to the Park. REI's Backpacker Weekend First Aid Kit. Rain or Shine Mamma.

A first aid kit may seem like overkill if you’re just going to your neighborhood park, but I like to have mine on hand for the band-aids if nothing else (and it has been used on a number of occasions). I personally use REI’s Backpacker Weekend First Aid Kit, which besides different types of band-aids features gauze, elastic bandage, wound cleansing items, topical creams, medications and other basic first aid tools.

5 Things to Bring to the Park. Northside Sandal. Rain or Shine Mamma.Good shoes

If there’s one thing that can make or break a trip to the park, it’s the shoes. Uncomfortable shoes = no fun. Good shoes can be pricey, but it IS possible to find high-quality hiking boots that don’t cost a fortune. Lately, I’ve been impressed by Northside, a fairly new-to-me brand that has a wide range of affordable boots, sports and trail shoes, and hiking sandals. The pairs that I got for myself and the girls are super comfy and have held up well so far.

For more handy tips on preparing for your trip, make sure to read my 5 Tips for Taking the Kids to the Park. If you feel like you’re good to go, follow these steps for the ultimate Kids to Parks Day experience:

Step 1: Enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a pair of Northside shoes in the style of your choice.

Step 2: Pledge to have a park adventure on Kids to Parks Day and be entered to win a camping package from The North Side.

Step 2. Find or register an event in your area.

Step 3. Encourage friends and family to join you.

Step 4. Share photos and adventures on social media with #kidstoparks and #BuddyBison.

Have fun!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here. Northside provided shoes for my family in order to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 Things to Bring to Kids to Parks Day. Northside Sandal. Rain or Shine Mamma.

 

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Check out these other great “Kids to Parks” resources from fellow Outdoor Families friends, and watch the #KidsToParks hashtag to catch up on all the fun:

  • Colorado Mountain Mom
  • Tales of a Mountain Mama
  • Outdoorsy Mama
  • Momfari.com
  • Outdoor Families Magazine

 

5 Things to Bring for a Day at the Park + GIVEAWAY! From Rain or Shine Mamma.

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Related posts:

Tips for Taking Kids to the Park. Rain or Shine Mamma.5 Tips for Taking the Kids to the Park What to Pack When Backpacking with Kids. Complete packing list for an overnight trip with one child! Rain or Shine Mamma.What to Bring When Solo Backpacking with Kids (the Ultimate Check List) 3 Ways You Can Help Get a Child Outside Kids to Parks Day5 Reasons to Take the Kids to Parks + Giveaway!
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There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient and Confident Kids. “Bringing Up Bébé meets Last Child in the Woods in this lively, insightful memoir about a mother who sets out to discover if the nature-centric parenting philosophy of her native Scandinavia holds the key to healthier, happier lives for her American children."

“Linda McGurk offers a perfect antidote to the hyper-vigilant, extra-electrified, standardized-tested, house-arrested, 21st-century childhood and the experts who push it. Practical and wise, There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather proves just that, and much more.”
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  • Is getting your tween or teen out the door an uphill battle? Check out these tips for cutting screen time and adding more "green time" to your child's life! #outdoors #teens #tweens #outdoorlife #screentime
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  • 9 Safety Tips for Kids Climbing Trees. Does your tree climbing child make you nervous? These tips will ease your own fears and help your child learn how to negotiate risk. Rain or Shine Mamma. #treeclimbing #kids #tree #riskyplay
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Rain or Shine Mamma
"Misconceptions about outdoor learning are fairly commonplace, especially in places where the climate or culture is less conducive to it. But it’s possible to get parents off the proverbial fence about outdoor learning in early childhood education."My latest piece for the Famly blog is a guide for early childhood educators who encounter skepticism about outdoor learning from parents and other caregivers. ... See MoreSee Less

Getting caregivers on board for outdoor learning

www.famly.co

What makes parents support outdoor play in early education?
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All learning begins with the body - this is why it's crucial to protect and promote outdoor play in childhood🤸🏽‍♂️ Enough with the worksheets and wall words and pressuring young children to reach academic milestones before they are physically, mentally and emotionally ready. If we truly want our children to succeed in school - and in life - we must understand how the brain works and how children learn. And this is what brain science tells us:🧠 Children learn by building connections between brain cells called neural pathways.🧠 As many as 90% of the neural pathways are set in the first years of life, making early childhood the fastest period of brain growth in a person's life.🧠 Some of the chemicals that are needed for these neural pathways to grow are only released when children move.🧠 The more the neural pathways are used, the stronger they get.🧠 Being physically active outside is crucial to growing children's networks of neural pathways and, as a result, improving memory and learning.For more interesting insights on the connection between outdoor play and brain development, check out this white paper by the Institute for Child Success: www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Childhood-Unplugged-Outdoor-Learning.pdf ... See MoreSee Less
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Rain or Shine Mamma shared a video from the playlist Dude Dad Season 7 (2022).

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To all the parents who are worried about not providing enough enriching and educational activities for your children - this quote is for you. The fact that you're even anxious about it tells me that you're probably doing more than enough to stimulate your child's growth and development🙌🏽 Remember that the most important thing you can do for a young child, aside from providing a loving and supporting home, is to allow ample time and space for free play, preferably outside🌿All mammals, including humans, learn by playing, moving their bodies and mimicking older individuals.So go outside and feel the joy of connecting with the trees and the earth and the birds and the sky. Follow your child's curiosity and see where it takes you. Get excited about their discoveries. Let them climb, crawl, roll, jump, run, cartwheel. Let them fall and get back up and fall again. Dare to say 'yes' and embrace the mess. Let them get bored. Take a step back and trust in the power of nature play.Quote by @themainenanny ... See MoreSee Less
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rainorshinemamma

Linda Åkeson McGurk
One of the reasons why I’ve always made a point One of the reasons why I’ve always made a point to get outside with my kids is that there’s so much valuable learning involved from being immersed in nature. And I’m not necessarily thinking of learning facts about plants and wildlife, even though that’s part of it as well. I’m thinking about life skills like problem solving, decision making, risk management and grit. All crucial to children’s future success in life. But I also want to connect my kids with nature to help them fully understand where they came from🌿

As I’m writing this, my 11-year-old and I are on a train on our way to Swedish Lapland, where we will attempt to climb Mount Kebnekaise, weather permitting. This area runs deep through my family history, since my parents and grandparents took me here when I was little and it forever made an imprint on my inner landscape❤️ 

While I’d love for my daughter and I to make it to the summit, it’s not my main objective with the trip. It’s for us to learn and grow together through physical and mental challenges on the mountain. And to make Lapland part of my daughter’s history as well🏔
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #friluftsliv #outsideeveryday #wanderlust #wanderer #backpacking #backpackingwithkids
All learning begins with the body - this is why it All learning begins with the body - this is why it's crucial to protect and promote outdoor play in childhood🤸🏽‍♂️ Enough with the worksheets and wall words and pressuring young children to reach academic milestones before they are physically, mentally and emotionally ready. If we truly want our children to succeed in school - and in life - we must understand how the brain works and how children learn. And this is what brain science tells us: 

🧠 Children learn by building connections between brain cells called neural pathways.
🧠 As many as 90% of the neural pathways are set in the first years of life, making early childhood the fastest period of brain growth in a person's life. 
🧠 Some of the chemicals that are needed for these neural pathways to grow are only released when children move.
🧠 The more the neural pathways are used, the stronger they get. 
🧠 Being physically active outside is crucial to growing children's networks of neural pathways and, as a result, improving memory and learning. 

For more interesting insights on the connection between outdoor play and brain development, check out this white paper by the Institute for Child Success: https://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Childhood-Unplugged-Outdoor-Learning.pdf
It’s during the dog days of summer that the sayi It’s during the dog days of summer that the saying “There’s no such thing as bad weather” is put to the test more than anything in my opinion. Because while you can always put on an extra layer or get a warmer coat to beat the cold, it’s harder to dress for the heat. At 95F/35C, I feel like not wearing any clothes at all most of the time, but when you have neighbors that’s not really a viable option🤣

So how do we beat the heat? These are three of my go-to actions:
🔥 Stay in the shade whenever possible.
🔥 Step down the activity level a notch and save more intense work for the coolest hours of the day. 
🔥 Hydrate.

If you have young kiddos, being able to play in water can really help keeping them happy on hot days. And you don’t need a big pool; even small amounts of water can make a big difference. I love this video of my girls from a few years ago when we filled up our wheelbarrow with water for them to play in!💦 

If you’d like some more fun water play tips for warm days, head over to the blog: https://rainorshinemamma.com/5-water-play-ideas-for-summer/.
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #waterplay #outdoorplay #playoutside #playoutsideeveryday
To all the parents who are worried about not provi To all the parents who are worried about not providing enough enriching and educational activities for your children - this quote is for you. The fact that you're even anxious about it tells me that you're probably doing more than enough to stimulate your child's growth and development🙌🏽 Remember that the most important thing you can do for a young child, aside from providing a loving and supporting home, is to allow ample time and space for free play, preferably outside🌿

All mammals, including humans, learn by playing, moving their bodies and mimicking older individuals. 
So go outside and feel the joy of connecting with the trees and the earth and the birds and the sky. Follow your child's curiosity and see where it takes you. Get excited about their discoveries. Let them climb, crawl, roll, jump, run, cartwheel. Let them fall and get back up and fall again. Dare to say 'yes' and embrace the mess. Let them get bored. Take a step back and trust in the power of nature play. 

Quote by @themainenanny
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #freeplay #natureplay #lessismore #playisenough #letthemplay #letthembewild #wildchildhood #1000hoursoutside #parenting #naturalparenting
While we cook outside all year, summer is definite While we cook outside all year, summer is definitely our high season. I don’t plan ahead a lot, instead using the motto that most things that can be cooked inside also can be cooked outside🥘 Last weekend, we went with tacos and a dessert that I’ve been wanting to try out over the fire. I’ll share the recipe once I’ve perfected it!😋
@muurikkasverige 
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #cookingoutdoors #campfire #tacofriday #friluftsliv
🌞Happy Summer Solstice!🌞 Today marks the lon 🌞Happy Summer Solstice!🌞
Today marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and to me it’s a highlight of the year - literally. Recognizing the changing of the natural cycles is a simple way to realign your life with nature. Having grown up on these northern latitudes, I’ve always cherished these long summer nights. Today, the sun rose at 4:06 am and set at 10:12 pm where I live in southern Sweden. When is your sunset? 
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #summersolstice #summersolstice2022
There are a lot of good things about tech, but exc There are a lot of good things about tech, but excessive screen time is taking a toll on children’s physical and mental health today. Many apps and games have built-in mechanisms designed to make them highly addictive and children are even more susceptible to them than adults, since their brains are not fully developed🧠Screens are so ubiquitous in our lives today that it takes conscious effort to balance them with experiences IRL. 

For the past few years, our family has experimented with screen free or screen reduced Sundays. I’m not going to pretend that it’s easy. But if the goal is to increase quality family time outdoors and encourage the kind of creativity that arises from a healthy dose of boredom, it does work🌳

Some other tips to foster a healthy screen time culture in your family are:

✅ Learn how to use the parent controls on your kids’ devices and set age-appropriate limits.

✅ Have certain times or spaces that are always screen free, for example around the dinner table, in the bedrooms and so on, and be sure to be consistent. 

✅ Create a buy-in for the kids by letting them help plan screen free activities for the whole family.

What’s your biggest obstacle when it comes to keeping screen time under control?
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #screenfreesunday #friluftsliv #outdoors #greentime
That about sums it up, doesn’t it?☺️ This qu That about sums it up, doesn’t it?☺️ This quote is from Meet the Wild, a new picture book by Lindsay Kellar-Madsen of @the.madsen.littles. Inspired by the outdoor learning and play culture in Scandinavia, Lindsay wrote the book to invite children to explore nature all year round, regardless of the weather. 
I personally love the message and sweet illustrations in this book❤️ If you have a little one in your life, you can buy the book by backing Lindsay’s Kickstarter campaign. Check out her Instagram for details!
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#meetthewild #picturebook #outdoorplay
📚📚📚Book Cover Reveal📚📚📚 A few y 📚📚📚Book Cover Reveal📚📚📚

A few years ago, I did a poll in my social media channels to see what topic you’d like me to explore in my next book. One of them won by an overwhelming margin: the Nordic outdoor tradition friluftsliv. Well, I heeded your call. I’m pleased to share that it’s now possible to pre-order The Open-Air Life: Discover the Nordic Art of Friluftsliv and Embrace Nature Every Day from just about any place that sells books! (Link in bio)

The Open-Air Life is for anybody who is longing to lead a simpler, happier and less hurried life. It shows you how to channel the power of nature connection to improve your physical and mental health, as well as your relationships with both other people and Mother Nature. Plus, you’ll learn a few party tricks, like lighting a campfire without matches and cleaning water on the go. At a time when more and more people are starting to appreciate why they should spend more time outside, this book will show you how, with a decidedly Nordic twist.

I must say that I LOVE this dreamy cover that the designers at @penguinrandomhouse created. What do you think? 

@tarcherperigee @penguinrandomhouse

#theopenairlife #rainorshinemamma #coverreveal #bookcover #friluftsliv #friluftslivbook
I took my kids on an overnight paddling trip last I took my kids on an overnight paddling trip last weekend and it started out with sunshine and rainbows☀️🌈 Swipe to the last video to see how it ended➡️ 

We had set out to explore the northernmost island in our local lake and while we cruised up there with decent tailwinds, the wind picked up overnight. Going back the next day, we faced strong headwinds the entire time🌊 

For nearly three hours, we paddled in choppy waters, with waves sometimes so high that they splashed into the canoe. We had no choice but to paddle nonstop - if we stopped, we immediately started drifting backwards😩

The thing about being outdoors is that you’re never fully in control of all parameters - trips like these always involve a certain amount of risk. The weather can change quickly, and not always according to the forecast. What we can control is our reaction to the challenge, how we act on it and what we learn from it.

While none of us was happy about the situation, the girls did pull together and did an amazing job paddling💪🏻 And while they both vowed to never go paddling again, I told them that this will make a funny story later in life. They weren’t convinced at the time but I think they’ll come around eventually😅 

Do you have any stories of getting in over your head to share?😃
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #friluftsliv #openairlife #paddling #paddlingwithkids
Sunny days on the water can be lovely. But nothing Sunny days on the water can be lovely. But nothing compares to the stillness of the lake after an early summer drizzle. The water is dark and mysterious, the air thick with the smell of earth and lilacs. And we’re all alone. Not a single motor boat in sight to break the glass-like surface.

Evenings like these are worth putting of bedtime for. Even if it means padding in your pajama pants at 9pm🤩 
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #friluftsliv #paddling #paddleboard #sup
Summer is high season for TICKS…🕷 (I know tha Summer is high season for TICKS…🕷 (I know that’s a spider emoji, but you get the idea😅) 

A lot of people freak out at the sight of these blood suckers and understandably so, considering the diseases they can harbor. But they too are a part of nature and if we want to keep venturing outside during the warmer months (I definitely do and I suspect you do too) we must come to terms with them.

If you want to know more about tick prevention, I just wrote a pretty detailed post about it on my blog. Head over to rainorshinemamma.com to learn and share this post with others who worry about ticks!👌🏻
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#theresnosuchthingasbadweather #rainorshinemamma #friluftsliv #ticks #tickprevention
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