My kids (age 7 & 4) have been avid letterboxers, but are starting the "Wedontwannas" recently. I want them to enjoy hiking as much as we do, so I am looking for suggestions.

It's possible this is a temporary condition as it is summer and hotter than blazes in Texas. Once we get them out on the trail, they seem to enjoy it, for a while and up to a point. Then the "Imsoootireds" start. We've definitely been planning shorter excursions during the hot months.

In general, I'd like it to be a more pleasant experience for the whole family. So, other outdoor-loving parents out there. . .what are your tricks for getting and keeping the kids happy on the trail?

One of my tried and true ones is homemade trail mix--something about the combination of cereal, miniature marshmallows, raisins and M&Ms makes 'em somewhat happy (my kids don't like nuts).

Thanks for the help!

Dewberry

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In general, I'd like it to be a more pleasant experience for the whole family. So, other outdoor-loving parents out there. . .what are your tricks for getting and keeping the kids happy on the trail?

Yes, I had this happen as well! My remedy has worked like a charm.

We have a small camera, that is also a video camera, my daughter goes totally crazy at making "trail movies," she loves doing the commentary.

If one of your kids is too little to hold the camera, they can be the "sound tech."

Buying a bunch of "Cat's Eye" inks and let the kids stamp multi colored images in OUR log book.

A baseball cap with a bag of ice is always kinda fun too, in no time they will take it out of their hat and start eating it and throwing it. . . or a cooler with pop cicles, in the car, one at the beginning, one at the end, if there were no complaints! :-)

Thats all I got! Hope it works!!!

Scheherezade

Well it's hot as heck up here in NY now too...and we're not really accustomed to it!

But I feel your pain. I am a divorced mother of 3...left to raise kids ages 5, 3 and 1...who are now 20, 18 and 16! I too love hiking/backpacking and grew up doing it with my parents and 5 siblings. The best thing for us (my kids and me and me and my siblings) is a promised "oasis" at the end of the letterboxing. This could mean a water park, a wade in a cold stream or a run through a sprinkler. As a child, I always loved the wade in the stream...with some time to build a small dam, then "break" a hole in my dam and watch the water flow back out again.

Recently I hosted some boxers from Georgia (a mom, and 4 kids from 19 months to age 8.) It was a terribly hot day but the kids were great. Started them with a drive up box to get their hunting instincts kicked in..then a quick foot dip in a stream, then bundled into the car to drive to some boxes that were longer walks but with lots of different things to look at. One was a public park with wooded trails but ended at the public sprinkler where the kids could get soaked running through a sprinkler. After lots of play in the water, it was a walk back to the car ( bring towels) and then a drive to another walk in the woods box that ended in a spring fed stream ( brrr!) and then to a drive up/walk box through a cemetary. Total time and boxes? 6 hours and 6 boxes. Just about right for that age, the heat and time for cooling off/playing. Juice boxes and water was handed out in the car.

So my point is, at this age, with this kind of heat..it's inevitable that they are going to get tired, thirsty, bored and cranky. So if you MUST box in the heat with little ones..mix it up. Do some driveups, then some shorter interesting hikes (even those of us who hike all the time like to see a change in scenery) then a break for cool offs. Snacks in between in the car (I don't like snacking on the trail as much) and pace yourself. I freeze juice boxes until solid and by the time we take a break they are cold but drinkable.

And when they get home? A quick shower and then plop them down in front of a fan or air conditioner and pop in a good family show like Little House on the Prairie or the Waltons (all available to rent on NetFlix). My kids liked to watch other kids that were as "outdoor active" as they were..and not so much couch potato/game boy types.

As for your 7 year old..that is definately old enough to start planting boxes. Talk about what makes a good hiding place..and make a box or two for him/her to plant. Make it close enough to home that you can check it regularly. The ownership of a box is a big thing for a kid. And other parents will be greatful to hunt for your kid-friendly box.

And by the way..make sure tasks are equal..if you are with two on the trail..take turns and let one kid retrieve the box and the other get to open it. You probably already knew that but thought I would mention it for anyone else reading this.

Lock Wench

Well I dont know if my idea works but when I was little I HATED hiking. But as I got older I began to appreciate nature more. Then once I found out about letterboxng when I was 13 there was no keeping me OUT of the woods. This is why I think that you should just wait and in a few years they will like letterboxing/ hiking too.

Fish or man

PS at least your problem isn't getting your parents to drive you to the trails!! lol

Happy AQ Anniversary Fish or Man.

~Mumma & Bunny Boy =D

oooh! I love the camera idea! My daughter is *such* the director.

Actually, cameras are great. If you can get a cheap (or disposable) one for each kid even better. My kids are always pestering me to use my camera (digital) because they have used all the film in theirs, however, so just be prepared for that issue also.

On well-maintained trails, I will sometimes let my youngest be the "trailblazer." He absolutely hates being made to walk, so I've taught him to look for the colored blazes. He can go off, but when he gets to a blaze he has to stop and wait. Around here at least the blazes usually remain in sight distance - if I can't see where the next one is I give him a different landmark.

The food bribes others have mentioned work for my kids too -- actually, my kids love Daddy's Camelbak. A good long drink from the "hose" and they will usually perk up enough to keep on.

Here's a few hiking ideas I got from my Girl Scout sources... maybe one or two of these could help you keep their interest?

ABC hike - find something that starts with A, then B, etc. Or, everyone has to find an "a" before moving on to "b".
Color hike - same concept, using colors
Scent hike - how many scents can you identify?
Scavenger hunt - give them a list of things to check off or tally - a closed pinecone, or number of white rocks spotted.
Litter collecters - give each a paper bag and give a "prize" to whoever collects the most litter on the trail (of course be careful of sharp or dangerous objects)
Bring a magnifying glass to study small critters/objects
Nature bingo - make up "bingo" cards where each square names or shows a picture of something found in the woods. First one to get a filled line or filled card wins

As you might guess you can get pretty carried away, but these are some ideas anyway.

MoonBunny

what are your tricks for getting and keeping the kids happy on the trail?

Hi Dewberry.

Mine are 10 and 7. We found so many boxes our first year and I think they got burnt out on letterboxing. I find that the only way there is no complaining is if they can each bring a friend. When they have a buddy to talk to the entire time, there is ZERO complaining! Also, if I let them color in the image of the box we find, they like that too.

We do the ice cream bribe in the heat!

Great question! Thanks for asking. I'm picking up a few tips. :-)

Amyrica

Waving wildly at LW!!!!

Hey that was me she was talking about. I have 4 little ones, my oldest is 7 and the youngest is 16 mos. We were the crazy people she met in Syracuse!

LW is right, short trips on hot days. Snacks and drinks work well. I try to box with another adult......someone needs to entertain the kids while I find the box/stamp into the box. The promise of a playground is always good. Sometimes we play counting games while walking. The girls sometimes carry their binoculars for birdwatching.

I let my oldest 2 read the clues ahead and try to find the box(with supervision, of course).

LW was very kind and patient with us last week! THANK YOU!!!!


We got a nice tour of Syracuse and asome great stamps, and of course an exchange!


sweetiesmom

Wow - sometimes my kids (11/9/4) are so good that this isn't an issue...and then...

It's the four year old most of the time. The heat (GA) this summer has really gotten to her - so, mostly we've taken a break. Meanwhile, my older ones have really enjoyed more carving. The only thing that HASN'T been mentioned that she really likes is to stamp the stamp on her body. Now, you might say that this isn't "discrete", but really, these days a four year old running around with stamp impressions might have just been to gymnastics or dance class....so no one has noticed!!

Usually, after all her complaining, she complains just as loudly if we don't let her find the letterboxes!!

5SePTeMBER (SeP)

Well, my daughter's 10. One of the things I do is print a range of clues on 4 x 6 notecards. Then I let her decide which boxes we do, so it's her choice and not mine, which gives her more ownership. I'm very surprised sometimes at the choices she makes.

I also try to be fluid - realizing that circumstances change. When she starts to complain, I tend to back down rather than push her, because I want her to still feel it's a fun hobby.

Being from Texas, shoot, I think I'd complain, too in that 103 degree heat you have down there.

My two cents.

Thunderbird

Welcome to your new board! Enjoy! =)

-- Ryan

Hmmm...my horoscope for today is this:

Giving up something you love just to please someone you love just doesn't make any sense. You and a good friend or sweetheart might be locking horns over an activity that you see as necessary, but that they view as a frivolous self-indulgence. Agree to disagree -- or better yet, invite them along to experience the joys of something that you know first-hand. Who knows -- you might just make a convert out of them yet!


Do you think it's referring to letterboxing? hahaha Sounds more like letterboxing and my husband instead of my kids! ;)

My kids (12 and 6) both complain about going letterboxing.

I used to download the clues to a PDA and have my 12 year old follow the clues on that. He's a real techie (is that the right word?). So he enjoyed that.

Bringing friends seemed to help too. And sometimes they play games on the trail....like imagining their part of Lord of the Rings (or something).

I try to keep my letterboxing trips with them short and sweet. One day we got six.
They were okay up until about the fourth one. Then they started to rebel! :)

Peppermint Patti :)

Boy, that was fast!

Since I asked for it, I should post.

We have two boys, age 7 (Batrick) and 4 (Gramapillar). When we plant, we plant under the name Gramatrick, a mix of the boys' names. The boys love to hide boxes, and the ones that have more math-oriented clues are the brain-child of my math-loving 7 year old. My 4 year old used to call it glitterboxing when he was younger, and we just love that name.

I grew up camping and hiking; my husband did not, but he enjoys it now. We are trying to encourage a love of nature and outdoor recreation in our kids and boxing has been a great way for us to do that. The kids are (usually) willing to hike a little further or do a little more if there's a stamp at the end. This summer their enthusiasm has waned, but I'm hoping that when it cools off a bit (maybe October, this is Texas!), that they'll be just as eager. Thanks everyone for the tips--I especially liked the one about ABC and colors and other things to do as you hike.

Dewberry

I don't have a kid, but I do have an 8 year old sister (I'm 22). I guess she is just wonderful! She never complains about boxing. In fact, she begs to go. She likes to carve, she likes to find boxes, she likes to plant them. One thing, though, is that I think it makes her feel really good to call me up and tell me what she's found. And she LOVES to go check on her boxes and see who's been there. I think that's her favorite thing. I finally got her and my mom involved right before the Stone Mtn. Gathering and I think that's what really hooked them. They have been searching like crazy and are loving every minute of it.

Desi

The KOA site has a few tips for hiking with kids:

http://www.koa.com/familyzone/activities/naturediscovery.htm

Liz

ran across this one this morning - a rhyming hike. Try to make a rhyme with things you find on the trail. If one person finds an ant, another might say, "it was on a plant!" that would be a good one for non-readers, I think.

MoonBunny

Any suggestions for encouraging children to be discreet about our hobby? My oldest kind of gets it, but still occasionally loses control of her volume. My youngest, (he's 5), well...

... in a local park I reminded him we were looking for "secret" treasure and use our "inside" voice... so the next person we came across was told "we're looking for [loud whisper] SECRET TREASURE!"

sigh. just as well they are back in school now!

MoonBunny

One thing that has helped with this is that the kids have planted their own boxes, which they understand need to be kept hidden. So, then, they have a bit more discretion when looking for other boxes. My 4 yo definitely still loses it sometimes, but he's also first to say when someone's coming. Maybe he's just sneaker by nature. . . that probably doesn't bode well for the teenage years.

Along those lines, one trick that has helped with improving our rehides, is for me or my husband to put the box back and have them "check our work," letting us know if they can see the box from the trail. That way, it's not them rehiding and us checking up on them. Believe me, they let me know if even a tiny corner of the box is visible.

DB

There was a segment on letterboxing on Fox 25 News tonight. I was watching it and was really excited. My 12 year old looks at me and says that they contacted him too about letterboxing. He said they heard "he hates it and wanted to interview him but he turned them down". At first I was like "who contacted you? when?" Ya know...the protective mommy thing! Then I figured out it was a joke! Duh! ;)

My daughter is 16mo. old. She has been walking and running since 11 months, but we haven't taken her hiking yet. I'm really itching to get started again when the fall weather hits, but I've been wondering what to do with her. She's too old to throw in a sling or carry (and too heavy!), but too young to really be expected to walk far (or fast, or in a given direction :-) She loves to be outside, so I think she might enjoy the excursion, but we can hardly push a stroller into the woods discreetly! Anyone else letterboxing with a toddler? Anyone with any suggestions? There must be a workable solution, I'm due with our 2nd in Feb. and not willing to consider the possibility of no letterboxing for 3+ years!

We take our toddler out letterboxing all the time. He's 16 months now and loves it! We have one of those backpacks for kids. They're about $75 in the stores I think - we found ours at a yard sale. He gets out when we stop to stretch his legs and run about and then back in the backpack. Comfy enough that he's even dosed off in there!

Shell
Knights of Columbo

Anyone else letterboxing with a toddler? Anyone with any suggestions?

Hi there.

We have been letterboxing with our daughter (17 months old) recently. We have not had very many hard trecks, so we have been fortunate enough to be able to bring her along.

We have been considering purchasing one of those heavy-duty frame back carriers for longer journeys. Have you thought about those?

Kaaren
of DavidandKaaren :)

We have a boxer here who has managed to get her double stroller down just about any trail. She may want to speak up, but that seemed to work well.

My kids are older now (4 & 7), but we hiked (I wish we'd be into letterboxing then!) lots of places with them in kid backpacks. I thought they were comfortable--we absolutely wore one out. I now just carry my four year old on my shoulders when he gets tired.

Lots of breaks, lots of snacks, their own water bottle and a playground or swim or another treat at the end. Many toddlers like getting the box's stamp image stamped on their tummies or hand. Also, mine each have their own books for stamps--my littlest is a mess, with stamps every which way and marker and crayon drawings, but it's his mess. When he was three, the Gpillar loved to leave thumbprint images in the log's books.

Finally, little kids like to see different things like caterpillars and leaves at their own pace. Unfortunately, it changes the pace of how quickly you can hike, but you get to see the world through their eyes, so there are some rewards too.

Good luck!

Dewberry

I used to push my little one in a stroller on trails. Difficult...but I was able to do it. Of course there were times when he wanted to get out and walk and then be carried. Did that too! That was before I knew about letterboxing! Oh! The wasted time! haha :)

We had a frame backpack type carrier that we carried Thundereagle in when she was young. You can carry 75 pounds in it easy because they're designed to put the weight on your hips and shoulders. Thundereagle was 5 or 6 before we had to finally quit.

For easier and wider trails you might consider a Radio Flyer. They make them with large wheels for uneven terrain. We did that for a while and it was easier than a stroller.

Or, you could get a really big dog and put a saddle on it. :-P

Thunderbird

I started boxing when Bunny Boy was 20 mo. (last November). He walked as much as he could, then I carried him (yes, even in the snow). Now he's 28 mo. and we still do the same thing except now he's big enough to piggyback instead of carrying him on my hip. He loves it!

Have fun,
Mumma & Bunny Boy =D

Forgot to say that yes, it takes a long time sometimes. He likes to explore.

I have met Bunny Boy, and he is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He can box with me ANY DAY:)

-WINK

HI Teatyme,
What a great trail name especially there is a tea at my historical home today and a letterbox out front!

You know your old when. . . it never occured to you when you had your first child 31 years ago not to take them hiking. We took this child camping by 3 weeks old and being that she was small for her age, she was in the back pack on and off until she was 3. The last time I had her in the back was when she was 3.5 and a huge snow storm homebound us and we hiked 2 miles to the grocery for supplies. Take heart - in no time at all, you won't be able to keep up with her.

I started letterboxing with 3 great nieces and a great nephew. They were 20 months to 10 years. The weather was 95 degrees and we walked a mile out of our way and even the littlest one did the 2 miles just great although on the way back he was on my shoulders some of the time. Ah yes, this made me really appreciate the new fangled diapers as I didn't end up with diaper rash around my neck.

Good luck and keep boxing and I hope there is never a time when I'm too Old.
Linda Fay