Staying home this spring break? Keep kids physically active with local outdoor adventures—some can even be educational. Here are 10 ideas, either free or low-cost, for planning your spring staycation. Cat Tales Zoological Park & Wildlife Center: As close to a zoo as we get in the Inland Northwest, Cat Tales is a non-profit organization …
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With silent, moonlit nights, sparkly snow crystals, snowflakes that stick to your nose and eyelashes, nature’s beauty inspires wonder, awe, surprise, delight, nostalgia, and love. During this month’s countdown to the holidays, take time to experience both little and spectacular moments of winter magic. Here are some ideas to inspire you. Partake in the famous …
Before becoming a mom, I didn’t like to think about the possibility of taking a break from rock climbing goals and pushing my limits, or staying at home to take care of a baby while my husband climbed ever-higher mountains without me. Before I became pregnant, my expectation was to continue to get outside after …
Beaver fever, iodine tablets, “Cathole” digging, bear-proof containers—these are just a few aspects of backcountry adventuring, where you can enjoy exceptional landscape beauty and natural serenity with your children. To better understand how to start planning, here are some ideas and recommendations. Begin with a “backcountry lite” experience, or seeking out enough primitive wilderness without …
My hand-drawn, cluttered summer calendar was stressing me out with its arrows, stickers, and Sharpie color-coded notes for different activities: swimming lessons, camping trips, art day camps, pool days, park visits, free outdoor movies. It was visually kid-friendly, for sure, and provided structure and routine. I wanted this calendar to make me feel prepared and …
Learning from those farther along their parenting journey can inspire and encourage the less-experienced among us. Jonathan Johnson and Amy Howko, from Cheney, Wash., have appreciable insights after raising their daughter, Anya, now 17 years old. OTO: What values and attitudes about outdoor recreation and travel did you prioritize and emphasize once you became parents? …
Fresh-Air Parenting, coined by outdoor writer Katie Arnold in a May 2015 “Outside Magazine” article, asserts that “Letting [children] embrace freedom involves a fair amount of hovering,” and lies along the spectrum between helicopter parenting and free-range parenting. Fresh-air parenting wavers in the middle of these two extremes – somewhat free-range but hovering as needed …
This holiday season, OTM makes your shopping easy with our Local Holiday Gift Guide. There’s no need to search far and wide for gifts for your fellow outdoorsy folk and other loved ones who appreciate unique, locally-procured gifts. There are so many good reasons to shop locally for the holidays. We’ve compiled a wide range …
Perhaps it was during a relentless rainstorm at Mount Rainier National Park while sitting in the backseat of my Subaru Outback with my son, when he was 4 months old, when I first realized my grateful attachment. Or maybe it started years before, when that same car carried my husband and me over snowy mountain …
The Spokane River exudes energy and mystery, fascinating kids and parents alike. A hike along a river is a fun way to explore nature while gaining observational lessons about the water cycle and riparian zones – the narrow strips of land along a river’s borders that provide a unique home for plants and animals that …
