It’s that time of year!
Time for Orange Marmalade to shout out once again:
Ditch electronic games as pastimes!
Choose juicy, imaginative, life-giving options for the kids on your gift lists!
Today — gift ideas to woo kids right out the door.
More lists will come next week.
Darling Easy-On Stay-On Tiger Paw Mittens 
No more wrestling with thumbs? No more falling off one minute later?
These sound like preschool gold!
Jolly puddle stompers make rainy days a blast!
Smart Wool socks are the best for cozy toes!
I’m so excited to draw your attention to this Small Adventures Journal by Keiko Brodeur, chock full of prime ideas for exploring!
Take a peek inside it on her website here! (And prepare to want everything else you see as well!)
Keiko has thought of dozens of clever ways to increase keen observation, engagement of all our senses, and joy in the nature surrounding us, from photographing nature’s textures to making spore prints or recording and naming the colors of the sky. All illustrated in her extraordinarily fetching style!
It’s suitable for ages 6 and up I’d say, and not at all too young for teens (or adults for that matter who’d like encouragement to slow down and savor.)
Keiko has graciously supplied me with a copy that I’d love to give away to one of you!
Enter by commenting — tell us one of your favorite outdoor spaces to visit. Winner will be notified on the blog, December 4th. U.S postal addresses only, please.
A bird feeder brings nature to you
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Our family has loved watching the birds outside our kitchen window.
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Double runner ice skates — so even the 2-year-old can stand up on the ice.
Strap ’em onto boots. This is how I remember beginning to skate in northern Minnesota.
solar lantern
Both my son and husband have one of these super cool, solar-charged lanterns. Light as a feather. Perfect for backyard campouts or full-bore backpacking trips.
sleeping bag
Dream of camping trips or have a family sleep-over by the Christmas tree. REI’s Kindercone bags let you adjust the length of the bag as your child grows.
balance bike
Get the hang of balancing on two wheels, pedal-free. For kids who are raring to go by the time they’re just 18 months old, this sounds like a dream come true.
bike helmet
Don’t ride without a helmet. Don’t let your kids ride with a helmet. No joke. Giro makes great helmets for all sizes of people!
rocking hammock
This looks like a total blast! Follow the link to the website where you can watch it in motion.
Swiss Army Knife
You do not even want to know at what age we gave our kids their first pocket knives. How else do you sharpen your s’more stick??
yard dominoes
Made right here in Minneapolis, these giant dominoes look like so much fun to play with in the yard, at the beach, at a family reunion in the park!
Our family loves to visit Radnor Lake State Natural Area, a treasure close to Nashville.
Ooh. Just looked it up. Looks lovely!
My all time-favorite outdoor space is the beach where we go on vacation each summer… but the trail in the park don the road isn’t half bad either 🙂
Thanks for this list – and the giveaway!
Ah! We’ve loved our beach vacations, too!
I have 2 favorite outdoor places here in the Bronx, NY where I live. One is the Bronx Zoo and the other The New York Botanical Garden bothe within walking distance of each other. Oh, and I’m forgetting my favorite place to take a walk here in the Bronx, City Island. When you are there, you feeling like you are in a New England village!
Great recommendations for our next NYC trip! Thanks!
I love going to rivers. Water is so relaxing!
I agree. I love the sound of moving water.
We have many amazing parks here in Cincinnati and are fortunate enough to live within minutes of Winton Woods which has many hiking trails where we regularly see things like beaver dams, deer, snakes (eeek!) and there are also creeks to muck about in! Also have to put in a good word for the strider balance bikes–all our kids started on them and our oldest made a seamless transition to a two wheeler with no training wheels last year!
Winton Woods sounds wonderful! Mucking about is the best! And glad to hear your thumbs up on the Strider bikes! Thanks, Hannah.
We love doing hikes at local parks- our ableist trail we’ve found in Cincinnati so far is at Sharon Woods. Perfect length for my 3 little hikers!!
Hurray for hiking! Cincinnati sounds like a great city 🙂
I love Richardson nature center, it is peaceful and lovely and allows my kids ample space to run!
Oh! We love Richardson, too. Their nature programs are also excellent.
We love Pringle Nature Center nearby in southern Wisconsin near the border with Illinois. And we love love love Backbone State Park in Iowa. Oh and am I allowed to mention the dunes in Kenosha along Lake Michigan.
Just taking a peek at these lovely places. Thanks for the recommendations! The dunes look fabulous!
Wow!! Everything looks amazing! Our favorite outdoor space is the big park next door, complete with a field to run in, “dragon woods” for adventure, and an ice hockey rink in the winter! We go there most every day, even when it’s raining: in costumes, with big trucks, action figures or teddy bears…the kids never grow tired of it!
I love city parks! Your description reminds me of the parks and green spaces near our apartment in Quebec that we also went to every day.
Thanks for this great list of gift ideas! My favourite outdoor space is a hiking trail called Teapot Hill. It’s a five minute drive down the road from where I live, in Cultus Lake Provincial Park. Hikers often leave teapots along the trail for other hikers to spot. (And although I live in Canada, I have a US mailing address. One of the perks of having dual citizenship!)
Oh my word that sounds like such fun! And obviously beautiful in BC 🙂
I love going to the lake with my husband’s family in California.
Sounds delightful! I love going to the lake here in Minnesota 🙂
Great recommendations as always. My favorite outdoor place is the Cape Cod national seashore. Pure happiness.
Ahh. Just the name Cape Cod makes me feel like I can breathe more expansively. And smell that salt tanged air.
Sanibel Island, FL for vacation
The beach and the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area
near home in Blue Springs, MO
Thanks, Linda! I have never been to Missouri! The photos of Burr Oak Woods online are lovely!
One of my favorite outdoor places to visit os Lory State Park, located in the foothills of northern Colorado, and only a short drive from my house. When I don’t have time for that, spending time in my garden does the trick!
Oh my. Both of those sound like tremendous options!
We enjoy just heading over to Lake Elmo Park!
I love how many green spaces are easy to access here in the Twin Cities!
I hope I’m not commenting twice… Our family’s favorite things to do outdoors are hiking and swimming, and dirt biking.
Sounds like you have a blast together! (And I only see one comment so…success!)
[…] first order of business today is awarding the give-aways of that splendid nature journal and those jazzy magazines. As always with these giveaways, I wish I could give one to everyone who […]