Pacific Loon on Lake Monona
Pacific Loon on Lake Monona.
You never know what you’ll see while biking.
On Monday, bike club went to Monona Terrace Convention Center and spotted two Pacific Loons feeding in the waters near the bike path. The kids thought they were ducks, but the pointy beak and diving behavior suggested otherwise.
I didn’t get the best photo, but that didn’t diminish the experience. Pacific loons do not nest in Wisconsin, so it’s always a thrill to see an uncommon bird.
I’ll try to head back there today to see if they’re still there. For more information go to:
http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/pacific_loon#
Carrot Juice vs Chips: Bike for Life explores the options
Surprise: Kids like carrot juice.
Carrot juice or chips?
Raw peanut butter anyone?
What do you think kids will eat?
Turns out they’ll eat all three, but not necessarily in that order.
I didn’t think they’d like carrot juice, but they did.
They watched intently as the Willy Street Coop juice bar man turned carrots into juice with the flip of a switch. The rich, orange juice flowed out and the kids eagerly drank it up. They also loved watching peanuts turn into peanut butter in the grinder. They liked that it looked kinda gross coming out of the machine, which always helps with kids.
After they tried the juice and peanut butter, I took out chips and chocolate to talk about portion size and choices in food. They squealed with delight. Sugar, salt and fat make for tough competition. No squeals for carrot juice and unsweetened/unsalted peanut butter, but then again, they had never tried them before. On the other hand, junk food, is readily available and a primary cause of obesity in kids.
Can you just 12 chips?
Of course, the real challenge with junk food is how much kids eat.
Did you know that there are about 12 chips and 250 calories in one serving? Have you ever tried eating just 12 chips in a sitting? That’s the challenge. I offered single serving bags of chips to make the point.
The next time you sit down to eat chips, challenge yourself and your kids to eat just one serving. And, before you eat, read the ingredient label. Turns out that the nacho cheese flavored chips are loaded with preservatives, whereas simple potato chips contain just potatoes, oil and salt. Even in the chip world, there are choices.
As for the chocolate, the package said a serving was half the bar. This seemed like a lot so we talked about that. Can you eat just a few squares of chocolate and put the rest away for another day? I know I can’t, which is why I don’t eat chips or eat sugar. I shared this with the kids so they know that there’s a choice. They don’t get it, but then again, they don’t have to, just yet.
Kids are smart and while most of their food choices are made by others, I believe that this information will make a difference to them.
Perhaps not now, but in the future.
What do you think?
Bike for Life is an obesity prevention program created and run by Diane Schwartz out of the Goodman Community Center. It’s funded by the Endres Foundation and the Rosenlund Family Foundation. The group is enjoying the great fall weather by biking around Madison. Next week, we’ll head up to the Capitol.
Quetico Vacation: Bruises, Eagles and Pictographs
The Sierra Club Quetico Crew 2011.
Canoeing in Quetico Provincial Park is the ultimate outdoor vacation. While there were no kids on this trip, it’s important for me to write about and share this experience. Who knows, perhaps I’ll take a group there someday. Well, maybe not… read on and you’ll understand why.
Quetico canoe trips are beautiful and rigorous. We saw so much wildlife that by the end of the trip, Bald Eagles became ordinary. My body grew strong while simultaneously getting beat up. Bruises of all shapes and sizes dotted my arms and legs from slipping on rocks, getting in and out of the canoe or falling with a 70 pound pack on my back. Canoeing the Quetico is a humbling experience and yet remains worth the effort.
Here’s the trip by the numbers:
Dates: August 28 to Sept 4
Duration: 8 days, 7 nights
Total Miles: 80
Portage Miles: 5
Longest Day: 20 miles
Shortest Day: 9 miles
Portages: 28
Longest portage: 1 mile
Shortest portage: 20 feet
Shortest unmarked portage: One step. (Okay technically this wasn’t a portage at all. Rather we had to step carefully on floating pieces of a sphagnum moss to maneuver the canoe through the wetland.)
Truth?
There were times on the trip, such as being stuck knee-deep in the mud with a 45 pound canoe on my shoulders, when I wondered why I would call this a vacation. And yet, it was. The wilderness is rejuvenating. It’s beautiful and everywhere you turn there’s another plant to look at and inspect. The lichen and moss are so diverse, I could write a book just about them. And there’s nothing better than drinking directly from clean, clear lakes. It’s feels like drinking hope.
The images and memories from this trip will last a long time.
Among my favorite images were the pictographs.
Rock wall on Lac la Croix where we saw many pictographs.
Ojibwe people painted pictures on rock walls throughout the Quetico about 400 years ago. We saw the best pictographs in the park on a massive rock wall on Lac la Croix. Approaching the rock wall, I imagined Ojibwe people camping on the nearby beach and visiting the rock wall for ceremonies or to make an offering. I imagined the painters resting on the beach before doing their work.
The images themselves are mysterious. The handprints reminded me of child play. The moose was a work of graceful art.
What do the paintings mean? Why did they do it? It’s easy to think that they were just playing or offering up artistic expression, but that’s not likely because the images are found on rock art elsewhere in the country. This lends credence to the theory that rock art had a spiritual purpose.
The paintings remain bright after hundreds of years due to a paint mixture of iron ore and bear fat. I tend to think that the painters
Handprints. Are they playful images or do they have deeper spiritual meaning?
must have known what they were doing when they made this very durable paint, but how they knew this is a mystery.
Modern Lac la Croix natives continue to worship at these rocks today. We did the same. To honor the drawings and the people who painted them we left a small offering of berries. I also made offerings when we crossed large lakes. Native people did this to protect themselves from the perils of big water. It’s a simple act of humility in an unforgiving environment.
After visiting the pictographs, we canoed another mile to Warrior Hill, a massive rock face used as a testing ground for young warriors. The story goes that young warriors raced to the top of the hill to earn entry into The Warrior Club. So, immediately, we took off our shoes and climbed up the sheer rock face to the top.
Graceful moose painted by talented Ojibwe artist.
The views were gorgeous and the feeling even better at the top. I imaged young Ojibwe men sparing and egging each other on as they raced up the hill. I imagined the winners strutting in front of young women, hoping to impress. I imagined the awe they felt as they looked at the beautiful view from the top. It is easy to believe in a power greater than myself from such a vantage point.
These images will be with me for a long time and I’ll post larger photos as soon as I get them.
Do you have any memorable moments to share from your outdoor vacation? Would you take kids?
Lots of Bubbles at Wisconsin PBS Kids Open House
They came; they made bubbles; they left.
I just went through 12 gallons of bubble juice at Wisconsin Public Television’s Open House at Vilas Hall in Madison, WI.
That’s a lot of bubbles.
That’s a lot of kids.
That’s a lot of fun.
About 1000 kids and parent showed up to make bubbles, see Mr. Steve and enjoy their favorite PBS Kids characters.
If you want me to come to your special event, just send me an email at getkidsoutside@gmail.com.
Bubbles are fun and even the smallest children can enjoy them.
Is it ever too hot?
I wrote this piece during the last heat wave. Now that we’re deep into our second heat wave of the summer, it’s a good time to post.
I didn’t want to, but I cancelled Bike for Life on Friday afternoon (July 1) because the temperatures were 90 degrees with a heat index of 97.
Wisconsin licensing rules forbid children from engaging in outdoor activity when it’s above 90 degrees (except swimming of course). The rule is designed to keep kids safe, but it is also restrictive.
Yes, it was hot, but it wasn’t too hot for a healthy kid to bike less than a mile to Olbrich Park, go swimming, and then bike back. Imagine what kids do in the south? They would never go outside in the summer with a rule like that.
I believe that rules like this teach kids to fear the outdoors. For example, we went skiing in sub zero temperatures and the kids were fine. They learned what to do to stay warm. The same is true of heat. The kids lost a valuable opportunity.
Next year, I’ll plan bike club in the mornings to avoid cancellations. I can’t change the rules, but I can change the times that we ride.
And, if it’s hot on Friday, I’ll be planning to do something else.
What do you do when the weather’s hot?
When it’s okay to shoot a gun: Outdoor Skills Day
Ebrahim, Gavin and Juan target practice.
Year ago, shooting a gun was a rite of passage for boys and BB guns were common. Today, BB guns and bow and arrow sets are pretty much things of the past, but not at Outdoor Skills Day at MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette.
For one day each summer, kids learn how to shoot at targets, throw hatchets, cast a fishing line, cut wood, cook over a fire, start a fire without a match and lots more. I went with 13 kids ages 5 to 13 plus three parents.
At first, I was a little nervous, but once I saw how great the kids were behaving, I loosened up a bit. They were so respectful of each other and of the skills they were learning. The people at MacKenzie know what they’re doing. They made it safe.
The Bowhunters Association, DNR wardens and fisheries staff, and lots of volunteers were on hand to teach kids how to do things safely. They had the all the right equipment and plenty of room. Kids learned that shooting a gun wasn’t about killing people, but about concentration and skill. It was wonderful to see the kids so focused. I could see their self-confidence grow as they practiced. Experiential learning is so important for kids, especially high energy kids.
As a result of this trip, I’m inspired to bring an archery program to Goodman Community Center or to host our own Outdoor Skills Day. We could use a few more confident, respectful kids.
So what do you think? Do you think events like this are okay? What is your experience working with kids and outdoor skills?
Tania (age 5) and Buba (age eight) work the cross-cut saw.
Angel (age 13) shoots a muzzle loader with help from a Wisconsin Muzzle Loader Association volunteer.
Mari (age eight) gears up for archery.
Ebrahim (age 5) throws and then hits the target. His face says it all.
Gavin (age eight) gets instruction from a Wisconsin Muzzle Loading Association volunteer before taking aim.
$1 Snack Attack: What will kids choose to eat?
What will kids buy if they only have $1 to spend on a snack?
That was the Bike for Life challenge last week.
The kids could choose from the following as long as they stayed under $1:
- apple or banana – 22-60 cents
- cheese stick – 33 cents
- 1 oz peanuts – 22 cents
- 1 candy bar – 93 cents
- Single serving bag of chips 33 cents
Before they made their choices, we talked about each item and its nutritional value. We also looked at portion size and learned how to read a nutrition label.
Then, we biked to Copps grocery store on Aberg and took a tour of the departments. The store manager gave us a tour and the kids made their choices.
Of the six boys, 1 chose peanuts, two chose an apple and cheese stick, 1 chose the chips, and two chose the candy bar. Of the 7 girls, all bought an apple along with either the nuts or a cheese stick.
For whatever reason, it appears the boys felt freer to buy junk food. The two boys were giddy that I’d let them buy candy. If given money and the choice, some kids will always buy candy.
When I asked John why he chose the chips, he said “I just felt like a chip.” Perhaps he associated chips with a reward, or he craved the salt. Regardless, nutrition had nothing to do with his choice.
The girls all chose a healthy snack: either an apple and nuts, or an apple and cheese stick. One person commented that she didn’t get the candy because she could buy two things for her money instead of one candy bar. Just like John, nutrition had nothing to do with her choice. It’s also possible that the girls wanted to please me or were driven by peer pressure. Since none of the girls said they wanted a candy bar, perhaps it was too risky for a lone candy bar lover to break from the pack. I wonder what would have happened if just one boy would have wanted the candy. Would he have risked speaking up?
Overall, I think it was a good experiment. Most of the kids chose healthy snacks despite less healthy options. Next time, I’ll ask more questions about why they chose what they did. Healthy eating takes a lifetime to learn and this was a small learning step. Two things are certain, 1) kids have lots of reason for choosing what they eat and 2) the will never forget (I hope) the day that their teacher gave them $1 to spend anyway they wanted.
Car Games: Getting outside without going crazy
Sometimes, the worst part of a trip is the van ride. If the kids act up it stresses me out before we even get there. Car games are a great way to occupy kids on long bus or car rides.
Tell me what you think of these games. Some of them are old classics and others are new to me. Have fun with them and add your own. Modify them to suit your own needs.
ANIMAL VEGETABLE OR MINERAL (20 QUESTIONS)
recommended age 8 and above
Someone thinks of an object that falls under the category of animal,
mineral, or vegetable and then tells the other players which group it is in. The players then take turns asking questions that can be answered with a YES or NO. For example, if the object is a marble its made from glass so its mineral, and the questions might go
…’Is it alive?’… ‘No’
‘Can I use it?’… ‘Yes’
‘Is it useful?’…’No’
‘is it small?’…’yes”
‘Can I play with it?’…’Yes’
‘Is it a marble?’ ‘Yes’
After 20 questions everyone has one last go and then its the next persons turn to choose something
Make up a Story
8 and up
Someone starts with a sentence about absolutely anything…ie. PLAYER 1 Charlie was walking along the street when out of the corner of his eye he saw something that made his blood freeze. PLAYER 2 He saw an ice cream van and ran to order a 99. The next person has to follow on with their own sentence that may or may not be what player one had intended. We have had huge fun with this game where one child has been determined to make the story a horror whereas another child has wanted to make it a humour / romance…let the battle commence!
Alphabet Game
Fine for all children who know their alphabet
This is a game of speed and observation. Everyone looks around them and has to find the letters of the alphabet from A-Z in order. Only one person can have any one letter (if there is a P on a signpost only one person can have it) so there is a lot of shouting to stake the claim! Letters can be found on number plates, billboards, road signs, place names etc. although the letter Q is very tricky (bus stops often have QUEUE THIS SIDE for those with eagle eyes!) The winner is the first to Z.
COUNTRIES
recommended age 8 and above
Someone starts by choosing a country ie. France. The next person must
name a country whose name begins with the last letter of the previously named country. In this case the last letter of France is E, so the next person must name a country beginning with E, ie England then Denmark until someone gives up. This game could work with any subject from animals to pop stars!
NAME GAME
recommended age 6 and above
Choose a subject such as girls names and everyone has to give the name of a girl in alphabetical order ie Alyson, Betty, Carol etc. When you get to Z go back to A again. Players drop out as they can’t think of anything and the winner is the last one in.
ALPHABET MEMORY GAME
recommended age 8 and above
The first person starts with the letter A and says ’A’ is for (choose a word beginning with A). Player 2 then says ‘A’ is for (names from first person said) B is for (choose a word beginning with B).
This continues down the alphabet until at Z the player needs to remember all the letters and the things attached to them from A-Z.
The winner is the last person to do it correctly.This is very good for your memory and you can make it more fun by using silly words like T is for mom’s temper.
COLORED CARS
recommended age 2 and above
Each person chooses a color and this is then written on a piece of paper next to your name. Mark 1 point next to your name each time you spot a car of your chosen color. The winner is the first to reach 25.
Colored cars helps small children with their colors and attention levels.
SEQUENCES
Each player chooses a number between ten and 99, then has to spot their number on a license plate. Whoever spots their number on a plate wins the game.
THE BONG GAME
One person has to answer questions about themselves from everyone else for a minute without stopping. But they’re not allowed to answer yes or no. If they do, they’re given the gong - ‘bong!’ - and they’re out.
BING WHO?
The children shout out a first name and the adults have to think of a famous person with that name. If they manage it, the adults get a point, but if they’re stumped, the kids get it.
CAR BASEBALL (Cricket)
recommended age 8 and above
I adapted this game from Cricket to Baseball (it’s from the UK). Give it a try and let me know if it works. Look out for Pubs and Restaurants, and look at what they are called. Take turns to ‘bat’ you score ‘runs’ by the number of “legs” in the title ie. the ‘Red Lobster’ would score 10 runs because lobster’s have 10 legs, and the ’Big Boy’ would score 2 because a big boy has two legs. Your inning is over when a pub/restaurant name has no legs for example ‘Subway’. The winner is whoever scores the most during their innings. This game works best when driving through towns. Click here for detailed instructions on how to play and then modify the rules to make them work.
CONNECTIONS
recommended age 4 and above
One person starts off with a single word eg. dog, the next person has to say the first word they think of related to dog eg. animal, the next person the first word they think of connected to animal eg donkey, and so on until you get completely stuck. You can also play this game by remembering the words that have gone before and if anyone repeats one they are out. This is very good for lateral thinking
CHANGE A LETTER
recommended age 8 and above
The first person starts off with a single word (this game is easiest if you write it down), the next person has to change one letter and make a different word, and so on until no more words can be made. (For example, “James, Games, Gates, Mates, Mites, Mines, Minus”)
SILLY MESSAGES
recommended age 6 and above
Take turns calling out five letters in any order, such as ‘E, H, A, S, and W.’ All players write them down. Then everyone gets a few minutes (or a few miles) to figure out a silly message about an animal using the letters to start words. For example, with the letters above you could write ‘Emus have a silly walk’. After you’ve taken turns reading your messages, another person calls out a new set of letters.
LIST AND LOOK
all ages because you work as a team
Take turns naming animals you think you might see in the next 20 miles (or longer if you are on a motorway). Everyone makes the same list. For example, you might put these on the list: baby in a car, bird of prey, a dragon on a pub sign, some cows, etc. The adult in the car decides if they are either too difficult or easy. The car then work together as a team and cross the animals off as you find them. Sometimes its easier for an adult to cross off the list especially with the under 5′s. The driver doesn’t help because he has to give each of the players a little treat for everything found on the list by the time you’ve covered in the given amount of miles.
WHEELS BASEBALL
recommended age 6 and above
Each player has an 9 innings (or less if you want). During your inning you have to spot vehicles and count the wheels on them adding up as you go along. For example, if a car passes, you get 4 points and if a bike passes, you get 2 points. If a vehicle with 6 or more wheels passes, your innings is over and the next player gets a go. The person with the most points at the end of all the innings wins.
‘I SPY’
recommended age 2 and above
The first player thinks of something they can see and says ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with…’ The winner is the first to guess correctly then its their turn. For smaller children it can be I spy a cat and the child looks for the cat. I spy some thing red and the child can find a red car.
CAR REGISTRATION NUMBERS
recommended age 6 and above
Make phrases with the car registration numbers e.g. WWW 435D could be Wierd Wooly Wombats.
CAR SNOOKER
recommended age 8 and above
I don’t get this game at all. Maybe you will. You will need a paper and pencil for this to keep track of the score, its probably best if one person scores and everyone else plays (to avoid arguments). Starting with the player behind the driver the game starts after the first silver car. The player has to put balls in order until the next silver car which ends his or her go. The winner is the person with the most points after the black has been spotted at the end of the whole sequence (see a black car) after ‘spotting’ all the other colours in order. (pink balls are a car with a caravan, brown balls are a white van)
The order of colors is: red 1 point, followed by any of the colors below (do this 15 times). yellow 2 points, green 3 points, brown 4 points, blue 5 points, pink 6 points, black 7 points. Hold on I haven’t finished yet! if you see two red cars behind each other, when you are doing the first bit of red followed by color, you loose 4 points and your go!
CATEGORIES
recommended age 6 and above
Decide on a category. Starting with the person behind the driver each player has to name something in that category. As each player can’t think of something new they drop out of the game. The winner is the last person left. Categories can include: trees, flowers, animals, colours, etc
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
recommended for 2 players age 5 and above
Players count to three then make their hands into the shape of a rock (clenched fist) paper (flat hand) or scissors (hands clenched with index and middle finger stretched out into the shape of scissors). Rock smothers scissors but is smothered by paper, Paper smothers rock but is cut by scissors and Scissors cut paper but are smothered by rock. Winner is the best of three
THE SILENT GAME
any age
See who can stay quiet for the longest…the winner (the last person to make a noise) gets a treat. A brilliant game for when things are getting fraut, if you’re lucky they might even fall asleep!!
Rhubarb Game
Any age
You must only answer rhubarb to any question you are asked…ie ‘what do you like taking to bed with you’…answer rhubarb’ but if you laugh your turns over. Time each go and the one who stays in the longest is the winner. This can be played using the word of your choice. My children like playing it with the word poo, giving hours of hilarity, but I’m sure your kids are far more sensible!!
YES! NO! BLACK AND WHITE
any age
A version of the game above but you’re only allowed to say yes, no, black or white
HORSE
3 upwards
Dish out some jelly sweets (or sweets that don’t melt) between the players. If you see a horse you must yell ‘sheep’. The last one to yell it gives one of their sweets to the person on their left…if they yell horse by mistake they give a sweet to the player on their right too. To make it more fun for older children, and adults! if you see a sheep you must yell ‘horse’ a caravan ‘bird’ a bird ‘caravan’ a police car ‘dog’ and a dog ‘police car’
COUNTING GAME
any age
Count a specific animal if in the country people, cats or dogs if you’re in the town that you see on your side of the car. If you pass an animal on your side of the car, you go back to zero, but only if the opposing team calls out “your (cows, sheep, men etc) are buried!”. This game gets interesting when distraction tactics are used to either cause your opponent to miss the thing they are counting on their side of the road or to miss a graveyard on your side of the road. A white horse can count as 10 bonus points and a postbox can cancel out a graveyard like a get out of gaol free card (for this it is probably a good idea to have a piece of paper that the adults can issue out when a post box has been seen and surrendered when used to stop the points being taken off because of a graveyard) The team with the most points wins.
References:
- Travel With Kids on About.com
- Are We There Yet? Favorite Car Games To Keep Families Sane!
The Ferocious 5: The joy of same-sex bike groups
Isaiah, Micah, Buba, Cashel and Gavin look cool on the Goodman Center's new bikes.
Meet the Ferocious 5: Isaiah, Micah, Buba, Cashel and Gavin.
The boys make up my morning Bike for Life group at the Goodman Community Center.
I have a girl group in the afternoon.
While I didn’t plan it this way, I’m seeing the benefits of same-sex groups.
I find it easier to manage behaviors in same-sex groups because the behaviors are similar. In this case, the boys are more competitive. They argue more and listen less. They want to go fast, but then poop out. The girls don’t argue at all and they’re better listeners. They pace themselves and have more stamina. If they’re competitive, they don’t show it, or at least not yet.
Neither is better, but the energies are so very different.
Of course, same-sex groups may not work this smoothly in all cases, but I’m happy with them so far.
Bike for Life meets every Friday for 9 more weeks. Stay tuned for more stories about the Ferocious 5 and the Girl Group.
Bike for Life teaches kids how to love biking so they’ll want to do it forever. In addition, they’ll learn about healthy snacks so that they’ll stay fit.
Biking: Independence on Wheels
Icie and Micah show off our super cool folding bikes outside the Goodman Community Center after our first neighborhood ride.
A bike is an independence machine.
called Bike for Life. Bike for Life teaches kids how to safely ride and navigate city bike paths and roads. It also strives to get kids moving and teach them about healthy nutrition. Obesity is a huge issue today, especially among minority populations. Of course, the serious stuff is disguised in the fun and adventure of biking.
