Life is short, and childhood is even shorter! Get some use out of that wooden swing set — it can be used to enhance your family traditions.  Make something old new again for your child's spring or summer birthday by making the swing set the centerpiece for creating a themed birthday party.  This is a unique twist to an outdoor kids’ celebration, but it’s perfect...

http://simplemom.net/let-your-kids-get-dirty/  

http://www.globeatnight.org/

About GLOBE at Night

The GLOBE at Night program is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations to a website from a computer or smart phone. Light pollution threatens not only our “right to...

Passport to Adventure encourages children and their families to get outdoors and explore, while promoting local events, programs, and nearby natural destinations. (more...)

Ode to the Stick

Try celebrating summer this year by getting back to basics.  It's time to play with what's possibly the world's oldest toy - the stick!  Inducted to the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2008, the stick merits special recognition as one of two inductees (along with the cardboard box) not created by a toy manufacturer.  "The good thing about a stick is it's...

Got dirt? “In South Carolina, a truckload of dirt is the same price as a video game!” reports Norman McGee, a father in that state who bought a small pickup-load of dirt for his daughter and friends. As McGee’s photo shows, the dirt was a great success. I told his story a couple years ago in this space. (An abbreviated version of this blog...

Join National Wildlife Federation's Great American Backyard Campout June 25 for a night of old-fashioned fun outdoors. If you can't camp on the 25, register and get outside on any night that is convenient for you. Just open the door and sleep under the stars! Register your "team" of campers, join a "team" of campers who have already registered near you, or simply donate...

  Each proposed game should be created and played by kids age 6-12. There doesn’t need to be any fancy equipment, just basic things like balls and hula-hoops. What it really needs is your creativity! This is your chance to invent the game that kids will play for hours all over the country! No entries will be received after June 30, 2011. The top 5 finalists will...