The photographer’s grandson exploring the woods behind their North Carolina home. Photo by Em Sartor.

Did You Know?

• Trees provide a comfortable home for all sorts of animals and birds
• Trees offer us shade and protection from the elements
• Trees give us fruit and nuts to eat
• Trees are natural monkey bars for kids to climb on
• Trees help keep our air safe and clean

Now that you know a little more about trees, here are some Activi-trees to do in your own backyard or local park!

Poe-tree

Some wonderful words have been written about trees. Use your creativity to dream up the perfect ode.

What you need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• “The Giving Tree,” by Shel Silverstein, “Trees,” by Joyce Kilmer, “The Lorax,” by Dr. Seuss

 Steps:

1. Read a book with tree verse like the ones listed above.
2. Go outside and look at a tree for inspiration.
3. Brainstorm about what you think and feel about trees.
4. Write your ideas down in a poem—it doesn’t have to rhyme!
5. Ask mom or dad to type it for you, if you want.
6. Invite your friends to a Poe-tree Reading!

Adopt-a-Tree

Make nature your own by getting up close and personal with one special tree!

Susan Koomar

What you need:

• A small notebook
• Pencil
• A tree in your backyard or local park

 Steps:

1. Ask your mom or dad for a small notebook.
2. Find a favorite tree.
3. Visit the tree in each season to watch its progress.
4. On each visit note how the tree changes, and sketch a picture.
5. Introduce friends to “your” tree and see what they observe!

Tree-rific Picnic

Trees give us so many delicious foods. Create a tree-theme picnic and you’ll have it made in the shade.

What you need:

• A tree in your backyard or a local park
• A picnic blanket
• A picnic basket, backpack or tote bag
• Tree foods such as apples, pears, almonds, and olives

 Steps:

1. Research what kinds of foods grow on trees.
2. Ask mom or dad to help you pack a tree-theme picnic.
3. Bring your picnic to a shady spot under a tree and enjoy your snack!

Plant a Tree

Spring and Fall are the best times to plant a tree. NWF wants to plant 75,000 trees this year and you can help. Visit Trees for Wildlife and order tree kits or get step by step instructions on how to plant and care for a tree. It’s as easy as one, two, tree!

Trees are pretty special, so why not find one to play with today? Whether you swing from a tree tire swing, watch birds make a nest, climb up a tree or just give one a hug, it’s good for you to Be Out There and tree-mendously entertaining!

Celebrating trees are just a few of the ways to help NWF get 10 million kids outside by 2015. Learn more about why you should Be Out There at nwf.org/beoutthere. Learn more about trees and download an awesome tree poster at nwf.org/wildlifeweek.

Little do they know that there are a ton of exciting gifts your kids will love that will also give them some super beneficial play time in the great outdoors. Think happy rosy cheeks, smiles, laughter, and kids that zonk out at bedtime from all that energy burned outside!

This season, make sure kids are getting active and outdoors with these awesome gift ideas for outdoor play.

Here is Be Out There’s list of top holiday gifts for outdoor play:

Gifts for Learning

• Build a Bird House, Bird Feeder or Both!: Each kit contains building materials, fun stickers, plush birds that make real bird calls and a Ranger Rick Certificate.
• Ranger Rick Magazine: Take your kids closer to nature with amazing photographs, real adventures, rain or shine activities, and intriguing information about animals and natural wonders. Subscribe to the award-winning Ranger Rick magazine (ages 7 and up), or our brand new Ranger Rick Jr. (for ages 4-7).
• Sand Table: Sand play is actually a great way for toddlers to learn.  It encourages creativity, is soothing, and helps young children build important physical and social skills that last a lifetime.
  And they like it.
• Owl Puke: Don’t knock it ’til you try it. I don’t know any little boy who can resist this and it’s highly educational. The kit includes sanitized owl puke and lets kids reconstruct real skeletons from actual owl puke. It also comes with a magnifying glass, wood dissection probe, work mat and bone sorting chart. For ages 8 and up.
• Grow a Fairy Garden: There are surprisingly quite a few kits where you grow real plants (start them inside during the winter) and add miniature fairy accents to create a beautiful fairy garden. Get inspired to make a bigger garden this spring.

Gifts for Playing

• Throwback and Low-tech Gifts: Don’t forget the simple joy of low-tech toys like jump ropes, kites, sidewalk chalk, and any variety of ball (football, soccer ball, kickball) for pick-up games on the lawn. Or for a different spin, what about a slack line?
• A Bike: This one never gets old. Bikes are timeless gifts that let kids explore and get some exercise. Don’t forget a helmet! Scooters are also a popular option to get them moving.
• All-terrain Remote Control Toys:  This remote control vehicle goes over land or sea! There are even some aircraft that sync with your iPad or iPhone (how cool). Make them play outdoors for fresh air and to avoid breaking lamps or other fragile household items.
• Great Gear:  We love the saying “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.” Make sure kids are prepared for anything Mother Nature throws at you. Hats, jackets, or these awesome rain gloves keep kids protected and outside all year.
• Play Camping Equipment: There is something magical about sleeping under the stars, even if it’s just pretend. This one-touch play tent is perfect for playing in the backyard. Complement it with a kid’s camping light – also doubles for lighting for night time exploration! Then you’ll be ready to camp this summer.
• Digital Camera: This is a great gift for older kids, even though younger and younger kids are comfortable using this kind of technology. Encourage kids to photograph your family outside or to take pictures of wildlife and post on Wildlife Watch.

Gifts for Exploring

• Ranger Rick’s Nature Notebook: In this notebook, Ranger Rick leads kids through some awesome outdoor adventures for each and every season. Kids record what they see, hear, smell and touch along the way.
• Kid’s Fishing Rod: Give a fishing rod with the promise of a trip to a local fishing hole in the future. Mattel has a great Barbie fishing rod, or build your own.
• Magnifying Glass: A handy kid-proof magnifying glass is a great stocking stuffer. Help your little explorer see snowflakes, bugs, leaves and more – all up close and personal!
• An Adventure Together: The gift of time is hard to wrap, but can be the most lasting present your kids will get. In today’s hectic world exploring a new place together or going for a walk in the neighborhood to see what you can see are low-cost, easy ways to bond with your family. Quiet moments are when some of the best memories are born!

Find more fun gifts for kids from National Wildlife Federation.

There are a lot of little moments throughout my life that made me this way and brought me to NWF, many of which took place outside my front door. This video is actually an indoor moment about a tiny little thing—that wasn’t hard to do or hard to grasp—that apparently made a big impression on me when I was about six. Are you dying to know what it was? You will probably be surprised! Watch this video and find out!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I guess the point I’m trying to get across is it doesn’t take a lot to build a connection with the natural world. I work on NWF’s Be Out There movement to reconnect kids with nature. Every generation says it, but it’s a different time. Getting a good healthy dose of outdoor time isn’t as easy as it once was and regardless of age, it’s so good for you! I’ll share some outdoor moments—old and new—along this crazy ride, and hopefully you’ll share some with me too.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Photolibrary.com

Well, it’s that time of year again! Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s time for raking leaves (and jumping in them), sipping spiced cider, and enjoying all the wonderful changes of the season.

In honor of my favorite holiday (yes, I prefer to eat than get presents), we’ve provided a list of wild crafts and activities your kids will “fall” over — all in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Get outside with your kids and work up an appetite!

1. Make a Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Go for a walk and pick up pieces of Fall as you go – beautifully colored leaves, acorns, small pine cones and more. Bring them home and make this easy craft.

2. Make a Snack-o-Lantern

Turn your leftover pumpkins into feeders for backyard visitors such as squirrels, chipmunks and birds. Learn how.

3. Make Pumpkin Prints

Your kids will love making colorful pumpkin prints using nature’s paint brush – a carrot!

4. Make Thanksgiving Place Cards

Get the family involved! These place cards are easy and beautiful to decorate your Thanksgiving table.

Photolibrary.com

5. Pick Apples and Make Autumn Applesauce

Or if you aren’t near an apple orchard, find a local farmers market and pick out some ripe delicious apples to turn into easy autumn apple sauce!

6. Make Delicious Pumpkin Cookies

You’ll bring a smile to your child’s face — and to several dozen cookies — when you make this treat together.

Try these out and let us know what you think! Or share your favorite fall activities with us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Explore more ideas and inspirations for outdoor play at www.beoutthere.org.