It’s not too late to turn your family’s Mother’s Day into time outside that creates lasting memories:

Rebecca Cohen's book provides parents creative ways to make the outdoors a part of every day.

No matter how old your kids are, what often matters most to Mom is a meaningful experience together as a family. Here are more outdoor gift ideas that don’t cost
much (if anything!) and are at the top of Mom’s list:

• Take a scenic hike. With a basket of wildlife guides, binoculars, a magnifying glass, and snacks, plan an easy hike at a nearby local, state, or national park. If your children are small, a one-mile loop can be a fun and easy way to get fresh air. If you don’t know where to go, try the NatureFind to find the right park or trail for your family.
• Prepare a picnic. Even with a blanket in the yard, taking the time to prepare a favorite lunch with lemonade and a bouquet of flowers shows your appreciation for all Mom does for the family every day.
• Visit a garden. There are wonderful local gardens open for Mother’s Day and you can present this idea to Mom with some window boxes or hanging baskets with flowers that you planted for her.
• Give Mom an adventure. Ask Mom what she has always wanted to do outside and take her. Whether going on a biking trail or visiting to a lake and renting a canoe, ask what would be most fun for her.

Excerpt from 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with your Kids (Sourcebooks)

When my family is outside, we are laughing and having fun together. Here’s to making this Mother’s Day a treasured outdoor experience for your memory books.

Rebecca Cohen's new book provides parents creative ways to make the outdoors a part of every day.

Are you ready for Earth Day? Help your family embrace nature on April 22 by doing more than just hugging a tree with these activities from Rebecca P. Cohen’s new book, Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids.

These simple ideas will help you conserve, learn, and have fun together. Then you can join the B Kind 2 Earth Day campaign! The idea is simple: promise to do at least one kind thing for the earth on Earth Day and get others to do the same. The kindness can be as basic as going on a hike with your kids, or as big as a park clean up – or anything in between.

When you decide what to do, share with us on Facebook!

1. Make solar S’mores

Place a large marshmallow and piece of chocolate between two graham crackers, wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil, and set it in the sun for ten minutes. Unwrap it and voila! The s’more is ready to eat.

2. Find designs in the stars

Turn off the house lights one evening and head out with a warm blanket to lay on the ground. Look up at the sky and connect the dots with your fingers to point out to each other the shapes, letters, or numbers you see. If the moon is out, you can play with your moon shadows too! If you want to take the experience further, start a moon journal!

3. Use a renewable resource and fly a kite

Even if you have to be at the office during the day, you can use the extra hour of daylight to make an evening special by packing a picnic and heading to the park to watch the sunset. Bring a kite to make the time together even that much more fun.

4. Learn to reuse with compost

With this composting lesson, shovel in dirt with worms into a clear plastic bag, poke about twenty holes near the top of the bag for ventilation, then add banana peels and apple cores as you have snacks and watch what happens over a couple of weeks. Keep the bag at the outdoor temperature and away from direct sunlight. Return the worms to the spot you borrowed them from when you are done with your experiment! If your ready for the big-time, make a worm-compost bin!

5.  Go on a power walk instead of watching TV

Plug into family connection with a walk to a favorite location with your children; better yet, if you don’t have a favorite, take a walk near home and discover one. Ask your kids about their favorite ways to unplug outside and plan to do more outdoor activities together.

So take a break from the electronics to really celebrate Earth Day. There’s a wonderful world out there around us, and you and your kids are bond to have a great time, create some memorable moments, all while getting a breath of fresh air and enjoyable physical exercise. Help show your kids how remarkable nature by taking the time to appreciate it.

This blog is the third in a monthly series from author of 15 Minutes Outside and Be Out There mom, Rebecca P. Cohen of Rebecca Plants LLC.

Rebecca Cohen's new book provides parents creative ways to make the outdoors a part of every day.

Want to know how you can celebrate National Wildlife Week right in your backyard?  Head outside for 15 minutes each day the week of March 14-20 and Be Out There!

Notice the nature in your neighborhood with these five activities from 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids (Sourcebooks).

MONDAY: Focus on the Sounds

Have a challenge with your kids and see how many sounds they can hear outside. Ask them if they can hear more sounds the quieter they are. Listen first for a minute or two, and then start to identify the sounds. What animals do you hear? If you don’t know the names of the animals, what do the children think they might look like?

TUESDAY: Lie Under a Tree and Look Up

I love to do this with my son in our hammock, but you don’t need a hammock to enjoy the shade and the view up into a tree from underneath. The silhouette and pattern of the tree’s leaves against the sky is beautiful. Want to get even comfier? Lie on a blanket and bring a pillow for your heads too.

WEDNESDAY: Make a Nature Container

Kids love to collect things from nature, and my boys are sad when they can’t bring something they’ve collected inside. They are afraid it will get lost outside. A nature container is a perfect solution. Give your child her own plastic container with a lid, where she can keep what she finds. The container can be stored in a closet by the door or in the garage, and she can easily grab it when she wants to play with her nature objects outside. Take a tip from the National Wildlife Federation: Try hanging a clear shoe organizer on the back of a door so your children can put treasures into the convenient pockets and see what they’ve collected (see their website at www.BeOutThere.org for more ideas).

THURSDAY: Look at Moss and Mushrooms

Moist spring conditions create vibrant green moss and interesting fungi. We love noticing what is popping up along forest paths and in the yard. We like touching fuzzy moss too. Backyardnature.net has some interesting general information about moss and mushroom identification.

FRIDAY: Spot a Predator

It’s interesting to look at an insect or an animal and think about why it may be attracted to that spot… Head out the door and talk about the first insect that you notice on the ground. Why do you think it has chosen that location? Then, learn more about their habitat and what they eat. Check out www.Insecta-Inspecta.com and www.A-Z-animals.com.

Want more tips and activities for Saturday and Sunday? Visit BeOutThere.org! Or subscribe for my free at RebeccaPlants.com to receive my monthly newsletter, Learn Outside, created for parents and educators. Ranger Rick Magazine has some good pointers, too!

Read Rebecca’s other posts in this series:

• January: Create An Ice Masterpiece
• February: Got Snow? Track Animals In Your Neighborhood

This blog is the second in a monthly series from author of

Depending on where you live, right now there may be snow, ice, or mud. Regardless of the weather conditions, we can all have fun when it comes to noticing wildlife.

Here’s an idea for outdoor adventure any day of the week and in any weather: TRACK AN ANIMAL!

“We all know about finding tracks, but what about following them? It sounds slightly scary and exciting at the same time. My five-year-old and I followed some tracks in the deep snow that led around a path; they looked like small boot prints. After following the tracks into the woods we came upon a spot where the snow was cleared and there was lots of deer scat. That’s when we realized that the tracks must have been from a herd of deer! We couldn’t wait to trek back home and tell the rest of the family about our adventure.” Excerpt from 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with your Kids by Rebecca P. Cohen (Sourcebooks, March 2011)

Our family has followed raccoon prints in mud, squirrel prints in ice, and deer and dog tracks in the snow. If you don’t see any tracks, get your boots on and create your own! Take turns making paths for one another to follow.

Want more tips? Subscribe for my free at RebeccaPlants.com to receive my monthly newsletter, Learn Outside, created for parents and educators. Ranger Rick Magazine has some good pointers, too!

Read Rebecca’s first post in this series: Create An Ice Masterpiece

As a mother of two young boys and producer of the video series, Get Out of the House, I believe Be Out There can help American families, schools and communities create fun and educational outdoor experiences and raise happier, healthier kids.

My experiences making memories outside with my children led me to write a book as an evergreen resource for families, caregivers, and teachers for simple ways to incorporate the outdoors into every day of the year, no matter the weather. Each month for Wildlife Promise readers, I’ll suggest a seasonally appropriate activity for you to enjoy your time outside from my new book, 15 Minutes Outside.

And don’t let winter stop you! Here’s an idea to get out there even in the chilly days of January:

ACTIVITY: EXAMINE THE ICE AND THEN TURN IT INTO A MASTERPIECE!

• Examine the ice outside. Look at the layers, bubbles, leaves, sticks, and other items that add to the texture of it. My kindergartener recently remembered his science lessons while we scrutinized a piece of ice in our yard. “Mom, did you know that ice is a solid, which turns to water—a liquid—when it melts, and when it disappears into air it’s a gas!”
• After you have examined the ice, why not turn it into a work of art? Using paint brushes and homemade watercolors (water mixed with food coloring) have your kids make a painting right on a piece of ice. Younger kids will enjoy using spray bottles, each filled with a different color of paint (water and food coloring), to create an abstract painting on the ice.

Excerpt from 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with your Kids by Rebecca P. Cohen (Sourcebooks, March 2011).

Whether your wintry weather is cold or warm, we can find or create ice to play with and in many ways. I hope you’ll enjoy this activity as much as my five year-old son did and still does today. Want more tips? Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, Learn Outside, at www.rebeccaplants.com.

On January 1st of 2009, I set a goal to have an experience outside every day with my two kids, whether walking to school, exploring a patch of woods, or going to the park. I took the goal seriously–but without frustration–by simply making sure that getting outside was top of mind whenever they were looking for something to do.

I achieved my goal. The best part of setting a goal to get outside every day is that it is easy–rarely taking any planning, the outdoors is free, and it’s literally right beyond your doorstep. Sometimes we spent time outside in the morning and evening; other times, we’d take a walk and spend so long exploring that we were gone nearly two hours.

My boys, now five and seven, are now more naturally drawn to the outdoors and our time outside as a family has brought us closer together. They notice more beautiful details around them, head outside on their own and with friends every day, and even write about their outdoor experiences in school. Now, my children not only learn about nature and wildlife from text, they experience it first-hand, developing their curiosity and interest in the world around them.

Even if you don’t know how you’ll possibly achieve time outside every day with your children given your family’s busy schedule or your children’s different interests, take the Be Out There pledge. Starting with as little as 15 minutes every day, you can give a gift to your children that will last a lifetime. And, time outside may also improve your health and well-being too.

Rebecca P. Cohen is Founder and President of Rebecca Plants LLC, is a gardening and outdoor lifestyle company that inspires families to be outside and improve their well being. For her weekly online video series, “Get Out of the House” as well as Starla J. King’s guest blog series “Savoring Summer,” visit http://www.rebeccaplants.com.

In 2007, ten of us went on a walk after our Christmas meal. We drove to a nature trail near a lake, and spent an hour or two exploring the sunny and snow-free (but very crisp) winter day. Most of the group got to witness an awesome surprise: a bald eagle taking off from a tree by the water ten feet in front of them. My younger sister and her husband are avid bird watchers, and it was their first bald eagle.

Watch this video >>

Last year, I took twelve of us on our first fishing trip for Thanksgiving, and it was a complete surprise to everyone. I have to admit I was worried with this surprise: it was a very cold and windy day, but each person got into the experience in different and wonderful ways. We made our own fishing poles out of bamboo harvested the day before from my mother-in-law’s backyard. My younger sisters liked making the fishing poles, I loved learning how to put a hook, weight, and bobber on a fishing line, and my parents really enjoyed visiting with everyone while we fished. The kids seemed to enjoy every bit of it, especially digging for worms and having hot chocolate while we waited for the fish to bite.

This year? I’m inviting all the kids in the neighborhood for a Thanksgiving morning game of kickball with warm muffins and hot cocoa. My boys are always waiting all day for their aunts, uncles, and grandparents to arrive, and getting the kids up and out with their friends will help pass the time while the adults get the turkey ready to go in the oven. I imagine it will help my neighbors and their kids too.

Whether it’s the same outdoor tradition every year or trying something new, getting outside is a great way to give one another space to breathe some fresh air and discover another way to spend time together that will give each of you memories to last a lifetime. And by the way, do you think I knew how to fish before I took all of us? Nah, I knew someone in the group would know how to do it, and sure enough, he taught us all.

Rebecca P. Cohen is Founder and President of Rebecca Plants LLC, is a gardening and outdoor lifestyle company that inspires families to be outside and improve their well being. For her weekly online video series, “Get Out of the House” as well as Starla J. King’s guest blog series “Savoring Summer,” visit http://www.rebeccaplants.com.

My five-year-old knocked on the window for me to come inside. “It’s cold!” he said. But soon enough, he was dressed and came out to join me. A few minutes later, I turned my head to see he had found the snow shovel and was winding his way through the frost, making a track.

With colder temperatures and shorter days come sunrises that slowly appear where previously blocked by leaves. As I started to notice the sunrises and show my two young boys, they’d start to notice too and would run into my bedroom in the morning, softly saying, “Mom, come see the beautiful sunrise!”

Watch this video >>

I’ve always appreciated the sun, especially as the temperatures drop. Sunshine warms our days and provides for picture perfect scenes with my family. Even my dog has found a new sunny spot in the house to relax where the sunlight now streams into the house in the morning.

But just as I love to watch the sunrise on a beach once or twice a year, late fall and winter bring a gift to watch the sunrise every day. Whether watching from the window or stepping outside together, witnessing nature waking up provides a lot of conversation and is a great way to start the day.

Be Out There Fun Fact: In the U.S., because of the position of the earth and the end of daylight savings time, you have a better chance of catching the sunrise in fall and winter. On Nov. 12, in Washington D.C., near where Rebecca Cohen lives, the sun rose at 6:48 a.m. It will continue to rise later and later until Jan. 14, when it will rise at 7:26 a.m. On June 12, the sun rose in D.C. at 5:42 a.m. For more information on sunrises and sunsets, check out this Sunrise & Sunset Calculator.

Rebecca P. Cohen is Founder and President of Rebecca Plants LLC, is a gardening and outdoor lifestyle company that inspires families to be outside and improve their well being. For her weekly online video series, “Get Out of the House” as well as Starla J. King’s guest blog series “Savoring Summer,” visit http://www.rebeccaplants.com.

There are several reasons I wait to plant bulbs until November:

• First and foremost, there are fewer other activities catching my attention with the weather not as nice. The colorful mums have already been planted, apples picked, and the hectic pace prior to Halloween is over.
• Second, the bulbs like the cooler temperatures, so I plant them when the temperature is in the 50s and 60s. As long as the ground isn’t frozen, you can plant spring-flowering bulbs too.
• Third, the act of planting bulbs is somewhat anti-climactic because there is no instant gratification. But planting bulbs is so simple–and the reward in the spring is so exciting for the kids and the adults, when the green leaves start to peak from the cold ground.. And who doesn’t love fresh-cut flowers inside the house in the spring?

Watch this video >>

First, pick a spot in your entry way or from an often-seen window. There are three ways to plant bulbs:

• Simply dig a trench a few inches deep and scatter a whole bag of mixed bulbs–early to late spring blooming–in the trench. Do a quick check and point as many bulbs root-side down as you can. The rest will find their way.
• The second option for bulb planting is to dig holes in between existing plantings. I placed a combination of four different deer-resistant varieties side-by-side in each hole to get the maximum result eor each hold dug: white daffodil, purple grape hyacinth, white leucojum, and pink wood hyacinth.
• If you don’t have a yard, do not worry, you can have bulbs too–plant them in a flower pot and keep them on the stoop or balcony. With pansies overtop, the bulbs will sprout right through in the spring.

Along with the bulbs, I’ll find time in the next week or so to sneak in planting three black raspberry shrubs into the vegetable garden for the kids to have their very own “pick your own” experience out back. It’s a great time to call the local nursery to see what may be on sale that you’ve always wanted to have in your garden.

With the leaves largely off the trees–or rapidly blowing away–November is a wonderful time to find yourself enjoying “past leaf peak” time outside with your family, planting bulbs, and cultivating some more happiness for the spring.

Rebecca P. Cohen is Founder and President of Rebecca Plants LLC, is a gardening and outdoor lifestyle company that inspires families to be outside and improve their well being. For her weekly online video series, “Get Out of the House” as well as Starla J. King’s guest blog series “Savoring Summer,” visit http://www.rebeccaplants.com.

Walking or biking to school is a wonderful way to have outside time before school. Just bundle up with a warm jacket and gloves; don’t forget to adjust your helmet to fit a hat underneath, and you’re ready for some exercise on your way to and from school.

If walking or biking isn’t possible, consider letting the kids eat breakfast outside and have at least 15 minutes to play when they get ready quickly. Sometimes the promise of outside play time is all the motivation my kindergartener and second grader need to dress, make lunch, and ensure their bag is ready to go in a flash.

Watch this video >>

Of course there is after-school time as well, which can be hard, depending on how much homework and after school activities kids have, or how dark it is when you get home. Keep a blanket in the car for spontaneous picnic dinners; drive by the park on the way home; let the kids do their homework outside. I even invite a friend or two over for homework time – it actually helps my kids fuss less about doing their work, and then they have more time to play outside.

A nighttime walk can take more motivation for all of us at times, but with a dog in the family, I make sure everyone comes with me when we walk him. And with flashlights and glowsticks in hand, we have fun watching the creatures that come out at night. Together, we see more starry skies too.

With our kids, let’s continue to think creatively about the things we do every day, and ask ourselves if some of our routine can be done outside.

Rebecca P. Cohen is Founder and President of Rebecca Plants LLC, is a gardening and outdoor lifestyle company that inspires families to be outside and improve their well being. For her weekly online video series, “Get Out of the House” as well as Starla J. King’s guest blog series “Savoring Summer,” visit http://www.rebeccaplants.com.