photo of Joanna Pinneo by Arita Baaijens

Her first stop was the Mississippi State Veterinary Camp, where kids who aspire to become veterinarians get hands-on experience in the field.

“Vet Camp” from the May 2012 issue of Ranger Rick

“The Coolest Show on Earth” from the December/January 2013 issue

Joanna doesn’t just shoot pictures on these trips. She gets to know the wildlife, the natural surroundings, and the people in each of her stories before she ever reaches for her camera. Add Joanna’s great photographic eye, and you get a fantastic story every time.

“Bayou Kid” from the August 2012 issue of Ranger Rick

Congratulations, Joanna!

Do you know how to properly fit a life vest?

We hope that you get outside and run and play this weekend, and if you are riding your bike or boating that you wear a properly fitted helmet or life jacket. The US Coast Guard has a lot of information on safety rules and how to select the correct life jacket, and here in Seattle there are a lot of resources available for bicycle safety.

Older explorers aged 7–12 can subscribe to Ranger Rick’s Tree House, an app that invites kids to explore Ranger Rick’s tree house home, a place filled with intriguing rooms and all kinds of wildlife fun.

Still not convinced? Here are five great reasons to get your paws on these apps:

Left: Ranger Rick Jr. Appventures; Right: Ranger Rick’s Tree House

1. They’re on sale right now for Earth Day

This one’s a no brainer. Since Ranger Rick is Earth’s best friend, we’re celebrating his favorite holiday with a sale on his apps. Both Tree House and Appventures are 60% off all week long, from April 22–29. That means they’re $1.99 instead of $4.99! See, I told you, no brainer.

2. They teach kids about animals and nature

If your kids are fascinated by the animals on the pages of the magazines, they’ll love all the ways that animals come alive in our apps.

In Appventures: Lions, kids discover videos, photos, animation, and illustrated factoids as they wind their way through a tale about lions told by their friendly guides, Lars and Ricky. It’s impossible to get bored when there’s so much to explore. In the Tree House, the experience of reading a fascinating Ranger Rick adventure story gets even richer. Wildlife articles spring to life with eye-popping photos, clickable facts, funny animations, wildlife sounds, and more.

A scene from the interactive photo story in Appventures: Lions

3. They encourage kids to get outside

Kids can open the back door of the Tree House to find ideas for nature crafts and outdoor activities. They can even log the time they spend outside in their own backyards. And Appventures will get kids so excited about wildlife that they’ll want to embark on a safari in their own backyard!

The backyard in Ranger Rick’s Tree House app

4. They’re winning raves

Appventures was named one of the top 10 kids’ apps of 2012 by Entertainment Weekly and earned a silver medal from the Parents’ Choice Foundation. Bloggers like Geeks with Juniors love the fun and innovative way that Appventures presents educational content and teaches kids about nature.

Parents’ Choice named Tree House a recommended mobile app, and the bloggers at Dandelion Moms said “no other digital children’s magazine is more innovative, interactive, or just plain fun!”

5. They’re FUN!

Do you want to compose a tune with the soothing sounds of a lion roaring and an elephant trumpeting? Or create an animal with a cheetah’s tail, zebra’s body, and giraffe’s neck and head? The answer is yes, of course, and with Appventures you can do that and have a lot of other silly animal fun. You can even go on a photo safari: pick up the iPad and move it all around to snap shots of all the lions in the pride.

For more of a challenge, stop into the Tree House and play games like Ribbit Rodeo, where you lasso up a tasty meal of bugs for a hungry frog, or Manta Mission, where you help Manta Ray race through underwater roadblocks to get to the Manta Party on time. You can also venture into the “bFunny” room to laugh at comic gems like, “What do kangaroos eat for breakfast?” (Pouched eggs.)

Left: The “Make an Animal” game from Appventures; Right: “Ribbit Rodeo” game from Tree House

We’ve also teamed up with some great bloggers who are giving away download codes for the apps. Head over for your chance to win:

• Mommy Maestra
• Wee Share
• Babies Gotta Have It

Thanks to all the bloggers who have already reviewed our apps and hosted awesome giveaways!

• Momma D Jane
• Inspired by Savannah
• The IE Mommy
• 5 Minutes for Books
• Special Needs Orange County
• For Kids Entertainment
• Dandelion Moms
• iGameMom
• the iPhone mom
• Crafty Garden Mama
• Raising Them Green
• Curriculum Choice
• iHeartThisApp
• Geeks with Juniors
• BabyCenter
• NBC Latino

Every month we publish five or six drawings or photos from our readers in the “Ricky’s Mail” section of Ranger Rick Jr. Ricky is a playful young raccoon who guides kids through the pages of the magazine, and he loves to get mail! We also feature reader mail in a monthly slideshow on our website.

Since our readers love sending us drawings, and we love our readers, we decided to hold a “Draw Ricky” contest for these talented young artists. So send us your best drawing of your favorite little raccoon, Ricky! The winning drawings will be featured in the October issue of Ranger Rick Jr., and the winning artists will receive a Ranger Rick Jr. baseball cap. We’ll also send the winners six complimentary copies of the October issue, so they can share their artistic debut with their family and friends.

Even if your drawing isn’t published in the magazine, there’s still a chance for fame (but maybe not fortune). We’ll be featuring many more of our favorite Ricky drawings on Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Be sure to follow us to see all the drawings and get updates about the contest!

How to Enter

Drawing of Ricky by Julia

Five decades of Ranger Rick covers. From left: Jan. 1967, April 1975, April 1986, Sept. 1995 and July 2000. See more Ranger Rick covers on Facebook.

Ranger Rick Today

The beloved print version of Ranger Rick magazine continues to provide kids ages 7–12 with a fascinating read and page after page of world-class wildlife photos! The magazine was recently awarded the Parents’ Choice Foundation gold medal for the eighth time.

Ranger Rick is published 10 times a year for an annual subscription price of $15.

In 2012, the Ranger Rick brand introduced two more great magazines, enabling us to inspire many more children with a lifelong appreciation for wildlife, nature, and the joy of spending time outside!

Ranger Rick Jr. Magazine

Joining the Ranger Rick family was Ranger Rick Jr., a print magazine specially designed for 4- to 7-year-olds. The magazine uses dazzling wildlife photos and simple, easy-to-follow text to introduce young children to the amazing world of animals. A brand new character, Ricky Raccoon, guides children through the pages of Ranger Rick Jr., helping them to think further about what they learn and observe. Ricky also has his own app called Ranger Rick Jr.’s Appventures—Lions.

Ranger Rick Jr. is published 10 times a year for an annual subscription price of $15. And Appventures—Lions sells for $4.99 in the App Store.

Ranger Rick’s Tree House

The Ranger Rick’s Tree House app

Picture an electronic version of Ranger Rick’s tree-house home. Inside are rooms packed with animal videos, comic adventures, multi-level games, and goofy jokes—as well as awesome wildlife articles, photos, and animations.

Ranger Rick’s Tree House is sold through the App Store. Subscribers receive 5 issues per year, plus monthly Bonus Updates for an annual price of $19.95.

Were You a Ranger Rick Kid?

If so, we’d like to hear about how Ranger Rick influenced you! Tell us your story in the comments below!

1. Create a butterfly garden.

One of the best ways to attract butterflies to your yard is to plant nectar-producing flowers that have red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple blossoms. Plant them in a sunny spot in a group so they grow in clusters.

You can also bring butterflies to you by mashing up fruit and sugar and smearing it on a rock, tree, or other surface in your yard.

Make your garden as butterfly-friendly as possible by putting out a shallow pan of wet sand or mud for them to sip from, and by providing a few rocks they can use to bask in the sun.

2. Sing a song about butterflies.

While you’re hunting for butterflies or working away in your butterfly garden, pass the time by singing a tune about butterflies. Get the lyrics to “Blue Butterfly,” sung to the tune of “Baby Mine,” on our website, or get creative and make up your own.

3. Make a butterfly you can eat.

Fresh fruit is the perfect springtime snack, so use your imagination to whip up a fruity butterfly treat. Use two halves of a pear or a few apple slices for the wings, and for the body try a piece of celery, a carrot, or a banana. Celery or carrot strips also work great for the antennae. Decorate your butterfly with raisins, cereal, cherries, or anything else you like.

For another butterfly recipe, try making butterfly muffins.

4. Learn some fun facts.

Did you know that a butterfly can’t fly if its body temperature falls below 86°F? Or that they drink the tears of turtles? And they use their feet to taste? Curious kids can learn more by checking out this butterfly article from Ranger Rick Jr. and butterfly fact sheet from Ranger Rick.

5. Get crafty.

Use a coffee filter, a pipe cleaner, and pom-poms to make a beautiful butterfly that won’t fly away. Here’s how:

• Decorate the coffee filter with markers and then spray it with water.
• Once it dries, wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle of the filter.
• Glue pom-poms onto the clothespin and clip the clothespin to the filter.
• Bend the pipe cleaner to make the antennae.

More butterfly crafts:

• Folded Paper Butterfly
• Butterfly Pencil Topper
• Caterpillar Transformation Craft

Find more fun crafts, recipes, and activities in the Family Fun section of our new Kids website.

The Parents’ Choice Awards is the nation’s oldest nonprofit program created to recognize quality children’s media. In addition to magazines, Parents’ Choice honors the best children’s books, toys, music, apps, TV shows and more. We’re thrilled that our publications have won the top honor from this internationally respected program.

Rave Reviews for Our Magazines

This is the eighth gold medal for Ranger Rick. In their review, Parents’ Choice said that “with its beautiful photography, interesting animal facts, and appropriate stories, this quality magazine could make any child a fan of the great outdoors.” Our primary goal in producing Ranger Rick is to get kids interested in wildlife and nature, so it’s great to hear that we’re doing just that.

Ranger Rick Jr. (formerly Big Backyard) just launched in December/January 2013 and has already been honored with a Parents’ Choice gold medal. The reviewer praised the magazine’s “incredible photography and complementary graphic layout” and noted that children often read an issue multiple times, absorbing more and more details every time they pick it up.

Commitment to Quality

We recently took a big leap into the digital realm with two new products: Ranger Rick Jr. Appventures, an innovative wildlife app for ages 4–7, and Ranger Rick’s Tree House, an interactive digital magazine for ages 7–12. But we are still committed to creating high-quality print magazines that encourage curiosity and learning, and according to Parents’ Choice, we are accomplishing that goal. With their seal of approval, parents can feel even better about sharing these magazines with their children — and they might even learn something, too!

Subscribe to our award-winning magazines for $19.95/year.

Learn more about our new apps for kids.

I want apps with the following qualities:

• Appealing to my kids – They want to interact with it.
• Appropriate reading – The reading level works for a six-year-old and a nine-year-old.
• Good wildlife content – After they play, they have new information about wildlife.
• Inspirational – After they play, this app comes up in conversation. They build on the concepts they learned either in their art or creative play.

We tested apps on an iPad2.

Meet Nora and Russell

Their profiles might help you know which games would appeal to your kids.

Nora is nine. Nora enjoys playing outside. She knows every inch of the stream behind our house. She wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up. She has phone calls with her cousin where they exchange interesting fish facts. In Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. magazines, she wants to read the animal articles and jokes. Nora prefers apps where she learns about animals and creates a world for them to live in.

Russell is six. He does not go outside to play on his own steam, although once he is outside, he loves to climb trees and act out dramas with his sister and friends. In Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. magazines, he goes for the games and jokes.  Russell prefers apps that test his skill with the device, such as how fast can he move through a virtual world. He is a good reader for his age, but would rather explore a game through trial and error than by reading. He likes learning the rules and explaining them in detail to the rest of the family.

Even though they have different interests, they often like to look at apps together. So the best apps make sense to both their learning styles and reading levels.

Our Favorite Kid-Friendly Nature and Wildlife Apps

I searched for “best kids nature apps” and most apps I found did not teach about wildlife or nature. Most had a cute animal as the main character teaching how to read, do math or make art. While those are great goals, I was looking specifically for apps that increased my kids’ knowledge of wildlife and nature.

These apps reward you for learning facts about animals or nature. They usually require the ability to read.

These apps are listed in alphabetical order.

Click the Birdie – This is a National Wildlife Federation app where you take photos of birds in various habitats to fill out your scrapbook. I don’t feel I can rate this app because it was made by my family! I say my family because my husband coded the app, and kids tested it every step of the way. Of course we love this app, but check it out for yourself! The little girl in the Southwest habitat is named Nora in honor of our Nora. This app costs $0.99.

Click the Birdie app – “Nora” in the Southwest

Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence – I thought my fish-loving daughter might enjoy this app, even though it is not particularly designed for children. It is about a exhibition that was at the American Museum of Natural History. My guess was correct. The subject matter caught her attention, and while slideshows or video of typical animals would not interest her, we are talking about species that glow in the dark! She also liked the video about how they made the models for the museum exhibit. This app is free.

Meet the Insects: Forest Edition – Did I mention how much my daughter loves bugs? This app looks quite formal and a bit like a text book, but I have a daughter whose favorite books are field guides, so she loved it. We joked that most of the videos show males fighting over females because hey, what else could you videotape about an insect’s life and keep audiences interested? We loved the style which is a mix of cartoon and realistic art. Nora commented more than once, “These are really nice pictures.” She made the insect videos more exciting by adding her own dialogue. Russell was not interested in this one. This app cost $3.99.

A sample screen from the app “Meet the Insects”

Nature Tap – You are shown four species. Then you hear a bird call and you guess which bird is making the sound. With the insect module, you are shown the name of an insect, and you have to guess which insect matches the name. My daughter loved this app and wanted me to buy a lot more modules. The bird module is free and the insect module is free if you register. Other modules cost $1.99 or $2.99 each.

A girl playing the app “Nature Tap” on her iPad

Ranger Rick’s Appventures – What I find with most kid-oriented apps is that they contain one game or one concept, and so the kids “get it” quickly. What’s different about Appventures (and Tree House, below) is that they are multi-layered apps. It takes time to find all the parts. So the first time they each visited these apps, they looked around quickly, played one game and left. But what I found was each time they opened this app, they discovered a new thing. My son’s favorite parts were the puzzle utility, where you can put together simple or complex puzzles made from animal photos. He also liked the game which was like Photo Safari where you look through a habitat for animals and take photos of them. You hold your iPad with two hands and tilt it to see all sorts of nooks and crannies in the lion’s habitat. I won’t spill the beans, but make sure you look up in the sky when playing this game. Nora’s experience was different because really this app is designed for children younger than her. But what I found was that she enjoyed this app when playing with her brother. She would make him laugh by acting out dramas on the Sticker page or adding color commentary to the music area (where the keyboard keys sound like a lion, elephant or baboon.) This app brought my kids together. This app costs $4.99. This app is made by National Wildlife Federation.

Ranger Rick’s Appventures app

Ranger Rick’s Treehouse - Nora liked the dolphin book where she could learn facts and get more wildlife jokes. She also liked the outdoor time journal in the backyard area, recording all her outdoor time with the goal of earning a badge. She liked that at the end of the leopard game, the leopard finds its kitten. My son liked the dolphin flip game, especially when it got up to the two and three dolphins at one time. For some reason, my son found the video of the “dancing wallabies” to be completely hilarious and proceeded to watch it about twenty times. There is a free version of the app as an intro. Then this app costs $4.99 for one issue or $19.99 for an annual subscription that sends new content quarterly.

Ranger Rick Treehouse app

Survival - There are a lot of apps called Survival, so when you are searching, look for the one with the icon of the orange frog. You answer quiz questions about animals in rapid succession. The longer you “survive,” i.e. answer correctly, the more photos of an endangered species you get to see at the end. It takes practice because the method of answering the questions changes from one question to the next. At first, it was too difficult for my son, but he liked the bright colors and competing against his dad to survive longer. My daughter struggled with the “pinch” feature which is one way of answering questions, but figured it out. You really learn a lot about wildlife facts with this app, and you learn to answer fast! This app is free.

Survival app – sample screen

Tick Bait’s Universe – I would not have guessed that my kids would enjoy this app because it seems like too simple of a concept. However, it was recommended by Warren Buckleitner who reviews children’s apps, so I downloaded the free version. The app starts with a dog named “Tick Bait” and you can zoom in on his skin or out to outerspace. In the free version, you get to zoom about 13 levels, and with the paid version, you get more levels. The graphics are all hand drawn, not photographs. My kids got really excited about this app, even though it required lots of reading. This app is free and the paid version costs $4.99.

Tick Bait’s Universe App

Weird But True – Not all the facts in this app are about wildlife or nature, but many are. You are shown one interesting fact after another, and you rate how weird you find the fact. One bummer about this app is that every time you start it, it shows you the same facts. It is free and made by National Geographic.

Weird But True app

Which Wildlife and Nature Apps Does Your Family Enjoy?

We’d love to hear about your experiences with these apps or others. Of course nothing connects children with nature and wildlife more than time outside, so be sure to balance your screen time and green time today.

Update on March 7:

Check out our next app review blog – Apps where you get to pretend to be animals or naturalists – LIVE like wildlife in these apps!

Q1: What did you do in the winter as a kid?

We got the conversation flowing while reminiscing over our  favorite winter activities; building igloos, sledding, or snowball fights. I remember, especially, when there was a huge blizzard and I was so small that my older (and taller) brother had to push me around on a sled or else I’d disappear in the snow! Others shared similar memories:

Q2: Let’s talk Prep – Seems bundling up and dealing with wet clothes can be a hassle. What are tips for prepping for winter play and all that comes with it?

Whether it’s hot or cold outside, we can all agree that getting out of the house and expanding our imagination is an essential part of growing up. But what are good tips for prepping for winter play and all that comes with it? The general consensus seemed to be bundling everyone up before going outside to play.

It’s a constant battle, however, to keep the layers on, especially the gloves. Kids want to touch everything and tend to shed their gloves soon after getting out the door, even if it means having cold little fingers as a result. I’m sure you’re also wondering what the best way is to keep gloves on your kiddies:

It also doesn’t hurt to have extra gloves, hats, and shirts lying around that are dry and ready to go at a moment’s notice. This way if kids are eager to get outside when the snow starts falling, you’re not searching all over the house for matching gloves, socks, or boots. You never know when the urge to run, jump, and play outdoors will overcome you! [Side Note: Did you know that playing outdoors in the cold won't make you sick? That's right! We actually tend to get sicker in the winter because we stay indoors and it becomes easier to spread germs that way. Remember, the more we're outside the happier and healthier we will be and so will the kids.]

Q3. One of the biggest challenges is just getting out the door. What activities or motivators get you or your kids moving?

Sometimes it can be hard to motivate kids to get outside, especially in a world where “there’s nothing to do out there,” and video games and the computer seem way more interesting. Little do kids know, there’s a whole world waiting for them to explore:

• Slow Family Online suggested to keep a snowman kit handy
• Libby  suggested making a plan ahead of time, regardless of what the weather is going to be
• Others say that having resources available that suggest fun, outdoor activities, such as our new winter activity guide: How Not to Hibernate, are great motivators

Try making it a play-date with friends of yours and the kids!

• Madonna says that meeting friends for a hike is big on her list
• Polarn O. Pyret USA suggests checking out ActiveKidsClub.com because an outdoor outing is always more fun with more people

What’s your greatest outdoor motivator?

 Q4: Short days, full schedules. How do you squeeze play time in too?

Busy schedules can put a damper on our motivation. I remember growing up and always having swim practice after school, homework, Girl Scouts; you name it, and I probably did it. So how do we find the time to play outside? Even during the winter, it’s very important to ensure plenty of outdoor time for you and the family, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be a huge adventure. Sometimes, going for walks after dinner or running around the backyard to let off some steam from a busy day can be plenty of outdoor time. Walking home from school, stopping at a park for a little bit of play time, or even some pre-bedtime star gazing are some really great ways to enjoy nature for a short while in between all of the chaos of after school activities. Here are a few other tips parents shared for getting back outside:

There’s still plenty of tips and tricks on our Facebook page. Share some of your own, too! I would like to send out a special thank you to our amazing guest speakers, Hana Schardt, from our very own Ranger Rick Magazine, Suz Lipman,  Author and Founder of Slow Parenting Online and Social Media Director for the Children & Nature Network, and Linda Kerr, Social Media & PR Manager at Polarn O. Pyret USA. The chat was absolutely amazing and we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s enthusiasm and support.

If you haven’t already, like Be Out There on Facebook for year-round tips, tricks, and fun activities to get your moving and back outdoors or sign up for our month E-Newsletter for all the latest Be Out There news.

Gifford Photographic Collection (Courtesy of Oregon State University Archives)

Recess is Time to Decompress

I have distinct memories of two recess activities in particular, tether ball and playing/trading marbles. I was the tallest girl in my class, taller even than most of the boys, so I had a distinct advantage at tether ball and was proclaimed class champ. While marbles was traditionally a “boy thing” I collected with gusto, and could hardly wait to win more cat’s eyes in our raucous recess matches. My lucky steely shooter was a force to be reckoned with.

During those times on the playground, my mind was cleared of all academic thoughts and focused solely on the escape of free play. This meant when I returned to the classroom, hopefully with some new aggies in my pocket, I was ready to jump back into my lessons. I was mentally refreshed with a renewed perspective on the subject at hand. I was also physically rejuvenated, my body exercised and ready to sit quietly to learn.

Pediatricians Know Best

The AAP statement concluded that “recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development.” This is consistent with research by neuroscientists who recommend “brain breaks” every 90 minutes in order to increase productivity. And yet almost 30 percent of elementary age children across the county are denied recess and forced to endure long stretches of academic drills without much-needed breaks.

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, more focus has been placed on test results and less on the well-being of students. Schools have adopted the concept of ‘drill and repeat” instead of recognizing that free time and recharging can enhance cognition and memory.

The assumption is that more time focused on test prep will help performance, but in fact, the opposite may be true. Today’s children are less physically fit, less able to concentrate, and less able to relate to others than previous generations. The effects are seen in the rise of childhood obesity, poor test scores, and negative classroom behavior.

Recess More Than Just Play

Recess provides children with free unstructured time to engage in physical activity that helps them develop healthy bodies and the enjoyment of movement. It also provides children the opportunity to practice life skills such as cooperation, taking turns, being a good sport, following rules, sharing, communications, negotiation, problem solving and conflict resolution. And along the way, they might win a few marbles.

Parents Can Help Bring Back Recess

Parents can play a particularly important role in helping their children to have more productive school time by allocating home time for outdoor activities in natural settings and by being strong advocates for schools to offer more safe outdoor time and experiences for their children, including recess time.

How You Can Help

• Do the Homework. Join NWF’s Eco-Schools USA program and use our recess policy audit tool to evaluate your school’s current policy.
• Talk in School. Bring together parents, teachers, and administrators to restore recess at your school and school district.
• Build on Models. Work with the school, district or state to adopt a model recess policy.
• Share with Others. Connect with other campaign leaders to exchange learning and tips.