My favorite hike to do in Yosemite National Park with our five-year-old son, so far, has been Sentinel Dome. Every year, starting when he was 6 weeks old, we’ve been taking him up here. He’s been able to do the hike on his own, without us carrying him, since he was two. The hike toContinue reading “Great Kid Hike, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite”
Category Archives: Travel
American Robin
We found a ton of these cute little guys hopping around on the forest floor between the Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Village. My son has been asking about robins a lot lately, as he’s obsessed with Batman and Robin. We’ve shown him photos of robins, and he was interested, but we were excited to finallyContinue reading “American Robin”
10 Things To Do In Yosemite Valley With Little Kids
I’ve been visiting Yosemite National Park my entire life. My adventures there began at a young age, with my first backpacking trip at three, followed by many more family camping, hiking, and backpacking trips throughout my childhood. As an adult, I’ve regularly visited the park three-four times per year. Before having a child, Yosemite, toContinue reading “10 Things To Do In Yosemite Valley With Little Kids”
Yosemite Squirrel
This is where a squirrel belongs… out foraging in nature. He’s beautiful… Unlike this one… out pestering hikers for a free lunch.
Nature Fun for Kids: Take a Photo Walk
Our new favorite nature outing is to take a walk together with our cameras. Provide a child with a camera, and he’ll see the world in a different way. Every day while in Yosemite National Park last week, my son begged us to take him outside to photograph the flowers. Obviously, Yosemite naturally calls toContinue reading “Nature Fun for Kids: Take a Photo Walk”
Yosemite… Flowers Everywhere
Our first day in Yosemite, my five-year-old and I took a walk to check out the wildflowers. I was impressed with his enthusiasm. First, he exclaimed, ” Look! Milkweed!!!” Then a bit later, “And Indian Paintbrush!!” These little blue butterflies were fluttering about everywhere. Magical…
Ah… Yosemite
We’ve been in Yosemite for the past week without Internet access. We’re home now, and I’ll catch up with you all as soon as I can! Hope you had a great week!! This is the view from the top of Sentinel Dome… a great hike to do with kids!
The Bee in the Zucchini
Luckily, my son is observant. I would’ve missed this if it weren’t for him. While at my parent’s house over the weekend, my son and I were sent down to the garden to pick a fresh zucchini. I asked my son to look in the plant to see if he could find the best oneContinue reading “The Bee in the Zucchini”
Good Night…
Camping out tonight in my parent’s backyard… super fun!
Celebrating the Summer Solstice, Part 2, Riding Bikes at Redwood Regional Park
After spending the morning at the beach (Celebrating the Summer Solstice, Part 1, Shorebird Park, Berkeley ), we headed into the Oakland Hills for an afternoon bike ride at Redwood Regional Park. One of my favorite ways to escape the heat on a hot summer day is to escape into the redwoods! The paved trailContinue reading “Celebrating the Summer Solstice, Part 2, Riding Bikes at Redwood Regional Park”
Celebrating the Summer Solstice, Part 1, Shorebird Park, Berkeley
We celebrated the Summer Solstice yesterday with two awesome nature outings. The first? Beach play with friends at Shorebird Park in Berkeley. I’ve been wanting to visit this park for a while now, as this is where the famous Adventure Playground (considered by National Geographic to be one of the top ten playgrounds in theContinue reading “Celebrating the Summer Solstice, Part 1, Shorebird Park, Berkeley”
Playtime at the Oakland Zoo
As an alternative to the local park or nature area, one of our favorite places for some quality outdoor playtime is the Oakland Zoo. The weather today was much cooler than expected (in the 70s instead of the 100s, as it was a few days ago in the Bay Area). Perfect weather for a lateContinue reading “Playtime at the Oakland Zoo”
Camping in the Redwoods, Butano State Park
Butano State Park… I love this place! It’s a short drive from our home in the San Francisco East Bay, as it takes us little over an hour to reach Pescadero. The campground is small, quiet, tucked away in a canyon filled with redwoods. Camping here is an annual tradition for us, and is usuallyContinue reading “Camping in the Redwoods, Butano State Park”
Strawberry Picking Fun! Swanton Berry Farm U-Pik
As part of our annual summer camping trip to Butano State Park, our tradition is to go strawberry picking at our favorite organic u-pik farm, Swanton Berry Farm, located just south of Pescadero (or north of Santa Cruz). This is an easy day trip from the Bay Area, and great to incorporate into a visitContinue reading “Strawberry Picking Fun! Swanton Berry Farm U-Pik”
Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
On our way back to the car from the San Francisco Botanical Garden (see post from yesterday), we took a little detour to visit Stow Lake. We first discovered the lake on a visit to Golden Gate Park a few weeks ago. Now, how did we “discover” a lake that’s been there since 1893? LetContinue reading “Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco”
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park
My husband, a 5th grade teacher, is now on vacation for the summer. We celebrated the beginning of the season with a family trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, located in Golden Gate Park. Neither my husband nor I had been here before, so we were excited to explore. The second Tuesday of eachContinue reading “San Francisco Botanical Garden, Golden Gate Park”
My Little Birder… Loving the Chickadee!
My five-year-old son has a new hobby. Bird watching. About a week or so ago, once a day, he began telling me, “I’m going into the backyard to watch the birds.” Then he’ll proceed to sit quietly, completely still for 20-30 minutes, waiting for birds to appear. Well, a few days ago, he excitedly ranContinue reading “My Little Birder… Loving the Chickadee!”
Monarchs! Butterfly & Bird Festival, Coyote Hills, Fremont
This morning we attended the 13th Annual Butterfly and Bird Festival, held at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. We’ve attended this event the past two years, too, and this just may be my son’s favorite festival. It’s kind of funny, since my son isn’t usually into doing crafty type activities, but he absolutely LOVESContinue reading “Monarchs! Butterfly & Bird Festival, Coyote Hills, Fremont”
Exploring the Ringtail Cat Trail, Las Trampas, Alamo
Another great Outdoor Discoveries outing! Today, the naturalist took the kids up the Ringtail Cat Trail into Las Trampas Regional Park for a “beanstalk lunch hike” to learn about vines. This is another of my favorite trails in the area, especially on a hot summer day, as the trail winds above a creek through aContinue reading “Exploring the Ringtail Cat Trail, Las Trampas, Alamo”
Solar Oven S’Mores
Yesterday afternoon, we attended a festival held by the East Bay Regional Park District at Shadow Cliffs in celebration of the Transit 0f Venus. While checking out the sun through the telescopes was pretty cool, the highlight for my son (other than playing in the trees with his friends) was making s’mores in a pizzaContinue reading “Solar Oven S’Mores”
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