Hikes' trek pole instructions noted on site

Hikes with Tykes received mention at the blog Hiking and the Art of Making Walking Sticks. The entry "How to Make Walking Sticks Your Grandkids Will Love". It examines "what might make a walking stick 'hip' for the under-eight crowd" Hikes with Tykes includes an entry about how kids can make their own walking sticks. The blog is run by Margaret Mills, a self-described "writer, mom and grandmum, native of the Pacific Northwest." Thanks for the shout out!

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Hiking activity: Collecting craft materials

Pine cones, leaves and twigs collected on a day hike all make for great
craft materials. Photo courtesy of Hammonton Photography / Photoree.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is collecting craft materials.

Children love to pick up and examine pine cones, twigs, leaves, pebbles and other small items found in the wilds. Go online or visit your local library to find children’s crafts that you might do at home and that would require such materials collected on a hike. During the making of such crafts with these collected materials is a great opportunity to discuss the hike. Warning: Many parks and national forests prohibit the collection of such items from public lands.

Materials: Bag to carry collected stuff, Internet connection or library.

Ages: 3 and up.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Help kids make hiking gear: Bottle holder

Your water isn't likely to spill on a hike if stored in a water bottle holder.

You can help kids craft their own equipment for the hike using materials found in your own home. Here are plans for making a water bottle holder:
g Materials – Duct tape, scissors, water bottle
g Instructions – (1) Lay out a foot-long strip of duct tape, sticky side up. (2) About halfway down this strip, place a second strip sticky side down. (3) Turn over the strips then halfway down the second strip stick a third piece. (4) Repeat steps 1-3 until you have a sheet about three quarters the height of the item to be carried. (5) Fold up the bottom tape’s edge and trim the two side edges so they’re even. (6) Along the exposed top piece of tape, cut inch-wide tabs in the shape of an H. (7) Wrap the sheet around your child’s water bottle with the tabs at the bottom, sticky sides out. (8) Trim the sheet then tape it in place to form a loose pocket around the bottle. (9) To create a bottom for the pocket, fold over the tabs, sticking each one to the next, then cover the tabs with more duct tape.

Other great ideas for making your own gear:
g Trekking pole
g Utility belt pockets

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Help kids make their own utility belt pockets

Use duct tape to make hiking gear.
Photo courtesy of David Niblack,
Imagebase.net.

You can help kids craft their own equipment for the hike using materials found in your own home. Here are instructions for making utility belt pockets:
g Materials – Craft knife, duct tape, scissors
g Instructions – (1) Lay out a foot-long strip of duct tape, sticky side up. (2) About halfway down this strip, place a second strip sticky side down. (3) Turn over the strips then halfway down the second strip stick a third piece. (4) Repeat steps 1-3 until you have a sheet about three quarters the height of the item to be carried. (5) Fold over the top and bottom sticky edges of this duct tape sheet then wrap it around the item to be carried. (6) If necessary, trim the sheet, then tape it in place to form a loose pocket. (7) Close the pocket’s bottom with another piece of duct tape and trim the edges. (8) Slip a piece of scrap cardboard into each pocket as a temporary backing (for a stiffer backing, thin scrap wood also can be used). (9) Near the top of the pocket, with a craft knife cut two vertical slits about 1-1/2 inches apart and slightly longer than your child’s belt is wide (if a child is making the pocket, a parent should do this step). (10) Slide the pockets onto your child’s belt.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.