Kids are out of school and now it’s time to keep the kiddos entertained during their three month hiatus. This can be pretty tough, so being creative is a must!
I have come across two companies have come to the rescue and will continuously entertain the little explorer this summer.
The first company is REI.
REI has developed a FREE Family Adventure program that is fun and engaging and encourages children to get outdoors this summer.
Here’s how it works:
- Kids start by picking up (or downloading) their own Adventure Journal, which is available at any REI location or online at REI.com.
- Families can find detailed descriptions of family-friendly hikes and bike rides in their area at any REI store or at www.REI.com/family-adventure. The site features an interactive map where you can select your city and pull up the hiking and biking trails in the Detroit area.
- After completing at least one outdoor activity, kids can send in the tear-off postcard from their journal to receive a certificate of completion.
My girls go the journal and tackled it right away. We went on trail near our home and explored the nature, documenting what we saw in the journals. They they cooled down from the walk playing the games in the book. They were proud once they completed their journals and it was nice, as a parent, to work on it with them and see their faces when they discovered something to put in their books.
The second company is Backyard Safari Outfitters
My girls were sent a Bug Vacuum, a Cargo Vest and a Mega View Periscope from Backyard Safari Outfitters. They were certainly well equipped for their outdoor adventure. The Cargo Vest had lots of pockets to hold a camera, binoculars and their other outdoor safari essentials. They put the Mega View Periscope into the creek water to see what under water critters they could find. It was kinda hard to see in the murky water, but they had fun anyway! The Bug Vacuum seemed to be their favorite out of all the safari supplies! They sucked up spiders, rolly polys and a few ants. Then they let them go, taking turns along the way.
This Detroit Mommy had a wonderful “adventure” with her kids, enjoying the fresh air and the beautiful surroundings in southeast Michigan.
Disclosure: The Backyard Safari Outfitters products listed above were given to me for review and the REI Adventure Guide was sent to me, but is FREE to anyone. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.
