The longest night of the year! I didn’t always love this night as much as I do now, but now it is one of my favorite times of year. It is a turning point- where we embrace the deep dark rest of winter and welcome the light slowly back.
When I got divorced, I remember feeling like that was a longest, darkest night of my life. But as Tupac said, “If you can make it through the night, there’s a brighter day.” It’s a celebration that even in the darkest, longest night, there is hope. The light always returns. I have definitely learned that as I have faced hardships and adversity in my life.
This year, I do not have my kids for the solstice and I’m bummed. But last year we really rocked it out! Here are a few ideas for celebrating with the kids.
First, a few days or maybe a week before, we made modge podge lanterns out of Mason jars. I didn’t do a step by step how to on this, but you get the idea from this YouTube tutorial. I put water and a little oil on top and used floating wicks for this project and told the story of Hanukah when we made these. It was around the same time, so that was nice to incorporate that holiday as well.
Anyway, so the night of the solstice, we lit the lanterns and ate dinner by candlelight. We talked about what to solstice is and told a couple of stories from around the world about the solstice. Here is a good book to go off of for these stories, but there are some beautiful children’s stories about winter and the solstice as well. We also talked about losing light and gaining light, and each member of the family talked about how other members of the family bring light into their lives. This was so special.
We did a Waldorf-inspired winter spiral, which I have no pictures of which I regret. But it was a very special experience, and we are going to do it after Christmas when we have time with the kids anyway. Click here for a great blog post on it with some additional resources as well.
We did a fire in the backyard and drank hot chocolate and talked about how we have used the dark night and how we will use the longer days.
It was a really special time for all of us, and I look forward to continuing these traditions whether I have the kids on the solstice or I have to wait a little bit or do it early. I’d like to dry some oranges and make some garlands and bird feeders this year!
This year, we have the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, a meteor shower, and the solstice all on one night! So there will be lots to look at in the sky.
I’m kind of dorky, and I love “celebrating” these national holidays! 🙂 I like to plan activities for my family to recognize and celebrate the outdoors and all it offers to us. It increases my mindfulness around these things and helps me be intentional about teaching my kids- plus it’s just fun! 🙂 I’m a paper planner kind of gal, so I pencil these in each year. Here are some for your convenience!
January 1- First Day Hikes. Missouri State Parks often put on First Day Hikes, as well as other conservation and wildlife areas. Check them out here.
January 5- National Bird Day. Lucy is a big bird lover, so we love this day! Here are some fun bird activities from A Day in Our Shoes.
March 3- World Wildlife Day. Even as an adult, it is so thrilling to see wildlife in their natural habitat! Here are some ideas for how to celebrate World Wildlife Day from See What Grows.
March 5-6- National Day of Unplugging. Unplugging can mean lots of different things to different people. There are many ways to observe this. I try to do this weekly with a No Social Sunday (no social media on Sunday) or Technology Free Tuesday/Thursday… Here is the official site with lots of resources and ideas.
March 12- National Girl Scout Day. We love scouts at our house, so I had to include this one! 🙂
March 22- World Water Day. This is a really cool day to discuss the importance of water, water access, climate change, all kinds of things! A cool day to visit a hydroelectricity plant, a reservoir, or a dam, or even do a water service project! Here is some info from the UN on the significance and history of this day.
April 17-25- National Parks Week. Guys, I LOVE National Parks! My boy is going to be in fourth grade next year, so I’m trying to plan some trips to some National Parks and Monuments! (Here is more info on their Fourth Grade Pass program.) The National Parks Service has some cool ways to observe, celebrate, explore, and help here.
April 22- Earth Day. There are TONS of resources and ways to observe Earth Day with your family and in your community. This is one of my favorite days- and it’s right around my birthday!
April 30- Arbor Day. Another personal fave. Here are some resources to celebrate from the Arbor Day Foundation.
May 21- Endangered Species Day. This is a great one! My son loves the bald eagle and his fascination came in part from this day. Often zoos have events for this day. The US Fish and Wildlife Service held an endangered species art contest this past year, and the deadline was in March, so keep your eyes open for this! Here is their site.
June 5- National Trails Day. This is a day for a good stewardship/service hike! This day is sponsored by the American Hiking Society and there are usually events set up all over to help you find your trail. Check out their site here.
June 8- World Oceans Day. This day is to take action around ocean conservation (official site here). We do not live near an ocean, but my kids LOVE the ocean, so they are very interested in all the creatures that live there and how we can help them.
June 12- National Get Outdoors Day. This day is meant motivate Americans to get outside for a “healthy, fun day of outdoor adventure”. While the original website has since been taken down, the day itself has taken off. Parks across the nation continue to celebrate each year. You can usually find events put on by your state parks or DNR.
August 4- Great American Outdoors Day. This is a brand new one! President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, providing funding for National Parks and Public Lands, among other things. At this time, August 4 was designated Great American Outdoors Day. Read more about it here.
September 25- National Hunting and Fishing Day. This is another day that local entities often set up events for, including free kids fishing days! Check out your local state parks and DNR sites, or check the national site here. It’s a great discussion starter with kids about the purpose of hunting and fishing as it relates to conservation.
November 17- National Take a Hike Day. My favorite, of course! I usually arrange a hike for this day, but so do many of your local hiking clubs and parks. Use a website like All Trails or the Hiking Project to find a new trail to hike on this day!
November 26- #OptOutside. This is Black Friday. REI put this movement together, and it is actually the movement that really kicked off my hiking habit. It is also my personal go day for my yearly hiking goals. I love all the resources REI has put together on their site here.
December 11- International Mountain Day. The mountains are calling and I must go.” is basically the outdoors version of the cliche “live laugh love” but that’s because it’s so true! The mountains are so compelling! And they house a huge amount of Earth’s biodiversity and are a source of freshwater for us. It’s a great day to educate our kids and do beautiful mountain activities and projects. Here’s a quick mountain watercolor tutorial by Let’s Make Art.
If you’re looking for “nearby” and “family-friendly,” here it is!! Three hundred and five acres of forest with five (very short) hiking trails and outdoor bird exhibits. It is truly beautiful!
World Bird Sanctuary Quick Facts:
No entry fee but there is a suggested donation amount of $8 per car
They are currently requiring anybody over 5 years old to wear a mask both indoors and outdoors. Buildings are closed except for restrooms.
Right next to Lone Elk Park
WBS holds really great events throughout the year, though this year is exceptional due to COVID. I know they were doing some drive through events. My photos are largely from last fall’s Halloween event to showcase the beautiful fall foliage there. But I love visiting year round!
As I mentioned, there are several trails, but they are short. Most of them are interconnected in some way, so by the end of it, you have a couple miles in. They are PERFECT if you bring your family who have various levels of ability or stamina. They were a favorite of mine in my single mom days with my little littles.
The avian exhibits are really interesting. You can see some amazing birds! There are info plaques by the enclosures. There is plenty to see. There’s a small playground (not sure if it’s open at the moment) and normally there are shows (not sure if they are playing at the moment). Even without those experiences, it is still worth a visit!
It’s also literally next to Lone Elk Park, which has a 3-ish mile hiking trail if you’re looking for something longer. If you are not, you can drive through the park to see elk and bison, among other wildlife!
World Bird Sanctuary is a really unique and special location we are lucky to live near. Combined with a picnic at Lone Elk and some hiking, you’ve got yourself a perfect fall day!!
Kareem’s Hot Take: WBS is pretty cool. It’s great for kids. They learn a lot.
We are so fortunate that Busch Wildlife is practically in our backyard! I never really went there too much for hiking, just fishing and nature programs and an occasional picnic by a lake. But it actually has quite a lot to offer!
Busch CA Quick Facts:
open 4am to 10 pm
almost 7,000 acres large with over 3,000 acres of forest
28 fishable lakes
Amenities include boat rentals, pavilions, picnic areas, shooting range for firearms and archery range, visitor center, hunting and wildlife viewing blinds, docks, swimming, and trails
One thing I think everybody around can attest to is Busch is full of secrets and surprises. When I was little, my dad took me here to teach me to fish. Tragically, I remember a little girl meeting a tragic fate at Busch, and for years, I was wary to come out. As I got older, I found the old bunkers cool to explore. And now, I go there for its convenience and its variety of programs.
There are a couple of longer trails- the Busch Wildlife Hiking and Biking Trail and the Hamburg Hiking/Biking Trail- and several shorter trails within Busch. There are LOTS of connector trails that connect lakes and other trails. Click on this map– it will help. If you use AllTrails or Hiking Project, many of these trails are not mapped out. A lot of people also enjoy just hiking the service roads and exploring.
The Pine Trail is very popular, especially for family photos. It’s super short, but it connects to other connector trails, so you can make it a longer hike to the lake and back. It’s absolutely gorgeous, a small grove of very tall pine trees. There’s a stream nearby too, best in wet weather. We frequent this one.
There’s a paved trail behind the Conservation Office called the Fallen Oak Trail. This has a short loop or a long loop for you and it’s about a mile long. There’s also a bird watching blind, a bridge across the creek, and creek access. This one’s pretty but its major advantage is the pavement for when it’s way muddy or your companions are older or have physical limitations.
The Woodland Trail over by the archery range is one of my favorites. I’ve literally never seen anybody else there, even during the pandemic. And it’s very woodsy. It’s more of my favorite during the late fall and winter months because it’s got lots of undergrowth and so I don’t frequent it as much in the summertime.
And then of course, there are lots of opportunities to walk around the lakes, enjoy a picnic or a sunset, or fish in the lake. Busch has a lot more to offer than one might think, especially for hiking.
Kareem’s Hot Take: So for me, I like being around bodies of water. It brings me great comfort and helps in my meditation. So Busch is a great example- many lakes to walk around, fish, be in a good place. There are a lot of really nice paths- kid-friendly paths, short, long, relaxing, not challenging, easy trails there for everyone.
We had a gorgeous Sunday, so of course, we had to spend it outside. We had a leisurely big family brunch- one of my favorite things to do on the weekend- followed by a hike at Babler and then a visit with my parents, who live near Wildwood.
Wildwood Community Park is located near 109 and 100. It’s kind of hidden off the road just west of 100. It’s on the right if you are coming westbound on 100. It’s fairly new, and it’s really nice. It has a gorgeous Pavillon and nice bathrooms. It’s all accessible too, even the tallest tower and slide. It always warms my heart to see my dad playing with my kids, but it was very special to see my dad be able to access all the places the kids wanted to go.
The playground has a ton of activities for all kids big and small. We had four kids from a newly turned three year old up to a ten year old, and nobody ran short of things to do. The playground is nature themed and it’s surrounded by woods, which I love. A creek runs by it as well, and this is easily accessible- no climbing, sliding, or scrambling necessary to get down there.
The playground has a tall structure with climbing apparatus and two tube slides. There is a ramp to get to the top, so this is accessible for all as well. There is a typical climbing structure with steps also and metal slides on both ends. It has tipi shaped structures connected by a metal bridge. There’s a roller slide, an obstacle course type climbing structure with monkey bars, a few swings, a unique round swing, a merry go round with climbing structure, a web-like rope climbing structure, two climbing walls connected with rope net, some log-type climbing structures, a ball that spins and sways- so much! It’s aesthetically beautiful and very fun and functional.
It is pretty large and so I was glad to have a man-on-man D for our trip. :). There were lots of families there and it was pretty crowded because it was such a nice day. But as dinner time approached and the sun started to get low, it emptied out and eventually, it was just us.
I’ve been here a couple times and we will definitely be back!
