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5 Gifts for National Park Fans

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National parks visitor numbers continue to rise as more people discover our nation’s treasures.  As the season of gift-giving starts, national parks can provide some unique gifts for all the fans in your lives. With many options out there, it can be hard deciding on the perfect gift. I have searched and rounded up these unique ideas for your friends and families who love the national parks suited for a variety of ages and at reasonable prices:   1. Yahtzee: National Parks Edition game It’s just like the original Yahtzee game, but has unique, colorful dice and a barrel-themed cup. A portion of the proceeds for this game benefit the National Parks Foundation. 2.  Uncommon Ground’s Redwood & Saguaro Crystal Growing Kit Kids will love this science fun of crystals forming on paper in this cool kit. 3. Turtle Tube: An Erutuf National Park Novel by Kathy Arnold Cherry In this new children’s book, siblings Reese and Dean’s wild adventure at Erutuf National Park is sure to expand the reader’s imagination and, likely, a curiosity about animals and the world through a magical national park. 4. Swiftwick National Parks socks Instead of giving boring black socks, add some splash to someone’s wardrobe with one of the 11 national parks. 5. Park Project’s National Parks Candles Why not bring the scent of a certain national park to someone’s home? Give the unique scents of redwoods or lodgepole pines to a friend or family to enjoy. Happy gift shopping for your national park fans!

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5 Ways Kids Can Make a Difference with the Climate

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The United Nations Climate Change Conference recently took place in Glasgow. According to the U.N., “The Earth is now about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the 1800s. We are not on track to meet the Paris Agreement target to keep global temperature from exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. That is considered the upper limit to avoid the worst fallout from climate change.” These national headlines and statistics often make children feel helpless. Yet, children can make a difference today. My children’s novel provides an adventure that will help build children’s curiosity about animals and the world around them. Here are 5 tips for helping children make a difference with climate change today: Walk or bike to school. Find a classmate in the neighborhood to make it more fun. Reuse returned homework and school paperwork as wrapping paper or letters for family. Grandparents, aunts, or uncles can see your old math homework wrapping up their gifts. Avoid taking plastic bottled drinks and use the fountains or reusable containers. Turn off the lights every time you leave the room. Turn it into a game or contest about family members keeping lights off. Find rocks out in nature and decorate them as gifts for loved ones. Family loves homemade gifts especially for the holidays. Children can take on these simple actions and feel a part of the community and that they’re making a difference. In the end, we all want to make a difference, even children.

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I Love to Write Day

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Happy I Love to Write Day! This day was founded in 2002 by author John Riddle, a non-fiction and self-help writer, to encourage children writing in schools and even encourage adults to pick up a pen. To celebrate today, you can write a loved one a letter, create a poem, write a short story, start a novel, finish a novel, or write anything. It doesn’t have to be long. Jot down a few words. Happy I Love to Write Day!

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World Kindness Day

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Happy World Kindness Day! World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. To celebrate this day of kindness, I recommend this children’s picture book written and illustrated by my friend, Jesse Bennett. Her book, Lift, shares the sweet message of kindness, inclusion, and lifting our words and our actions throughout the beautiful pages. This sweet and colorful book also shares a great meditation, affirmations, and journal questions at the end to help guide discussions with children. I love all her drawings and all the color used throughout this book! It’s a great book to pick up to celebrate World Kindness Day!

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Veterans Day

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This Thursday, we celebrate and honor our military veterans as a federal holiday. Many of our national parks have direct connections to the American military. In fact, we have dozens of national sites, battlefields, and parks that honor American veterans. In honor of this day, the National Park Service invites all visitors to visit any National Park Service site for free on Veterans Day. Take a moment to honor, thank, and remember our veterans on this day. Happy Veterans Day! And thank you to all the brave veterans out there!

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Mad Hatter Day

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“A land was full of wonder, mystery, and danger. Some say, to survive it, you need to be as mad as a hatter. Which, luckily, I am.” ~ Mad Hatter, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Happy Mad Hatter Day! Yes, it’s a day! It’s a day set aside to bring out your silly side. Today, October 6th, matches the label tucked in the Mad Hatter’s hat that reads “In this style 10/6.” To celebrate this fun holiday: enjoy some tea; read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; tell some fun riddles or puns; wear a hat; or watch the movie Alice in Wonderland. My daughter and I are enjoying this classic novel together at the moment. Happy Mad Hatter Day! Enjoy an excuse to act silly! 😉

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Dinosaur National Monument

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What do you call a T. Rex who hates losing? A saur loser! 🙂 Happy 106th anniversary to Dinosaur National Monument! A few years ago, we traveled from California to Colorado. We really enjoyed this national monument! From the Quarry Visitor Center, we took a shuttle up to the Quarry Exhibit Hall. In this hall, you can see approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones. In addition to this hall, you can check out carvings in the rocks, called petroglyphs, left by the Fremont people nearly 1,000 years ago. You can also take a hike, go camping, go fishing, or watch wildlife like elk or bighorn sheep there. Definitely check out this national monument if you’re in the Utah or Colorado area. To celebrate this anniversary or if you can’t wait to visit there, click here and check out their Junior Ranger activity book. 

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Park Ranger Generator

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Park rangers are the key people responsible for protecting our great national parks. Their duties range from law enforcement to education to many other responsibilities. They keep these amazing national parks going every day. In my new children’s book, Turtle Tube: An Erutuf National Park Novel, Reese and Dean experience park rangers in the magical national park. Today, you can create and draw your own park ranger. Every park ranger needs a national park with animals and items to use. Find out your location, animal with you, and accessory using this Park Ranger Generator. You can even draw and make your generated park ranger on this pdf. Click the link below for the pdf or visit the blog’s section, Future Park Rangers Fun, for this pdf and some other fun activities. Have fun! For my park ranger generator, I am a park ranger in a valley surrounded by bighorn sheep and with a book. 🙂 What did you get? Share your drawings with me as I’d love to see your park rangers!

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