Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation

Marquette Chapter

Ice Age Trail and Discovery Depot Children's Museum

Hiking with Kids

Take it easy, and keep it fun: It's easy to kill a child's natural enthusiasm for camping and hiking by putting adult desires over kid's needs and abilities. Little legs wear out faster than big ones, and little bodies get both colder and hotter much faster than do big bodies.

For young children, the whole goal is to have fun together, so take time to look, listen, smell and touch things. To a child, everything is interesting -- bugs, flowers, squirrels, trees, birds, animal tracks, animal leavings, even rocks. Your children will enjoy throwing rocks in a pond or floating leaves in a river. They will not have a strong drive to reach any particular spot on the trail.

Take snacks and drinks, and give your children time to eat and drink. Granola bars, fruit, nuts, water and occasional juice are good choices. During rest breaks, you can sing songs, play games, read stories, play with sticks, draw or color, and snap a few photographs.

Make sure your child has good fitting, supportive footwear. Allow your children to make suggestions about what to pack, where to go, what to do and when to leave.

Take a friend. Bringing along one of your child's friends can help keep the activity merry. . Think of games, songs, stories and ways to regenerate interest as you hike.

Teach your children how to use a compass, how to read a map, how to follow the sun (or stars), how to sanitize water, (and when they're old enough) how to build a fire.

Consider your child's physical condition and don't push your child past the child's abilities or past the point of enjoyment. There is folk wisdom that says a child can "hike their age", so a two year old is able to hike two miles. However, just because they can, does not mean they will. Motivators need to be planned ahead of time.

Your young child can carry a child-size backpack with a sweater and a small snack. As the child gets older, you can gradually increase the weight (experts suggest not more than 10-20 percent of a child's total body weight). The backpack will feel heavier as the walk goes on. Do allow your child to tell you when the backpack becomes uncomfortable, and be open to relieving the discomfort.

Praise your child for hiking achievements, and provide the odd special reward/treat. Be easy going. If you start them with good hiking experiences at 2 yrs. by ten they will be very capable and enthusiastic. Avoid criticizing your child for not knowing things, for making mistakes, or for getting sick and/or tired. If the trip must be abandoned, try to put a positive spin on any unforeseen events: "This was a good place to turn around!" or "Think of everything we got to see today!" ( adapted from article by Penny Schwinn 03)

Ten for the Trail: Games for Restless Little Hikers adapted from AMC Outdoors

Colors in nature — As you are hiking along the trail, challenge your kids to find at least 10 things in nature that are, say, blue. The first one to find 10 blue things chooses the next color challenge.

Scavenger hunt — Create lists of sounds, sights, textures, and smells to watch for on the trail. Award special prizes for collecting trash. Do not collect plants or other living objects. Instead, search for acorns, pine cones, or rocks on the forest floor. Always remember to return your natural objects to the woods where they came from. (Google: Leave No Trace, for more information.)

Life under logs — Take some time to explore the fallen logs you come across. Encourage your kids to use their senses to listen (tap the log — does it sound hollow or solid?), smell (does it smell wet or dry? like anything they've smelled before?), and feel the log (hard or soft? rough or smooth?). Look for insect holes or nibble marks. Remember that decomposing logs are habitat for living creatures, so carefully replace any logs you turn over.

Games for the Little Explorer

I spy — While hiking along the trail, silently pick out something you see. Tell the group whether it's animal, vegetable, or mineral. The rest of the group asks yes or no questions to figure out what it is. The one who figures it out is the next one to spy. Everyone knows it's windy — Which direction is the wind blowing? Is it warm or cold? Find two different ways to tell which way the wind is blowing, and how fast.

Hug a tree — You'll have to know your trees for this one! One hiker is the tree master. While hiking along the trail, the tree master calls out the name of a tree in the area —for example, birch. Everyone scrambles to find a birch tree and give it a big hug. Try not to step on live vegetation or wander too far from the trail.

Games That Require Some Parental Planning

Slide show — Give each hiker a six-inch by six-inch cardboard frame and ask them to pick up a leaf off the forest floor. Be sure not to collect leaves from living plants. After they've made and studied their "slide," say "click" and pass the slides to the left. Continue until everyone has their original slide back.

Mystery bag — You'll need a stuff sack or lunch bag and items found along the trail. Collect items (acorns, pine cones, small stones, trash, etc. — no fair picking any living plants). When you stop for a rest, have your kids put their hands in the bag and try to identify the items they touch. Scatter the materials back in the woods when you're finished. Make rain art — Paint shapes with watercolors or poster paint. After the paper is dry, bring them out on a rainy hike and let the water work its artistic magic. What kinds of patterns do different kinds of rain (drizzle, downpour) make?

Sniff it out — For a night hike, put scents (vanilla, vinegar, mint, etc.) in film canisters (two for each scent). Hand them out and let kids, find the person holding the scent that matches theirs. To go one step further, ask kids to think of which animals use their sense of smell during the night.