Parents make hiking creative recreation!
When dealing with short legs, sometimes the energy expended in outdoor recreation overwhelms the natural curiosity of children. There are simple ways, however, for parents to keep their kids interested in the family hike. One of the easiest methods we use is food. Whether it’s a family day activity or a hike away from home, bringing along some enticing snacks makes a huge difference – especially to certain kiddos. 
We learned during one of our very first family hiking attempts that E needed food for encouragement. Back then, I broke granola bars into bite-sized pieces and gave her a piece each time she made it a short distance. Now that she’s older, she can usually make it all the way to the ‘top’ of the hikes we choose before she needs her snack, but I bring extra, just in case.
All kids have an innate interest in the world around them. Parents can make hiking creative recreation simply by keeping our eyes open and sharing what we see with our children. Some sights are obvious – the fuzzy caterpillar in spring, colorful butterflies in the summer, fragrant flowers blooming beside the path – we know kids want to experience that, just like we do. 
Get to know your local flora and fauna so you can share information with your kids, as well. I still remember learning about aspen tree bark when I was at outdoor lab in elementary school – and one of the first things I told my kids about aspens had to do with the healing tendencies of aspen tree bark. Little pieces of knowledge go a long way toward making hiking creative recreation -- and learning recreation, as well.
Here in Colorado, the wildflowers are quite colorful, and there’s nothing like an entire meadow filled with columbines or Indian paintbrush. 
Of course, it’s illegal to pick columbines, but we’ll let the kids pick the flowers off weeds, if they have to pick something – and we’ve noticed that they do like to have mementos of their hike. When I was little, my parents would encourage us to pick up neat rocks, too. Those get heavy after a while, but my mom kept some of the more unique rocks we found for years. Another possibility for your family day activity is to learn to press flowers which you find – then they’ll be a true memento of hiking creative recreation for years to come.When choosing your hike, think of other enjoyable kids activities. 
Whenever we hike near water, especially lakes, we’ll take time to wander down to the shore and skip rocks. Our son D especially enjoys this – maybe it’s a boy thing. I remember my brother loving it, as well, and he and my dad would get into rock-skipping contests. These are the types of family bonding activities which can be found everywhere in nature, and they add to making hiking creative recreation.
Don’t forget some of the most amazing family fun activities – wildlife sightings! We have large wildlife here in Colorado – including moose, deer, elk, foxes, coyotes, bears, and mountain lions. Of course, I’m pretty relieved that we’ve never seen a bear or mountain lion on any of our hikes! But we saw the moose in the picture during a family hike last summer. Even chipmunks and squirrels are interesting to kids, though, along with the brilliantly-colored birds -- very much hiking creative recreation.
This leads to another great family outdoor activity – photography. You probably guessed that I love taking pictures. Beginning this summer or next, we’re planning to get the kids their own digital cameras (the inexpensive and tough kinds). Up to this point, we’ve simply used the little disposables (and we seldom get the pictures developed, as they forget before we have a chance to do so). Here is our Family Photography page.
Even if you don’t want to take the time to stop every few feet for picture opportunities, consider getting some binoculars. Both kids have a pair of those, as does my husband. They love being able to see far-away things close up! Family recreation in hiking can be a lifetime family building experience. I hope you find some treasures as you spend time together outdoors.
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