Three Easy Ways to Teach Your Kids the Importance of Voting

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUIttomc6to[/embed] Celebrating Success by Giving Back To commemorate their sixth anniversary as a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to getting families outdoors, Hike it Baby launched a month-long campaign to give back to our trails. The community responded by hosting 96 trail cleanup hikes across the US and Canada. Hikers removed a total of 940 gallons of trash.  Several partners supported Hike it Baby’s efforts, including Deuter, who provided 1,000 reusable Deuter “Junior Dirtbags” to collect trash.   “It was really amazing to see the Hike it Baby communities coming together to celebrate and clean up the trails,” said Jessica Carrillo Alatorre, Hike it Baby’s Executive Director. “And our co-branded kids dirtbag with Deuter and Leave No Trace™ were the perfect complements to the celebration. Our community couldn't wait to get the reusable bags. Families loved using them to clean up. Sometimes we forget that even with babies and toddlers we can still get outside, give back and make friends. This campaign helped prove it's possible. Even more importantly, we’re helping shape our children’s good habits to love and care for the Earth. Together, we're raising a generation to love the outdoors.” The Mission Hike it Baby’s mission focuses on supporting families with children from birth to five years old, helping them to get outdoors and celebrate nature. During this campaign, babies as young as eight weeks old participated in cleaning up our trails. “Children under five are learning the habits and behaviors that will last a lifetime,” Carrillo Alatorre said. “They love learning how to take care of their things and it’s important to teach them this planet is one of the things they need to help take care of if they want it to last. Once they know what to look for, it’s so fun to see little ones pointing out the trash, sharing Leave No Trace ethics with their friends and working hard to make good choices. Little steps of pointing out and picking up trash turn into bigger impacts like collectively removing 940 gallons of trash. Everyone can make an impact and it’s our job to teach our children how to make it positive.” Additional partner support came from Leave No Trace through educational resources, Clifbar, who donated 50,000 kids’ Zbars and Extreme Terrain’s Clean Trail Initiative Program Grant, which covered all shipping costs for the campaign.  About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Image credit: Deanna Curry

The Wonder of Winter Hike it Baby and Joules have partnered to create a free, downloadable My Winter Workbook (available in English and Spanish) with activities to make this winter a season to remember. Winter gets a bad rap. Once the holidays are done and we are into the new year, people tend to get over the cold, wet winter weather pretty quickly. But, when you take the time to experience the coldest season of the year you'll find there's a lot to love about the winter season. Free My Winter Workbook Download We want everyone to experience all the wonderful things about winter. And the free My Winter Workbook from Hike it Baby and Joules makes it easy to take your first steps outside this season. The My Winter Workbook includes activities that will help your family get outside more often and make lasting memories. The My Winter Workbook includes: Color by number page Winter sensory walk Build your own birdfeeder Winter scavenger hunt Design your own Joules wellies     Share to Win & Plant a Tree As an added bonus to the activities, Joules is giving away a $500 shopping spree. To enter to win snap a picture of your family doing one of the activities in the My Winter Workbook, share the image on social media between now and January 15, 2021, with the hashtag #HiBExploreandRestore, and tag @JoulesUSA and @HikeitBaby. Be sure to share the workbook with your friends and family to extend the impact. For every social media share, Joules will plant one tree with the non-profit organization American Forests. It's part of Joules commitment to protecting and restoring our wildlife habitats now and for generations to come. Let's Get Outside this Winter! As the old saying goes, if you can't beat it, join it. Getting outside more this winter can help you overcome seasonal depression, feel more refreshed, reduce your stress, and more! You might just find winter is your favorite season after all. Helpful Articles Top Three Things to Pack on Your Next Winter Hike with Your Toddler How to Keep Your Family Warm on Trail this Winter About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, Hike it Baby is a growing community of 270,000 families and over 400 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information, as well as outdoor engagement events, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. Photo courtesy of Brandi Rondinelli. My Winter Workbook cover design by Alex Wong. This post is sponsored by Joules, however, we would not recommend something that our children do not love. Our opinions are our own.