Category Archives: Winter Adventure

Winter Camping: How to Make a Camp Fire in the Snow

Afraid to Winter Camp Because You Don’t Have a Clue How to Get a Fire Going in Snow? Fear Not.

Ever wondered how to make a camp fire in the snow? And then how to cook on that said camp fire, in the woods, in the dead of winter?  Have you been putting off winter camping until you got around to figuring it out? Here’s one delightful couple that shows us how to get the fire going and then cook on it. I imagine their kids are going to have some fun trips.

When Building a Fire in the Snow with Kids

If you are doing this with kids, I’d recommend bringing a shovel for them to help you dig a bit as well as set them up for playing in the snow while you’re doing the leg work. Keep an eye on them as you don’t want them wandering off while you are immersed in fire pit shoveling mode.

Be aware of any rivers or streams in the area (like the one in the video). If you don’t have another adult to watch them, make sure they stay in your line of vision while you are working on your fire. Also make sure they have some snacks and are dressed appropriately. You’ll likely be working up a sweat but if they are not moving around too much it won’t be too long before they get cold. Have them help you gather wood.

Don’t forget to make sure to tell your children what you’re doing and why. As you’ll see in this video it’s a great learning opportunity about not just making fire but physics as well. For example, listen carefully to why you can’t just make the fire on top of snow.

 

Adventures in Cool Math: Games for Kids

So OK, you might have a road trip ahead of you, or some down time to kill in the hotel while the weather’s bad. As parents, especially the outdoor loving adventurous kind, we hate to plop our kids down in front of Nickelodeon or PBS Kids (which I prefer), or the TV in order to play the typical kid games, like dress up games, cooking games or other funny games for hours. cowmathgame

And this is what they will happily to if you let them. But now you can feel especially less guilty with this line up of cool math games and other games and activities you can let the kids do. If you need a car game, and you have your mobile wifi, there’s nothing wrong with an hour or two playing learning games.

1) Addington Kids: has some really cool math games on their site. Save the space aliens from heading into the vortex by clicking on the right ones with the right numbers on their heads. When you get them all in the right combination and place them on the little teleporter table (I think that’s what it is) hit the button and voila, you’ve saved them. Watch though they get grumpy so you need to give them some attention by clicking on them.

2) Math Man: as you will see looks eerily familiar to our our little whacka whacka friend the Pac Man. Only now it has a math twist. But don’t let the ghosts get you before you can eat a question.

3) Super Math Multiplication Game: in typical math nerd form, this super cute game has a very bland title, but don’t let that fool you. Let the laser shooting cow help your child get a grasp on his multiplication table. There are several levels of difficulty but try them all. These kids games are free!

4) Cool Math Games: The whole site is about cool math. Prealgebra, algebra, geometry art and more.

5) Hooda Math You must escape the clock tower. You’ve somehow gotten in and now you have to figure out how to get out.  And the great clock is broken. You need to help fix it.

An Adventure for the Brain. Visit the Birth Place of the World Wide Web at CERN

CERN Geneva Switzerland
CERN Universe of Particles Exhibit
Next computer that housed world wide web CERN

Not every adventure has to be high octane physical exertion. Here’s one for the brain. If you’re heading off to the Alps for some family fun on the slopes, and come in via Geneva, Switzerland, make a pit stop to CERN, to see where the world wide web was born. There’s an interactive exhibit that talks about the big ticket item under ground, the Hadron Collider, which is helping to research how life began (as in Big Bang theory). Of course, my favorite part was seeing the original NeXT computer built by Steve Jobs during his temporary ousting from Apple. Tim Berners-Lee put up this little pet project called the world wide web on it. My favorite part was “Do Not Power Down” written in sharpie on a very ordinary looking computer tower. I didn’t know if I should say a prayer to it or something. But if you have a burgeoning Bill Gates in your midst, wow him or her with your unbelievable coolness. Keep in mind to score a tour of the actual collider plan a few months ahead.  Visit CERN