Geocaching (pronounced- geocashing) is an outdoor treasure hunting game using your GPS device

Geocaching is a community-wide game that is gaining in popularity across the world. I was recently introduced to it through Twitter tweets by other outdoor adventurers. I looked up exactly how to play and found that it is really easier than it sounds. There are geocache searches made specifically for children and others that are easy enough for them. Many geocaches are hid in local parks. After finding our first cache, the children and I were hooked. I loved watching the excitement in their faces and experiencing us working together towards a common goal. They loved the challenge and the great trade items inside. It’s a great way to add interest to your  hikes while promoting family bonding.

As children get older, it is easy to just let the family grow apart. It takes time and work to keep a family close. I believe a family should be a place of love and security for children. I learn so much about my children as well as learn about myself as we spend time outdoors together. There is something relaxing about the fresh air, allergies or not, that can help change a person’s whole attitude. Stress seems to evaporate with the morning dew or afternoon sun. There is peace within us and peace with one another as we look outside of ourselves. It’s a time where simplicity and technology merge. I hope you will take time to explore the possibilities of what geocaching can mean for your family. Here are a few tips on how to get started using your iphone. You can also use a Garmin.

• Download a good GPS app.
• Go to www.geocaching.com and watch the introduction video.
• Decide which geocaching app is best for you and download it.
• Choose a geocache that is medium to large sized for your first hunt and a one star difficulty level. You want to make sure you find something the first try.
• Wear appropriate shoes and clothing for the terrain and temperature. Caches are often hid in bushes, trees or tall grasses.
• Look for other “treasures” along the way. My son is ecstatic to find simple bolts or wires. You may want to name plants and animals you see and take photos.
• Bring items to trade like silly bands, coins. . .
• Sign the log book- you may need to use your own pen.
• Place the cache back where you found it.
• Have a picnic and spend time talking as a family. It may be a great afterschool activity for your kids before they get started with homework or something fun to do when homework is finished.
• Hide your own cache in your neighborhood.

Cherry Tomatoes by qmnonic

Living on the gulf coast of Florida, we have multitudes of vegetation that would grow in our yards without much work. We don’t have to be  gardening experts to plant a tree in a sunny spot in our yards and watch it grow. This year, my whole family experienced the thrill of picking beautiful ripe, juicy oranges off the tree in our backyard. All it took was this one time of having fruit available whenever we needed some to inspire me to plant some more fruit trees and begin the venture towards a more self-sustaining lifestyle.

Why Go More Self-Sustaining?

You’ve probably noticed that food prices are going up. If you’ve been reading about food quality, you are aware of what is being done to the foods we eat. And, we are partly responsible for our family’s health. Juicing in a juice machine is a great way to give good health to picky eaters. If you juice a few days a week though, you know how many fruits and vegetables it takes. I buy lots of raw food and as much as possible, I buy organic. So, instead of always buying from the stores, why not have some available in our own yards? The soil will be supplied with vital nutrients and the food will be pesticide free. We can even choose to grow natural heirloom plants rather than strange hybrid varieties that may be harmful to our health. So with the arrival of Spring here, now is the perfect time to start planning. Here on the gulf coast, it is not too difficult to have something edible producing at all times. Below are some ideas of things to plant this season to get a more self-sustaining lifestyle started.

What Should I Plant?

Did you know you can eat many of the flowers you will plant this Spring? Flowers are a great way to add color, but don’t forget you can eat many of them. They are great in teas, soups and salads.

Flower Salad - Photo by Sancho Papa

• Edible flowers- marigolds-but not all varieties; only Calendula officinalis, roses, pansies, zinnias, daylilies, honeysuckles, camelias, hibiscus, geraniums, gladiolus, and orange blossoms.

Try planting these yummy fruits. It’s strawberry season here on the coast and blueberry and blackberry season is coming this summer- get ready for homemade pies loaded with antioxidants!

• Fruit – blueberries, blackberries, grapes and strawberries, watermelons, oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes and avocados

There are many great vegetables for planting this season. Peppers are a favorite for eating raw, in salads or sauteed in meals. Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow and are great added to salads. Start planting!

• Vegetables- sweet peas, squash, peppers, corn, pole beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are relatively easy to grow in pots.
  

If it sounds impossible or too time consuming to have an edible yard, it’s really not. Make square foot or circle garden plots. Plant in pots. Use compost bins, mulch and maybe a rain barrel. Try xeriscaping to cut out mowing time that could be put towards gardening time. Creating an urban homestead or a more self-sustaining lifestyle is something the whole family can enjoy working towards together. Is your yard edible? Let us know if you have any other stories or tips to share!

Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives

Do you remember any childhood days of going outside to play? I’m sure most of us do. We don’t need a scientist to tell us how great it feels to be outside in fresh air. It is interesting to note the research, however, that shows children who have free playtime outdoors tend to be better adjusted, better thinkers and less stressed than children who don’t.

So, what is free play? Free play is simply playing-no agenda, just play. You can get outdoors with your children in a setting of choice, with tools of choice and let their imagination go to work. Why not get away from studying, practicing, and TV and get outside to create and explore. Here are a few ideas for some outdoor family free play with your children (young or old) this new year:

• Gardening- make your backyard a special place to play with the freedom to get dirty. Let each child have their own square foot garden in which to play and learn. Grow fruit trees or have pots of strawberries, tomatoes, etc. Give them gloves, gardening tools and baskets for gathering. It will be a great time for imaginative play while learning about nature.

• Hiking-not just to reach a destination, but to also enjoy the journey- all the while getting to know each other better. Make easy homemade snacks ahead of time like dehydrated fruit, fruit roll-ups and beef jerky. Grab a walking stick. Play in the dirt. Pretend anything that interests your children.  These are great times to spark lateral (outside the box) thinking which often diminishes as our children get older.

• Building or drawing-  It’s peaceful to get out of the house to create something. Allow your child supervised time with wood, hammer, nails and handsaws and let him decide what to make. If your child likes to draw, take drawing outside. Grab a sketch pad and colored pencils or chalk and let the child explore while finding things to draw.

What does your family do for play? Are there any new outside activities you’ve started with your family this year?

Rocks and Seagrass Beds of Site 1

My children and I recently visited the areas of Project Greenshores. We had a great time seeing the numerous amounts of crabs, small fish and birds which have made Site 1 and 2 their homes. People were there from the FDEP to collect water and species samples as well as to give an educational tour.

Crab Watching

While we were there listening, I began thinking about the numerous amounts of money, people and time it takes to restore these saltmarshes and oyster reefs and decided to write about a couple of easy ways for us to help prevent problems to our sensitive water systems before they occur. The first things that came to mind were boater awareness and lawn maintenance.

In our community, we have water all around us and many people spend a lot of time boating. One thing boaters can do to protect the balance of water systems is to be careful not to uproot seagrasses.

Seagrasses are plants totally adapted to living underwater. They create a stable and protected habitat for marine life. Once a seagrass bed is destroyed it can take up to ten years to grow back naturally. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the seagrass beds of Project Greenshores “will provide habitat for many fish and invertebrate species, help stabilize the Bay bottom thus reducing turbidity (from boats and barges), and serve as a nursery area for 70-95% of the commercially harvested species in this region.” This is good news for our bay and the local economy. 

Cautious Boaters near Site 2

Therefore to prevent damage to our seagrass beds the Department of Environmental Protection offers five simple steps for boaters:

1. Know your boat and be familiar with the boat’s draft. As a general rule, there should be at least a foot between the boat’s propeller and the top of the seagrasses.

2. Be familiar with the local waterways. Estuarine and coastal environments change constantly, making navigation tricky.

3. Be aware of how tide and wind conditions affect boating. It is common for seagrass beds to be completely exposed during low tides.

4. Turn the motor off and drift into deeper water, if you run aground.

5. Use a trolling motor and push pole for fishing in shallow water.

For more info: Florida Boater’s Guide

Another problem for our area is with stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is rainwater that cannot be absorbed by the soil during a storm event and runs into our waterways.

It has become the largest source of polluting nutrients, which can lead to an imbalance called eutrophication. Too many nutrients can reduce seagrass productivity. While The City of Pensacola works on the challenges of stormwater treatment, we can use caution in our landscaping.

Stormwater picks up herbicides and pesticides applied to the lawn or garden and run off into waterways and make their way into the food chain. Not to mention, it’s not the safest environment for children to play.  So, I looked into some landscaping options.

Here are some tips from experts I am trying with my own yard:

* Burnout- an organic weed killer
* Less watering- removing some grass and replacing with stone pavers
* Soil testing kit for under $20-only put on my lawn what it needs
* Aerating soil to help grass grow stronger-aerators can be rented from garden centers
* Compost fertilizer
* Mowing without a bag to let clippings fertilize naturally

While some damage from hurricanes and other things may not be preventable, all of us can do something to help. It just takes some time and planning. Prevention is the easier and most cost effective route to help keep us all enjoying the benefits of our beautiful Gulf Coast waters.