Monthly Archives: September 2016

Family Friendly Boston – How to Have a Fantastic Camping Trip With Kids When You Don’t Have Gear (Shawme-Crowell State Forest)

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I grew up in a family that loved camping and all things outdoors… and I married a man who hates anything that could be considered remotely dirty.  With that said camping has not been very high on his list of priorities but it’s something I’ve really been wanting to do and really wanted to take our son to do.

As another summer season was nearing it’s closed I realized that another year was going to pass without us getting out and really enjoying nature the way I did growing up, and felt disappointed about the loss and I also realized if I wanted this to happen I was going to have to make it happen.

I wanted to go camping, but since my husband is not an outdoors man we have zero camping gear.  So I figured camping was out of the questions and I started looking around the different Massachusetts state parks to at least try to find a place were we could have a fire and make some s’mores.

As I was searching I came across the “Yurt” and all of the sudden my dream of taking our young son camping while being 8 months pregnant became a possibility.  I was thrilled, and ended up booking a Yurt at the Shawme-Crowell State forest, thinking that we could go spend a night there, then drive down Cape Cod and enjoy a day at the beach the following day.  It sounded like the perfect short trip for our little family.

Things to Note:

1. Yurts are a great way to camp for families without camping gear
Yurts, if you haven’t hear of them before are round, canvas/wood covered structures.  The ones at Shawme-Crowell had cement floors, locking doors, a wooden table and beds with mattress.  Which meant as far as camping gear went the only thing I needed to bring was blankets and pillows to cover the mattress.  Perfect!  That also meant I didn’t need to have or set up a tent and we could pretty much get to the camp ground a be ready to go.

Each yurt at Shawme-Crowell also had a water sprout by it, a cooking grill and a fire pit.  You can choose if you wanted a 4 or 6 person Yurt.  

2. Firewood
Don’t bring firewood with you camping.  If you want a camp fire you will have to buy the firewood from the camp ground.  Apparently there have been lots of problems/fears about bugs being brought in with outside wood so they don’t allow any.  We bought six logs for $5.

3. Yurt Rental
You have to rent a yurt for at least two nights (which was a bummer for us because we only wanted to stay for one, but we still had to book it for two)  and you can choose the size you want for your family between a 4 or 6 person yurt.  The price was around $55/night.

4. Amenities
Yurts have a water spout, cooking grill and fire pit right next to each one.  There is also power in yurts including lights and outlets to plug in whatever you need. If you walk down the road a little bit there is a bathroom with flushing toilets and showers.

Summary and Stars: ★★★★★

Five stars.  We had a fantastic time camping here.  Staying in yurt made it so easy and even my outdoor hating husband admitted that it was fun and worth the memories.  If your looking into planning a camping trip with kids I would highly suggest this as a painless way to go enjoy the outdoors without the headache of hauling around and setting up tons of gear.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Shawme-Crowell State Forest
42 Main Street
Sandwich, MA 02563

Phone: 508 888-0351
State Forest Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-south/shawme-crowell-state-forest.html 

Website for booking a yurt: http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/shawme-crowell-state-forest/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=MA&parkId=32621

Big List of 35 Objects that Start with the Letter Y

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A group of my friends started doing something we are calling Toddler Time and each week we choose a letter to focus on.  I realized that finding objects that start with the letter of the week can be a challenge and I thought it might be helpful to have a long list of “Y” letter objects them on hand.  If I’ve missed something drop me a note in the comments, I would be thrilled to add even more letter “Y” objects.
  1. Yacht: A large, luxurious boat designed for recreational or leisure activities on water.
  2. Yachting shoes: Specialized footwear designed for boating activities, typically characterized by a non-slip rubber sole.
  3. Yachtsman: An individual who owns, sails, or operates a yacht.
  4. Yahtzee: A dice game in which players try to score combinations on a scorecard.
  5. Yak: A large domesticated wild ox with shaggy hair, humped shoulders, and large horns, typically found in the Central Asian region.
  6. Yam: A starchy edible root, similar to the potato and sweet potato, often used in cooking and baking.
  7. Yankee: A term referencing a native or inhabitant of the northern US, often specifically New England or the Union states during the American Civil War.
  8. Yard: A unit of linear measure equal to 3 feet or 36 inches in length.
  9. Yard Stick: A rod measuring exactly one yard in length, often used for measuring items in yards.
  10. Yarn: A long, continuous strand of interlocked fibers, typically produced from wool or cotton, used in knitting or weaving.
  11. Year: A period of time consisting of 365 days, or 366 in a leap year, representing the time taken by Earth to orbit the sun.
  12. Yearbook: A book published annually, recording the events, statistics, and details of the past year at a specific institution or organization.
  13. Yeast: A type of fungus that is used in baking and brewing for its ability to ferment sugars, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol.
  14. Yellow: A primary color that is reminiscent of the sun or gold.
  15. Yellow Cake: A type of uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions, used in preparation of fuel for nuclear reactors.
  16. Yellowjacket: A type of wasp with yellow and black striping, known for its aggressive behavior.
  17. Yellowstone National Park: A national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, famous for its wildlife and geothermal features.
  18. Yeti: A mythical creature often depicted as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid, supposedly found in the Himalayas.
  19. Yew tree: A type of evergreen tree, native to western, central and southern Europe, known for its bright red berries.
  20. Yo-yo: A toy consisting of a pair of joined discs with a deep groove between them in which string is attached and wound, can be made to go up and down by holding the end of the string.
  21. Yodeler: A person who sings or calls in a yodeling manner.
  22. Yoga: A practice of mind and body disciplines originating from ancient India, often involving posture, breathing techniques, and meditation.
  23. Yogurt: A food product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk, often eaten plain or used as a base for various dishes.
  24. Yogurt parfait: A dessert typically made by layering yogurt with granola and fruits, often served in a tall, clear glass to display the layers.
  25. Yoke: A bar or frame used to join two animals, like oxen, together to enable them to pull a plough or cart.
  26. Yolk: The yellow part of an egg, rich in protein and fat, that feeds the developing embryo in an egg.
  27. Yoohoo: A popular brand of chocolate drink in the United States.
  28. York peppermint patty: A chocolate-covered peppermint candy bar produced by the Hershey Company.
  29. Yorkie (dog breed): A small dog breed of terrier type, officially known as Yorkshire Terrier, often kept as pets.
  30. Ytterbium: A soft, malleable silvery metallic element, often used in lasers and certain types of steel.
  31. Yucca: A genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, notable for their clusters of white flowers.
  32. Yukata: A casual summer kimono usually made of cotton or synthetic fabric, worn in Japan at outdoor summer events.
  33. Yukon Gold potato: A variety of potato known for its smooth skin and yellow-tinged flesh.
  34. Yule Log: A large log burned in the hearth as part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in several European cultures.
  35. Yurt: A circular tent constructed with a wooden frame and covered in skins or felt, used as a dwelling by nomadic groups in Central Asia.

 

Can you think of any other letter “Y” words?  If so please comment and let me know, I’d love to get them added to the list.

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Toddler Letters – “R” is for “Rainbow”

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Supplies Needed:

  • Colored Craft Paper
  • Letter “R” Cutout
  • Paint (I used watercolors)
  • Paint Brush
  • Glue
  • Markers

Set Up:

We took our letter “R” cutout and proceeded to paint it with our watercolors.  As much as I encouraged my son to experiment with colors like blue and red he couldn’t help himself but to go for the black and brown paint.  Ha.  So his rainbow ended up being… not very rainbow like, but he had a blast painting it.  We let them dry then pressed them between two books for a little bit so they would lay flat before gluing them down.

When we finished we talked about different colors and where we can find them (ie apples can be red, green or yellow, grapes can be red and green, watermelon is red/white/green)

Tracing Letters:

*Courtesy of http://bogglesworldesl.com/

Have you made this craft?  What was your experience like and do you have an suggestions to make it better?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

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