Nature Hikes

With the weather cooling down my family and I have gotten ourselves out of the house and into nature more frequently.
The Virginia summers are hot and humid. Being from Michigan, hot and humid don't sit well with us. We thrive in the cooler weather like we're having now and are taking full advantage of it by going on nature hikes as a family.



My children absolutely love the outdoors and all the dirt, bugs and animals it has to offer. My husband and I enjoy this time out not only as great time spent with our family but also to use it as an educational time to teach our kids about the various plants and creatures we encounter.





It is fun watching their excitement as they discover different flowers, trees, insects and animals. On this particular trip my children had their first encounter with small snakes. There was a small creek with a lovely bridge that crossed it and the creek was so full of life. The snakes were swimming away looking for a place to hide, frogs were hopping and turtles were sitting on logs.



Not only have our nature hikes been a great venue for our children to learn about the outdoors and be active but it has been very beneficial with wearing them out so that they sleep in for us in the morning. I've never been personally against killing two birds with one stone, that's for sure. ;)



This time of year nature hikes are also a great opportunity to explore the changing seasons. To take in all the beautiful colors and wonderful outdoor smells that autumn has to offer. Certainly an opportunity not to be passed up.