Recommendations
Here you will find the outdoor gear, adventure gear/gifts, books, bug/tick repellent, first aid and more recommended by your facilitator and families who have attended many nature meetups. I only recommend products we have tried ourselves or received ample great reviews about from our nature-loving community. There are some affiliate links included, which means I will make a small commission, at no cost to you, if you choose to purchase through the link:)
Brands we love & favorite pieces they offer:
check back often, as brands and gear recs will be added regularly
Oaki- one and two-piece rain suits, neoprene waders, neoprene rain/snow boots.
Green one piece rainsuit Yellow one piece rainsuit Blue one piece rainsuit
BOGS- insulated 3 season boots (waterproof, great for rain and with wool socks in winter) these are my kiddos favorites, worn for hikes, water and mud play, snow play, etc!
Reima- one and two-piece rain suits, snowsuits
Helly Hansen- this brand comes highly recommended by our nature families, we don’t have first hand experience, but a friend fave is their two piece rain suit
Kuling- rain coveralls
Cuddl Duds- thin but warm base layers for the whole family
Hot Chilly’s- base layers and a fan favorite for wool socks (soft, not itchy) this brand is a fave for all winter gear
Darn Tough- wool socks (lifetime guarantee)
Outdoor Master wool blend socks, super comfy, not itchy, kid approved!
turtlefur- hats, neck warmers, balaclavas, heavy weight and light weight options, we like them all for different purposes!
Osprey- Poco Plus child carrier
Deuter- Kid Comfort child carrier Midnight Blue or Khaki Turmeric/ Green
Kelty- Journey Perfectfit Child Carrier
Can’t go wrong with L.L. Bean, Columbia, Patagonia, North Face or Obermeyer for most snow gear (*these brands can be found at Sierra Trading for much less than regular retail price and I always recommend checking in local social media groups/Marketplace for discounted and often free or traded gear!)
DEET Free Bug/Tick Repellent Recommendations:
*We are unfortunately in a spot of the country where ticks run rampant, so while there are repellents we’ve found can help, the best thing is to do tick checks multiple times throughout your time outdoors, before getting in the car to go home, then again before bedtime.
*It also helps to wear long pants, and tall socks along with light colored clothing where ticks are easily visible and can be pulled off before biting.
Sawyer - Picardin Insect Repellent Lotion which we love, it’s odorless and not greasy and the lotion ensures we don’t miss a spot.
The Sawyer brand of permethrin formula spray or soak (for gear, socks or other clothing)
Badger - Anti-Bug Shake & Spray, DEET-Free Natural Bug Spray
Murphy’s Natural - Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Insect Repellent Spray
Ranger Ready - Picardin Insect Repellent Spray -we prefer the Scent Zero, as the others are very fragrant
*Products containing DEET also repel ticks, mosquitoes and biting flies
More fun things we’ve tried, enjoyed and are happy to share
Adventure Fun:
Uninni adventure backpacks- my kid’s favorite hiking backpacks, they’re super comfy, have tons of space and a matching lunchbox! Lots of different prints:
Water Bottles:
Owala Free Sip- this is hands down the best water bottle we’ve had…and we’ve had A LOT! It is on the expensive end, but is totally worth it. It is truly leak-proof, comes in so many fun colors, has options for straw drinking or tip and sip even when the straw is in, keeps water cold all day. If you see another color combo you like that isn’t listed below, reach out for a different link! Comes in multiple sizes great for long days or quick trips, perfect for adults, big kids and little hands:
Pink 24 oz Light Green 24 oz Denim 24 oz
Orange 24 oz Black 24 oz Gray 24 oz
Light Pink 24 oz Light Purple 24 oz
Orange with Pink Lid 24 oz Marshmallow 24 oz
Orange with Blue Lid 16 oz Mint 16 oz Peach 16 oz
Travel Microscopes:
Archery:
Archery Bow Set for Kids, Valiant Bow
Archery Bow Set for Kids, Apprentice Bow this one is best for younger kids still strengthening dexterity, fine and gross motor skills
Archery Arrow Refill Sets- we prefer the bright colors so we can find them easily;) Orange & White Green & White Yellow & White
Whittling Knives:
Opinel Stainless Steel folding knife, our favorite beginner whittling knife for kids, different colored handles available:
Blue Green Natural Wood Orange Red
Whittling knife thumb guards- a must have for beginners
Walkie Talkies
Battery powered walkies that have a pretty good range, we’ve used them when apart for at least a mile without any static or interference:
Camo set Black set Blue set Pink set Red set Silver set
We also carry extra batteries in our backpacks just in case, but the battery life is pretty good and we have only changed the batteries once in two months.
Pocket guides
These are awesome, super informative and laminated so they don’t get wet or tear, we throw them in our backpacks and pull them out often:
Edible Wild Plants - great for learning to ID plants, NOT permission to eat everything:)
First Aid:
Manuka Honey Ointment- the absolute best thing I have in my kit! The healing that takes place under a bandaid with one swipe of this stuff is miraculous!
Natural Wound Spray- doesn’t sting, cleans really well, helps clean and heal wounds, punctures, burns and bites with grapefruit seed extract, tea tree and lemon EOs
Welly Bandages- all my Nature Buddies love these Bandages; they’re fabric and stretchy, they stay put, don’t hurt as much as other band aids to take off, and come in the coolest patterns:
Color Changing Butterfly First Aid Tin Animals Tin
Bach Rescue Remedy lozenges - these are a homeopathic must have in my kit, I always check with parents first before giving them to a child other than my own, but the stress relieving flower essences help calm an injured kiddo so we can care for the injury.
Homeschool/Wildschool/Life-school/Unschool Essentials
Summer Brainquest Workbooks- these are awesome supplemental books for all ages. Each book contains all subjects (science, math, ELA, social studies) in a thin and not daunting workbook with a fun sticker and map reward system which you can easily customize for your kiddo if they are reward driven:) If you are more on the unschooly side of things, I recommend ordering a grade level below what they would be in school. We leave these out year round and pick them up whenever the mood strikes!
Pre-K-K K-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
Leapfrog Leap reader System- we loved this in the early years for self-guided literacy time:
Blue/Green Pen 10 Book Bundle Pink/Purple Pen 10 Book Bundle Teal Pen 10 Book Mega Pack
Learning Games- some of the best learning takes place through board games and card games. These are all games we have played and enjoy from beginner to age 11.
Tetris- just like the video game we all know and love, but off a screen!! We love this strategy game and often play as a family.
Rack-O Jr. - great for building number sense for younger kiddos and also has tiered game options to make it more or less challenging depending on who’s playing. Or you can get the regular version here which would be great for kids with a good grasp on number sense skills.
Dragonwood- this dice and card game is a favorite for my dragon-loving 11 year old. My 7 year old enjoys it and can keep up as well. It’s great for strategic thinking, math and reading readiness, as the cards have large font and minimal words.
Guess in Ten is a fun trivia game for kids of all ages and they have lots of topics for all interests! We use these in the car, with friends, around the kitchen table, just about anywhere!
Animals Space Sports Countries of the World Dinosaurs Underwater Animals Marvel Trivia Disney Princess Trivia
Zingo- it’s like Bingo, but with different learning topics; when my kids were little we loved the pre-reader (has pictures to match) and the math/number sense versions. These are geared mostly toward younger kiddos, preschool/age 5-7.
Pre-early-reader Version Zingo 1-2-3 Math Version Word Builder Version