Teaching Your Kids How To Live More Sustainably
Teaching Your Kids To Live More Sustainably While raising children is one of the greatest joys we can experience in life, it's no easy feat! The undertaking of making sure our...
Preparing Family for the Outdoors
Preparing Family for the Outdoors
We love spending time outside as a family. We bike, hike, camp and spend time outside virtually every single day. I think that there something so refreshing about being outside and having fun. Since our plans include so much outside time, we have to take measures to protect ourselves. In addition, our entire backyard is woods with some hiking trails and a waterfall. It is really nice but we pretty much cannot go outside without making sure we are protected from bugs. Preparing Family for the Outdoors is something that is important to us all. One of the things that I feel my husband and I are tasked with is educating our children and teaching them life skills. We teach them manners. We are teaching them responsible behavior and how to take proper care of themselves once they move from home. 
Last week, we sent all three kids off to camp for the week. This meant a lot of packing, planning and shopping on our part to make certain that each kid had everything needed for a successful week of camp. Shortly after the kids began camp, I realized that my children had NO CLUE how to prepare themselves for the outdoors. This was the perfect teaching moment because as a vigilant mom, I want nothing more than everyone to be prepared and protected so no one gets injured. This means more fun for us all, right? Preparing Family for the Outdoors is not an easy task but it can be done.
Preparing Family for the Outdoors
My tips for preparing my family to spend time outdoors, include the following:
- Have a plan in place. No matter where we go outside, we always have a plan in place. I know where my kids will be at all times and they know how to contact myself and my husband no matter where they are. These are things that we go over with them many times per week so they never forgot. We even quiz them on our phone numbers and they each have a phone or walkie-talkies with them at all times.
- Stay together. No plan is perfect, but we rely on the buddy system to keep tabs on each other while enjoying the outdoors. We use the same system when the kids play in the neighborhood and whenever we travel.
- Hydrate. I cannot stress this enough. For the past five years, I have a water bottle with me at all times. I drink about 80 ounces of water a day and the only way that I can do this is by keeping water with me. My kids understand that importance of hydrating and they know exactly why they need to be drinking water constantly.
- Safeguard yourself from the sun with sunscreen. We keep waterproof sunscreen at hand at all times in several different forms including spray, lotion and sticks. Make certain to reapply as needed as the general rule of thumb is every 90 minutes to 2 hours.
- Protect yourself from mosquitoes by using OFF!® personal repellent This is one of the most often over looked tips in my opinion. Here in Georgia, insect repellent is just as important as sunscreen and in fact, my family rarely leaves the house without both. We make sure to use and reapply according to label instructions.
OFF!® knows the importance of using personal mosquito repellents – whether on a vacation or staycation. We use OFF!® personal repellents in our family in our everyday life during mosquito season, which sometimes is year round here in Georgia, depending on the weather.
About OFF!® products
I was happy to learn that OFF!® personal repellents are supported by 60 years of pest expertise through the SC Johnson Entomology Research Center. It's the world's largest privately held urban entomology research center. 
OFF!® products have trusted and effective active ingredients including DEET and Picaridin. Did you know many insects, including adult female mosquitoes, are attracted to people by the odor of the carbon dioxide (CO2) gas that they exhale? These active ingredients make it difficult for them to recognize humans as a source of food. 
The World Health Organization and the CDC have declared DEET effective in repelling mosquitoes, including the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which may carry the Zika virus and dengue fever virus.
Get social with OFF!®
Visit the OFF!® website to find more information about mosquito-fighting solutions.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of OFF!®. The opinions and text are all mine.
We live in a wooded area, so we never leave home without Off. We need to keep those pests away.
We spend a lot of time outside over the summer. We have a lot of BBQ’s with family and friends and we always use a lot of OFF.
Being prepared is a big thing for me. Imagine how bad I felt when I forgot the bog spray the last time we an outdoor adventure!
And what did we forget to put on my son at golf this morning? Bug spray. He’s totally eaten up!!
Hydration and sunscreen are so important when you’re going to be outdoors. Insect repellant is too, especially around here. We have some giant Mosquitos.
These are all really good tips! When we go outside we always make sure to bring the bug repellent and the sun screen!
Bug spray is so important when getting outside, especially for kids! Glad you shared all of these ideas to prepare the family for outside.
I like your tips! The mosquitoes can get pretty awful around here too. We definitely can’t go without some OFF!
Oh, this is really nice. I hate it when mosquitoes bite my son’s skin, it is really annoying.
This is great! It’s so important to prepare for the outdoors. So many bugs and things out there it drives me nuts! We love OFF products have been using them for years!
You’re right it’s so important to stay prepared especially when you spend time outdoors. I like that you’ve shared a great solution to a bad problem.
We live near a lot of lakes so the mosquitoes are always out in full force. I think we should have stock in the company that makes Off spray!
I love Off! and I keep some on hand. It was a life saver when we went to the water park last month. – Yolonda
Bug repellent and sunscreen are two of the thing I always pack when we are going to be spending time outdoors. I don’t want anyone to come home with bug bites or a sunburn.
The bugs usually don’t bother me, but I haven’t been able to go outside this summer without being bitten by a mosquito. It has been crazy!
We also use off, this brand has great varieties of product. I hate bugs too.
These are great tips for preparing the family for the outdoors. It is so important to stay hydrated as well as protected from the sun and the mosquitoes. Off is something we never leave the house without when we go out especially out in the woods. Thanks for sharing the tips.
OFF is always a must when going outdoors. We always make sure to have it in our medicine cabinet and first aid kits.
I never liked bug repellent as a child. I thougt it stunk. As an adult, it is a must. I am a mosquito magnet. I also make my kids wear it too.
I have a stock pile of OFF products. I have an allergy to mosquitoes and OFF is the only product that keeps bugs off of me.
i have a 3 year old and a baby, a husband that travels, and it’s super hot here in florida. i can’t wait until the baby is old enough so that we can all get outdoors more often. the insects love my toddler, so this is a great reminder to give him a little spray before he goes out.
These are all great tips! OFF! products are our favorite and I always keep one of each on hand. Insect repellent are super important for our family.
These are great tips. I have always used Off products for mosquitoes and ticks! Staying hydrated and protected from the sun are so super important. I am so glad that you included those!
I have tried quite a few mosquito products. The only one that has ever worked for me is OFF.
We spend most of the summer outdoors. I never leave the house without my OFF!! I need to be better with the sunscreen though. I always forget.
OFF is my trusted brand for protection when we go outside. I have so many bottles, lol. I keep two in the car and more in the house, so we are never without.
We love the outdoors – Off Deep Woods is a smell that reminds me of my childhood. I think getting kids outside is such a great way to bond with them.
Mosquito repellent is a MUST for any time spent outside. Those suckers are vicious and will leave you itchy for days afterwards. Great post!
Totally a necessity, especially since my kids get the worst allergic reactions to mosquitos. We’ve spent many days in the dr’s. getting them evaluated.