Winter break + rainy day play ideas
A tiny hike with low tide lessons for California winter
It’s winter solstice today! The shortest day of the year. We’ll get a little more light in our days from tomorrow until we get to the longest day of the year at summer solstice in June.
My dad is a sailor/mariner/boat guy, so I got lots of childhood lessons on tides, seasons, and weather! Thanks to him I can help pass on his knowledge to you!
This winter break is weird starting so late! Timing for everything seems to be way off for planning anything. I feel like we will only have the Wednesday (27th) & Thursday (28th) after Christmas when things should be open + not running into busy-ness from the New Year’s weekend traffic, festivities, and closures. But I’m also seeing a lot of businesses and organizations just taking a holiday break from 12/22 through New Year’s Day.
I hope YOU get a break! It’s okay if you have no plans to do anything. Kids like downtime, especially this time of year, where they can play and be unscheduled. Remember, they do not need to be “kept busy” or “entertained.” They are kids and they are actually really good at doing that themselves through play — we just need to give them time & space to do it! If they complain they are bored, they WILL get creative and push past it.
It’s not my last newsletter of the year quite yet, but I just wanted to say how thankful I am that you joined me on this playful journey through 2023! Every week when I sit down to write you, that’s the first thought that comes into my head: gratitude for you & your willingness to share the gift of play with your kids.
These two blog posts seem to be fitting for this week! Save this newsletter so you can go back to them over the next few weeks!
These 15 Winter Break Play Ideas have morphed into 15+ ideas over the years!
And this is my ultimate list of rainy day play ideas that I try to keep updated for you!
Tiny Hikes Teaser: This week is Trail Guide #12 which rounds out a full season of fall nature exploring with your family in Orange County. Winter and fall aren’t too much different when it comes to getting outdoors, except winter could be wetter for us. I do have ideas saved up for those occasions and since I am literally scouting and writing these trail guides each week, I’ll try to make sure I have hikes that fit the weather and the week.
You have probably seen the buzz about “King Tides” and the dates that go along with that in January. I’m going to start this week’s trail guide with a tide talk to give you some extra pointers that I don’t publish anywhere else. The photo is a teaser for what you might see on this week’s tiny hike.
If you are already subscribed to the hikes portion of this email, thank you and read on! If you haven’t become a paid subscriber yet, then I hope you consider it for $5/month or $39/year (a 35% savings on a year that would normally cost $60 at $5/month). Consider subscribing now to see Trail Guide #12!
BIG THANK YOU to the 2 new subscribers from last week! I promised $5 from each new annual subscription last week would go to the nonprofit keeping the trails at last week’s trail guide location. A $10 donation has been made! Thank you!