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Picture this: It’s the middle of the night, the kids are sleeping, you’re tucked snugly in your sleeping bag, and it’s raining outside. The raindrops create a soothing pitter-patter on the canvas of the tent. It’s a picturesque moment and you’re cherishing it. Until you notice the reason why you’re awake... You have to go to the bathroom. BADLY. You come to the realization that you have to get out of the tent; you know you’re not going to make it until morning. Sleepily, you stagger outside, dressed just enough that you’re not “technically” running around the campground in your birthday suit. On the way to the bathroom, you see something in the bushes. Maybe it’s another sleepy midnight bathroom walker? Not quite. Uh oh, it’s a bear. Well, you’re not sleepy anymore! Your heart slams the gas pedal to the floor and you’ve kicked it into high gear. Do you run? Do you climb a tree? Do you scream? Good thing you have bear spray with you! Or… do you? This little anecdote was inspired by a true story. Do you think he had bear spray? Did he know how to react in this situation? Luckily for all involved, this situation ended well. He was prepared and the bear was uninterested in a fight. That’s not always the case, however! Would you have had bear spray? Do you know how to react? If not, we’re here to help! We’ve collaborated with Canadian Wild Animal Expert Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety & More Inc. and RecSafe with Wildlife, to help you navigate the wilderness and reduce your chances of an animal encounter. In addition to this blog post, check out her website and sign up for a free community membership to access a library full of great free resources. Kim also offers amazing courses on bear safety and bear spray to educate you for all your adventures. Animals Are Among Us It’s important to note that no matter where you are, if you’re in nature, there are animals! They are all around us. When we go into the wilderness, we’re exploring in their home. It’s not a guarantee that you’ll have an animal encounter while you’re camping or exploring, but in one form or another, you’re going to see a wild animal (even if it’s just a squirrel or fox). Education is key to a successful outcome with wildlife. If you’re heading out, please know which animals are common to the area, how to reduce your chances of having an encounter, and what to do if you have one! In short: be prepared. Animal Encounters Are Increasing A combination of animal habitat reduction and human population increases have resulted in more animal encounters over the years. COVID-19 has also given people more opportunities to “explore their backyard”, and while that is great, people are diving in uneducated and more and more people are ending up hurt-- or worse. But don’t panic! While we always prepare for encounters and fear that if we step into the wilderness we’re going to get mauled by a bear, rest assured, these attacks are still extremely rare and there’s a lot we can do to reduce the chance of having conflict! Let’s learn how to reduce the chance of a conflict and how to handle an encounter should one occur. Preventing Animal Encounters While Exploring and Hiking While you’re in bear country with kids, there are a few important things to remember. First, make sure not to let your kids explore farther than an arm's length away from you! You have to be able to reach them to protect them. Additionally, keep your dogs on leash at all times! Believe it or not, children and dogs actually increase the chances of an encounter since they move erratically, and carnivores view them as prey. Next, let those kids be LOUD! Make as much noise as you can while on the trail. Sing songs, hoot & holler, and make sure you join in with your kids. Animals, especially during early and late seasons, can be distracted while eating, and surprising an animal is a common cause for an encounter! Travel in groups of 4 or more as well, animal attacks are easily prevented by exploring in COVID-19-approved groups. Also, be aware while you’re adventuring. Wildlife usually leave signs that they’re around. Some signs of a bear in the area are scat, tracks, dens, torn-up trees and logs, and digging. If berry bushes are in the area as well, assume a bear might be there too. If you spot signs of an animal, for the safety of your family and the animal, please leave the area! Carry bear spray in a holster on your body and be ready to use it, especially after seeing signs. Preventing Animal Encounters While Camping When front-country camping, always ask yourself: How equipped is the campground for bear prevention? These items include bear-safe garbage bins, a bear locker, or can you store your food in your vehicle away from your sleeping area? If the campground isn’t equipped, are you? Without safe storage at the campground, you may need to tie your own bear hang or use a bear keg. If neither you nor the campground is equipped, there aren’t many options. It’s better to find a different campground and/or invest in a bear hang/keg. Don’t try your luck! When arriving at your campground, take note: Is the area full of anything that could attract a bear? This could include leftover garbage on the ground, in the fire pit, or in trees or nearby food sources for animals (such as berry bushes or water with salmon for bears). Does it look like animals have been feeding in the area? Look for bear scat and shredded garbage. Are there birds of prey flying over your campsite or feeding on the ground? If Prevention Isn't Possible: Handling an Encounter in Bear Country with Kids There are two types of bear encounters: Defensive and Non-defensive encounters. Defensive Bear Encounters These encounters can be caused by surprising a bear at close range, if cubs are present, or if the bear is feeding. These bears want to protect themselves or their precious cargo and will become defensive. What does a defensive bear look like? These bears are clearly stressed out, aggressive, huffing/jaw popping, salivating/foaming, hunched up, and showing clear signs of discomfort. Defensive bears can also “bluff” charge or run in a zig-zag pattern to let you know that they want you out of the area. So, it may be your instinct to yell, act big, and become aggressive too. Please don’t! React by telling the bear you are NOT a threat. De-escalate the situation, back away slowly, talk softly, and prepare your bear spray. If in a group, group up and stay calm. Make your intention to leave the area and not to fight. If the bear attacks, the number one reaction from you is to deploy bear spray. If that’s not possible, lie face down and protect your neck, spread your legs (to brace yourself into the ground), and play dead. Wait until the bear is gone before getting up! Make sure once you begin to move again, you know which direction the bear has travelled to avoid another encounter. Most defensive attacks are short. If it continues to attack and the bear has become predatory, you need to change tactics and begin to fight for your life. Defensive bear encounters are more common and are more often due to not making noise and accidental encounters. Non-defensive (Predatory) Bear Encounters This encounter is rare but more common with black bears and solo hikers. 95% of grizzly bear encounters are defensive, not predatory! Bear follows a person, and has a slow, hesitant approach. They can approach confidently, or try to sneak up on you before running towards you and attacking. They appear curious, but this is the situation where they are dangerous! If you’re in a predatory encounter, show aggression right away! Stand your ground and make sure you let the bear know that you are not vulnerable. Prepare bear spray and deploy if the bear gets close enough. Bear Spray Basics Always wear your bear spray on your body, easily within reach, such as in a holster. Never carry bear spray tucked in a backpack. Some animal encounters happen fast, and you won’t have much time to react! Ensure each adult has their own can of bear spray. Practice pulling it out to gain muscle memory, so if you have to react in a real situation it won’t be the first time! Does everyone who is carrying bear spray know when and how to use it? Read the instructions on the can before hitting the wilderness! To gain confidence in its use, take a bear spray class with Recsafe with Wildlife. When in doubt, carry bear spray with you. Explore year-round with it, and carry it whenever and wherever you are if you’re in bear country! Please Keep Exploring! Exploring in nature is one of the most rewarding experiences. Despite probably being a little more nervous to get out and explore bear country since reading about bear safety (sorry), trust us, you’re better off if you’re informed! Please remember that these encounters are rare. Equip yourself with the knowledge and gear you need to stay safe, and you’ll feel much more comfortable out in the wilderness. Have questions? Please reach out to us at Kids Who Explore or Kim Titchener at RecSafe with Wildlife and ask us! We’d love to help you answer questions and adventure more informed. Disclaimer: The information we’ve provided you today, as well as the information from Bear Safety & More Inc and RecSafe with Wildlife, cannot guarantee that animal encounters can be prevented. This information is intended as a guide to help reduce the likelihood of an encounter and provide education in the occurrence of an encounter. Explore safely and have a wonderful time in the wilderness, explorers!

As I lay here writing this, my three-year-old daughter is flipping and flopping, chatting and singing, and not going to sleep. Welcome to backcountry camping with kids! Or at least my kids. While I joke that we don't get much sleep, because we really don’t, backcountry camping is so much fun. There are no distractions. No TV, no cell service, no internet... Just hours and hours of child-led play. If you've never heard of child-led play, look it up! Going through a challenging phase with your toddler? Child-led play is where it's at. But, in the backcountry, it's all day, every day, and it's awesome! I feel so connected with my children when we spend hours on the beach picking rocks and throwing them in the lake. We build mini ant-sized dams in creek beds and walk hand-in-hand on trails surrounded by wildflowers. They talk, and we listen. It is magical and truly fascinating watching them explore, create, and lead with their wild imaginations. Plus all that fresh air! After typing that paragraph, my daughter went from tossing and turning behind my back, to being fast asleep - I'm finding the older my kids get, the better they sleep while camping, so don't let that stop you! Keep reading to learn more about our experiences and my tips for backcountry camping with toddlers and infants. When We Got Started Our youngest was 12 weeks- old, her first time backcountry camping. My husband and I each wore our overnight hiking packs on our backs, I carried Niia in a baby wrap on my front, and Jaxon hiked as far as he could before he was up on John's shoulders. When they are this young (3 and under), I'd say from my own personal experience, I would suggest starting with one night and a camp that is within 3km of your car. That way, if it isn't going well, you can call it, pack up, and go home. Go at an easy pace and most importantly, have fun! While there are many ways to get to a backcountry campsite, the ways we have tried with our kids are hiking, canoeing, and mountain biking. Once, I went solo backcountry camping with my 3-year-old (at the time), Jaxon. We packed all of our gear in the chariot, and we both rode our bikes into camp. This summer, we are trying sailing with a friend, where we will then camp on the beach! Our List of Essentials When Backcountry Camping with Toddlers: First, please know that we are not affiliated with any of the brands linked below! These are what my family and I personally use. Essential Gear Overnight backpack Backcountry tent (this is the one we've used in the past, this year we need to buy a new one) Sleeping bags Sleeping mats Headlamps Flashlight & extra batteries Waterproof matches Lighter and fire starter (our kids love doing some of these for crafts) First aid kit Food (we love this brand) Snacks Baby food/formula Water filter (we also use Life Straw for smaller quantities) Water bottles Camping stove Propane, plus an extra Pots, bowls, utensils Diapers Wipes Toilet paper Bear spray Hiking poles (not essential) Satellite phone (we've done years of backcountry camping without one but we will be investing this year) Garbage bag (Remember: everything you pack in you must pack out!) Hats & sunglasses Sunscreen Bug spray Items for Comfort Layers (depending on the season) Toques & mitts for the chilly nights and mornings Waterproof hikers Sandals* Hut booties Camera Toys Soother Waterproof layers Baby bunting suit Backcountry pillow* (we just stuff our extra layers in our stuff sacks and call it a night) Instant coffee* (while we were gifted a backcountry coffee grinder, we have never actually used it. I don't like coffee, but my husband does and he uses this pre-ground coffee he grinds at home) Tea* Marshmallows* Towwhee rope (if biking in) Toiletries Wine* (necessary, or essential? I'll let you decide) *nice, but not essential Most family-friendly backcountry campsites have pre-chopped wood or a communal axe for firewood. They usually have an outhouse and a communal fire pit kitchen area. They will often have Bear Lockers for food and smelly items (toiletries) as well. Safety Tips Never bring your deodorant, toothpaste, or food into your tent! Also, never leave any of these items out overnight at your campsite. Always lock them up in the provided bear-proof lockers, or learn how to hang a bear bag! We never let our children wander unattended. Children must always be within arm's reach when near water. The first thing we do at any campsite is draw a circle around the fire pit with a stick, creating a safety circle that the kids are not allowed to pass. Our children are not allowed to run when near a fire pit. Games and Fun Activities My son Jaxon's sleep mat has a game designed on it, which is one of his favourite things about backcountry camping. If it rains, this gives us hours of fun. We will be purchasing a sleep mat and sleeping bag for my youngest, Niia, this year. Up until now, she has been fine in her layers (wool base layer, wool socks, slippers, bunting suit, toque), and an adult sleeping bag over top of the two like a blanket. It can get toasty with 4 bodies in our little 3-person tent. The kids love to play tic-tac-toe with sticks drawn in dirt and we play bocce ball with rocks. They haven't asked, so we haven't packed in extra toys and games, as that would be extra items to carry, and we like to see our kids use nature and their imaginations. We love to hike on the trails around the campsite and play all sorts of imaginary games with sticks. A Few Takeaways Every child is different, Jaxon is a great sleeper and has gone backcountry camping with us every year. We chose not to take Niia when she was two years old, and she skipped a year. She stayed home with dad when Jaxon and I did our bike in. You do what is best for your family. We have yet to try a multi-hike trip with them, but as they get older, it's something we will definitely do. The price for everything listed above is costly to get you started, but don’t let this stop you from trying it. You can rent a lot of the essential items that you need from different outdoor stores or try borrowing from a friend. You can often find a lot of pre owned gear on different sites as well. As always, you don’t need the top brands to have a good time, but do make sure the quality is good enough to stay dry, warm, and comfortable! Written by Cindy Dowsett: Adventuring Mama from the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Kids Who Explore’s Brand/Sponsor Manager, and One of the Mamas Behind Our Podcast. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram at @kidswhoexplore and use #KidsWhoExplore and #KWE for your chance to be featured on our social channels. Happy adventuring, friends!

Planet Cleanup in Honour of Earth Day Kids Who Explore wrapped up its FIRST event last week: Planet Cleanup. The purpose with this event was to make cleaning up litter fun for the whole family and we were so excited to hear positive feedback amongst the almost 170 participants. Collectively, our community was able to clean up 159 bags of litter from 11 countries from all over the world! We asked you to head out and safely clean up litter from your favourite trails and around your home. Kids Who Explore also sent out a bingo card to participants for some added fun for the kids! We're very impressed with the way that @Araradventures filled out the card, but we had many awesome submissions with a number of creative ways to complete it. After all, we certainly don't have these skills! Thank You to our Generous Prize Donors! Six lucky winners took home amazing draw prizes from: AllTrails, Ambler Hats, Baby Gourmet, Bowness Soapworks, Colibri, HappyFats Snacks, Lamington Socks, oma + jo, Planet Box, and Scat Belt. Event Kick-Off Most of our behind-the-scenes team kicked off the event in the picturesque town of Canmore, Alberta. We wish that we could have extended this invitation to the community, but with COVID-19 restrictions in place, we are not hosting in-person events at this time. Additionally, we were lucky enough to have two other talented ladies partner with us for this event. Elisabeth Cole graciously shot all the photos you see of our team and she blew us away with her photography! Also, Michelle Klatt, owner and designer of Primrose Design & Co. was kind enough to suit the team up with Kids Who Explore-branded face masks and garbage bags. After all, what's an event without branded gear! We thank you both so much for your contributions. Some Funny Items That Were Found Slipper, sock undies, adult diapers, and part of a belt Firework, brand new e-cigarette, and 15 spitting tobacco tins Twilight DVD, flipper, Christmas wrapping paper, and "Happy Earth Day" bag A giant bottle, butter knife, and deer skull Car parts, mini-trampoline, elbow pad, broken pieces of a boat, and a broken rake Our Wonderful Participants Thank you so much to our Ambassadors and everyone else from around the world that signed up, participated, and submitted amazing photos with adorable smiling kids! Another Event is Coming Soon Why are we already planning a fall Planet Cleanup? These comments that we got warmed our hearts and inspired us! "The praise and encouragement from people passing by made my child proud and helped them understand the importance of what we were doing." "My kids enjoyed picking up trash a lot more than I thought they would!" "The bingo card was a huge hit with my kids. We went out twice and might go again!" "Now every time we go out my child wants to pick up garbage!" Please be sure to follow us on Instagram at @kidswhoexplore and use #KidsWhoExplore and #KWE for your chance to be featured on our social channels. Happy adventuring, friends!

If you're new to Kids Who Explore (KWE), welcome! We are a Canadian-founded team of mamas who really love one thing: the outdoors. We have a mission over here, and it's pretty simple. We aim to inspire people to go beyond their front door, get outside into nature, and allow nature to help raise our kids. If you're not new to our brand, thank you for being here! We're sure you've heard our mission time and time again, but we always like to remind people why we're here. Where did the idea for #PATCH4APURPOSE come from? Since this is an introductory post, there are some things you should know about our CEO, Adrianna Skori. She's incredibly authentic and driven and is one of the most kind-hearted humans I've ever met. Adrianna jumped straight from vision to reality with her hopes for this Social Enterprise and has never looked back. One of her visions for KWE was this idea of a patch... one that could "excite people about the brand and connect KWE as a global community." Adrianna also wanted to give this patch a purpose as a way to give back to the province that has given her countless beautiful places to explore. She decided to donate $1 CAD from every black patch sold to Alberta Parks. Thus, our high-quality, KWE-branded, Canadian-made #patch4apurpose was born! Lets get colourful… “4 a purpose” But... Why stop at just one purpose? Soon, conversations were in the works to bring even more purposes to our patches. Since we are KIDS Who Explore, Adrianna made the decision to dedicate patches to different avenues of children's support. Then, almost suddenly, our patches got colourful! We went from one, black #patch4apurpose, to seven more colourful patches, in just a few months. Curious what they all mean? I can't wait to tell you! Each patch is important! Here’s what they stand for: While I do believe this is just the beginning for our patches, we're sticking with the seven solid-coloured patches to start. If you guessed the colours and thought... rainbow? You (almost) nailed it. We have a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple patch. But instead of indigo we went with pink. Let me tell you what each colour represents and how we're trying to make a difference by donating to a charity in that field! BUY YOUR #PATCH4APURPOSE HERE! RED: Children's Disability Support We aim to improve outdoor accessibility so children with disabilities can enjoy adventures too. The Children’s Ability Fund is a Canadian organization that helps fund specialized equipment so that children with disabilities can succeed with everyday tasks. ORANGE: BIPOC and Anti-Racism At Kids Who Explore, we're listening and we're learning. In order for the narrative to change, we need education. The Conscious Kid is an American organization dedicated to promoting healthy racial identity development and we're donating $1 from our orange patch funds to the Anti-Racist Children's Book Fund. YELLOW: Supporting Sick Children Not every child has the capacity to spend time outdoors. We want sick children to have the best life possible and believe donating to the Alberta Children's Hospital is a great way to make a difference in a child's life. GREEN: Earth-First We value our outdoor spaces and prioritize teaching our children how to help keep our Earth green. Earth Rangers is a Canadian kids organization with a mission "to create a generation of conservationists" through their education programs! BLUE: Children's Well-Being Kids Who Explore aims to help children from all over the world, especially against child abuse, poverty, and social injustice. UNICEF works with over 190 countries to fight for children, and we want to join their fight with our blue patch. PINK: Anti-Bullying Everyone has experienced bullying at one point in their lives. It is prevalent and life-impacting for children (and adults) of all ages. The CKNW Kids' Fund's Pink Shirt Day supports anti-bullying initiatives and self-esteem-boosting programs. PURPLE: Children's Mental Health Awareness Prioritizing mental health should start in childhood. The Build Them Up initiative aims to build a "Centre for Child & Adolescent Mental Health" and to provide services to identify and manage mental health challenges. BUY YOUR #PATCH4APURPOSE HERE! We’re new, and we thank you! Over time, our ideas will continue to grow and change, and we hope you'll come along on this journey with us. The exciting thing about being a new brand, is well... that it is new! Every time we come upon a new idea, we can't wait to share it with the world. We love seeing our community representing our brand, too. Our patches ship worldwide and they've even popped up all the way in Norway! If you'd like to rep a patch of your own, head over to our store to shop now. Stay tuned for many exciting things in the future! We thank you all so much for your support as we embark on this adventure.