In a perfect world for most outdoor families our kids walk or bike (or ski) to school each day. We don’t want to strap them into cars for the short journey to school, or we want to bike commute ourselves. This is great when the weather is perfect and the sun is out, but then there’s the rest of the year. And many of us (ourselves included) are part of a two working parent family, so the kids are in after school programs or all-day daycare/preschool and have to be picked up when it's dark out.

​What are the best ways to get the kids to school and home as safely as possible, while minimizing whining?

Make it a habit: 

• If they know it will happen (almost) every day, and you won’t change your mind, there will be less whining. 

Make it fun: 

• Put fun lights on their bikes.
• Make sure they have warm clothes
• Make sure they have rain pants/jacket if it’s raining
• Put a bell on their handlebars
• Put toys in the trailer

Set up an organization system for the gear:

• Getting to school:
  • Have the parent bring any critical items with them so that they don’t get left behind in classrooms
    • Helmets, warm layers they don't need for playing, reflective vest
• Coming home:
  • Create a routine for charging the lights to make sure you the batteries run out
  • Set up a storage system for the gear at home so everything is easy to get to
  • Get kids in the routine of putting everything away as soon as they come home

Here are some tips on gear to use:

Clothing:

• Warm layers:
  • Helmet liner or balaclava
  • Snowpants to pull on over school pants
• Hands:
  • Full-finger bike glove or ski liner glove
  • Ski mitten (if very cold and if the kid can operate the brakes safely)
    • I used an OR shell mitten over warm gloves when biking in the winter in Wisconsin, because it blocked the wind and had more dexterity than an insulated mitten, but it doesn't seem like anyone makes something like that for kids
• Wet weather gear:
  • Rainpants to pull on over school clothes
  • Rain jacket
  • Rainboots

Bikes:

• For babies/toddlers - bike trailer or WeeHoo
• For bigger kids - WeeHoo or tagalong (our favorite is the Burley Piccolo for it's stability)
• Leave the trailer or tagalong at school if the parents split drop-off/pick-ups, as long as you have access to them from the after school program
• Cargo bike if both parents can share it or if only one person is doing both pick-up/drop-off (they're expensive and pretty specialized, so not often worth buying two of them)

Gear hauling:

• Trailers are great for carrying gear and keeping them dry (button down the rain cover for the kid of course)
• Waterproof panniers on the adult’s bike to carry backpacks
  • This is important when the backpacks don't fit under reflective vests (or if the backpacks aren't reflective) and also to keep them dry in the rain

Other references for good tips on bicycle commuting in the winter:

• Cycle Sprog tips on biking in the winter
• Rascal Rides tips on bicycle commuting with kids

Bike touring can be a really fun way to explore new places with kids, including small kids. Our biggest concern was to find a place with bike paths or roads that we felt were safe enough to take kids on for longer distances. Ideally we wanted a place where we could go camping as well. ​

Since we were visiting family in Europe, we decided to try bike camping in France, which is famous for bike camping on the canals. We spent 10 days bike camping in Brittany, with a 3 year old and a 6 year old and all four of us had an amazing trip. I don’t know of places to do this in the US, so I would love suggestions if there are good places to do it closer to home. ​​

​Here are our tips on how to go bike camping with kids:

First, figure out the kids transportation method:

• For small kids or babies, trailers work well
  • We used a Burley trailer, but there are other manufacturers
  • As a bonus, trailers also can fit a bunch of gear in them
• For bigger kids, use a tagalong
  • We used a Burley tagalong - I find it much more stable than the tagalongs that attach to the seat post, such as a Novara one
  • Consider putting a gear rack on the tagalong - the one we rented had that and we put the bulky mattresses there
  • Some of our friends really like the Weehoo, which also fits smaller kids than the regular tagalongs and also has gear storage

This is the tagalong we used that had a rack on it.

The biggest challenge to hiking or backpacking with kids is keeping them moving. It's so important, because we all need to be able to count on completing our hikes before dark or making it to our campsites in time for dinner. Here are the tips we have compiled over the years of hiking with our kids and with our friends:

Get the right pacing and timing of breaks:

• Take enough breaks: 
  • Try to time breaks to milestones based on distance or time
  • Plan for longer breaks to play/play cards every certain time/distance
• But don’t take too many breaks - experiment to find the sweet spot, keeping in mind it changes over time
• Communicate the timing of the breaks so kids can track their progress to the next break
  • Make sure to give the kids their own watch or map if you do this

Be prepared with multiple options of entertainment (rotate through these as needed):

• Try Geocaching 
• Bring pocket guides for animal or bird or plant identification
  • Count how many of a common thing you can find or keep track of who can find the most varieties
• Print out a scavenger hunt to have the kids fill out while hiking 
  • But remember they have to fill it out while still moving!
• Play “I Spy”
• Play the "Alphabet Game" - you have to find something that starts with each letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order
• Make up stories to tell, or tell stories from books you’re reading
• Hike with their friends - so they entertain each other
  • Even better, if you hike with another family try splitting up the kids and their parents (because our kids often hike farther with other grownups)
• Pick up a Junior Ranger activity book at the park visitor center and try to complete the activities during the hike
• Teach them how to use a topographic map and compass and have them practice

How to avoid stopping in between designated breaks:

• Put water bladders in the kids’ packs so they don’t have to stop to drink water
• Give them some snacks to put in their pocket to eat while hiking
• Help them take layers on/off while walking
  • Make sure they keep the right layers on so they don't get too cold or hot
• Pack the right clothes and check on them during the hike
  • Make sure they don't wear clothes that will give them chafing or blisters
  • Prevent sunburns by putting sunscreen on (obviously this is important in general, but it does make it even harder to hike)
• Bribe with food: 
  • Give them “hiking treats” that have to be eaten while moving 
  • Remind them of a snack and break they are going to get after a certain time or distance
• Give them something to look forward to after the hike (ice cream in town or at the camp store, or a swimming destination)
• Find a hiking stick to play with while hiking (although sometimes this backfires and slows them down)
• If you feel you have to let them stop, try not to let the kid sit down, tell them they can only take a standing break
• And of course, develop standard responses to all the excuses they will come up with for stopping (because you know they will repeat them over and over). For example:
  • Tie their shoelaces yourself so they don’t come undone
  • Remind them to pee during a break
  • Have them take off or put on a layer after a break

Our biggest advice is to keep experimenting and keep getting out there! We believe that you will eventually find something that will work for your family. If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to us. And as always, please give us more suggestions of things to add to this list.