Summer Camping and Rainy Dayz of Oregon…
Whenever my family gets together, we inevitably reminisce about THE summer camp out at North Twin in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. This trip was a big family trip, planned for months like so many other families plan for their summer vacations.
The first few days were beautiful and filled with hot sunshine, fishing and swimming. Everyone was comfortable in shorts and swimsuits and the evenings were warm and balmy and we barely needed a fire at all. Then on the third day, the weather turned menacing with thunderous clouds building and lightning striking the mountains all around us. It was spectacular! We all enjoyed God’s fireworks with awe and wonder.
But with all that thunder and lightning also came down-pouring rain. And boy, it poured! This was the kind of rain that fills a campground in just a few hours! Rain ran down in streams of water that drowned our tents. The gallons of water raced down the trenches we struggled to dig in the dark. Our clothes were dripping wet in seconds and, of course, no one even considered the possibility of rain so did not pack a thing for us, or for our kids to wear to keep us dry and (most importantly) clean.
For the next 2 days we were all miserable. Soaked to the skin with a steady rain falling all around as we contemplated just packing up and going home. But we kept waiting to see if it would just pass over and if we could still save our once-a-year family camping trip.
Finally, the clouds and thunder finally moved on and left the us with the hot summer sun again. Oh, it was fresh and clean alright. Steam rose from the forest floor as the sun dried away all the rain in almost minutes! The lava dust had vanished into puddles of mud mixed with pine needles all around. And the warm damp woods smelled amazing! The birds sang in the sunshine and the mountains seemed to sparkle with a “just washed” look. We, on the other hand needed washed because were covered in mud and every bit of clothing we had brought up for our kids was filthy!
The memories are fun and we laugh about it now. But, how I wish I would have had a set of Rainy Dayz play clothes to take along back then!
Spending Time in Oregon’s Garden…
One of my very favorite places to visit in the summertime (in our beautiful state of Oregon) are the rolling acres that belong to The Oregon Garden. Close to the city of Silverton Oregon, The Oregon Garden is such a beautiful and peaceful place that I want to walk for hours and hours among the twittering of the birds and buzzing of the bees that live within the millions of blooms that line The Garden’s paths. Filled with such diversity of plants, animals and insects, The Oregon Garden is home to so many species of Dragon Flies, that seem as if they will collide as they dive bomb each other over the greenish waters of the Garden’s ponds. The bulging eyes of bullfrogs slowly blink as they watch the show from the murky water. The Dragon and Damsel flies dart around over their heads, vying for the best place to land so they can just sit for awhile and show off the glistening colors of their spectacular wings.
As you walk through the maze-like walkways through the different plant habitats, stay quiet and listen to the whispering of the giant, ancient Oak trees as they talk to each other in the hot summer breeze. Monarch and Western Tiger Butterflies flutter in and out of the native Showy Milkweed plants and stop to drink nectar out of the sticky pink blossoms. This place is magical to me in the summer especially, filled with a quiet splendor and the brilliant showcase of nature. Just as a garden should!
On May 12, 2018, The Oregon Garden will have their Spring time “Digging in the Dirt” event. Come and bring the kids and spend the day helping to plant the annuals that will brighten the Garden throughout the hot days of summer.
These happy annuals bring food to the thousands of bumble and honey bees that visit this very peaceful and special place. It rains in Oregon a lot and that is why The Oregon Garden is so beautiful all year long! So go take a kid along and have fun digging in the dirt! But in case it rains…Don’t forget to throw in the Rainy Dayz of Oregon Pull-Over Play Clothes!
http://www.oregongarden.org/digging-in-the-dirt/
November 14th, 2017
First Dewy Days of September!
Well it is now September and even though the sun is still shining in the sky, the first dew is falling on the grass at my house! The kids are now dressed in their Rainy Dayz of Oregon Play Pants in the mornings to keep them clean and dry when they go out to play in the grass. As a provider, it is such a relief to be able to let the kids go outside mornings and afternoons without worrying about wet and muddy clothes when they come in, because having to change them more than once a day was simply out of the question!
So now, with their Rainy Dayz play pants on, they can go outside more often and in less than ideal weather which is common in the Pacific Northwest! Happy childcare provider = happy kids!
Getting Ready for School!
It will be September soon and that means, rain or shine, millions of children all over the globe will be returning to school. With backpacks full of school supplies and paper bag lunches, they will spend each 8-10 hour day in some type of school facility for the next 9 months or more!
Even though, for some of us, the rainy season will be here as well, schools and daycare centers are coming to the realization that to help children grow into healthy adults, all children need much, much more outdoor time to run and play. They need to learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic of course, but they also need a lot more time for outdoor free play. Not only is this beneficial to children’s growing bodies, but it is mandatory for their developing brain.
But outdoor play in the rain is so messy and children usually come back to class with wet, muddy clothes! Needless to say, this is a problem for most teachers that have the responsibility of so many kids in a classroom environment.
That is why Rainy Dayz of Oregon Pull-Over Play Pants are perfect for school! They protect children’s clothes and eliminate the mess that teachers deal with when kids play outside during the rainy season! And these protective clothes are so lightweight and easy to pull on and off!
They are PLAY CLOTHES! Designed specifically to keep kids clothes clean and dry. For the sake of all children in school, Rainy Dayz of Oregon Pull-Over Play Pants should be on every parents school supply list!
What Can They Learn From Just Playing?
The Never Ending Wonders of the World…
Children just naturally want to discover new and wondrous things about the world around them and having opportunities to see and experience the outdoors is a critical part of that learning.
I believe that children will grow up to have a love for nature and a deep caring for the world if they are exposed to the outdoors (ideally with their parents) for at least for some part of their childhood. It is very rewarding to see children’s uninterrupted self-learning in action, however it is not so pleasant when someone has to clean up after them! I should know, I have been a daycare provider for over 30 years:)
I hope and pray that in this world of faster and faster technology, that the simplest pleasures of childhood do not get tossed aside for the nowadays habit of handing a child a cell phone to play with. Learning respect and awe of our immense world and all it encompasses cannot be found inside any flashing screen, whether it is 70 inches or a tiny 7.
Learning a healthy respect and love for this world means experiencing the infinite “bigness” and joy of it while feeling the minute “smallness” of yourself. And children can only wonder at it’s spectacular beauty and the pleasure it can bring when their tiny bodies are outside in it.
Playing outdoors is an unique experience that no screen can emulate. Whether it is playing under giant trees with their colorful leaves falling down all around, under a massive sky filled with rolling dark clouds or watching the gentle softness of one of a kind snow flakes. There is no photographic media that can capture the feeling of the warmth from our stellar Sun or the marvel that comes from seeing sparkling diamond stars in the blackness of space. No cell phone can stir the spirit like the sound of a flock of migrating geese as they fly high over your head on their way to some mysterious place.
The beauty of our world can only truly be enjoyed when you are absorbed body, soul and mind in the brilliance of creation itself.
Parent Child Preschool Organization Conference
We are getting ready to take our Rainy Dayz of Oregon Pull-Over Play Pants and Slip-Over Coats to the 2015 PCPO Spring Conference in Portland again this year. If you have used Rainy Dayz of Oregon Pull-Over Play Pants in your preschool or at home, you know how well they keep the kids clean. And if you live in Oregon and you run a preschool, come to the conference and see our amazing Rainy Dayz play clothes for yourself!
Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!
“We went to the pumpkin patch in the pouring rain. We sat on wet bales of hay and even walked through a corn maze. Between rain coats, rubber boots and Rainy Dayz play pants, EVERY child stayed warm and dry. We love them!” ~ Shelly Campbell (“Shelly’s Kids” Daycare in Keizer, OR)
How to Make a Caregiver Smile~
Do you want to know a secret about how to make your child’s daycare provider or preschool teacher smile?
Just have your child take a pair of Rainy Dayz of Oregon Pull-Over Play Pants to keep at their daycare or school. Then when the wet fall days begin and outdoor play seems too dirty and messy, the teacher will smile because your childs clothing will always be clean and dry!
No need for a clothing change because your child has on Rainy Dayz Pull-Over Play Pants! The perfect partner for rubber boots!