Adirondack Family Time™

Jenny B Harris from Allsorts has done it again. She truly makes the most delicious felted holiday crafts. I've got my advent calendar all ready to go and now it is time to make these simple Christmas trees as part of our mantle center piece.

As you requested! Here is a list of all the Adirondack High Peaks (plus McNaughton which is 4,000' but not considered part of the 46 High Peaks) I will have Adirondack Fun Facts about each mountain so keep checking back. If you have other suggestions, please sending them in and I will do my best to get the information here as quickly as possible. Thanks for letting me know. A patch is given as well as an assigned number, though many people do choose not to register. Climbing all 46 High Peaks is not distinguished by the registration, but by the accomplishment. The Adirondack Forty-Sixers is more than just a place to register hikes, the service and hiking organization encourages and educates its membership on conservation and preservation of the wildness of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.

Since we all have an interest in keeping the toxic items aways from our kids, here is one product no family should do without. Baking soda!  Sodium Bicarbonate is not only cheap but can be used as a cleanser or beauty product. My kids love to make "volcanos" simply using a bottle, baking soda and vinegar. You can get a bit more complicated if you wish but I  like to keep things simple. To make a volcano: Materials: One short bottle (not too tall or the baking soda "lava" won't flow over the top), 2 tbs of baking soda, few drops dish detergent, vinegar, towels to clean up the mess Put a few drops of dish detergent at the bottom of the bottle Put in about two tablespoons of baking soda into the bo ttle S lowly pour in the vinegar and watch the volcano erupt! The baking soda and vinegar combine to produce carbonic acid which breaks apart (causing all the fizzing) into water and carbon dioxide. • If you wish to get fancy, papier-mâché the bottle with

Do you want to help bring back the bat population to the Adirondacks?  White-nose Syndrome has killed more than 5.7 million bats  since it was discovered in a single New York cave in February 2006 DID YOU KNOW? • There are cave bat species (Northern Bat, Little Brown Bat, Indiana Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle, Big Brown Bat) and tree bat species (small-footed bat, red bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat,  in New York State • All cave bat species in New York State spend the winter hibernating in caves and mines where they live off stored fat reserves.  • According to Bat Conservation International ,  a single bat can capture 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour! • Bats are the only mammal that can fly! (Flying squirrels just glide) • Bats wings are similar to a human hand. Yes, it is has four fingers and a thumb • All bats located in New York State eat insects. Other breeds eat    fruit, nectar, small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, fish, and blood.   • Bats' predators in

Getting ready for the Adirondack Bug Season? Try these homemade remedies! Homemade Mosquito Deterrent* I TEMS NEEDED: Combine in a 16 oz bottle: 15 drops lavender oil  3-4 Tbsp of vanilla extract 10 drops of citronella oil 1/4 Cup lemon juice. HOW:   Fill bottle with water. Shake & it's ready to use. Spray on yourself. (Substitute 10 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil instead of citronella oil)  *Do not apply without doing a skin test first. Children can be especially prone to rashes from essential oils) HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP: I TEMS NEEDED 1 cup water 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 gram of yeast 2-liter plastic bottle HOW: 1. Cut the plastic bottle in half. 2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle. 3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes. 4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired. 5. Wrap the bottle with

Making your own alcohol extract is easy and will save you of money .   (For parents only) For example:  Usnea (Old Man's Beard) is an herbal remedy that has been used for centuries to help with immune related issues. With cold and flu season upon us, perhaps this is the year for you to check out Usnea's healthy properties, whether you make your own or buy it at your local health food store!

It is the year of the Snake! It’s the most important of Chinese holidays, kicking off a celebration that lasts for 15 days and culminates with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2013, it’s the Year of the Snake.  Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

With all the different types of temperatures happening around the Adirondacks, various types of ice are forming as well.  Did you know?   • A s now crystal is a single crystal of ice. • A snowflake can be an individual crystal, a few snow crystals stuck together or a huge mass of crystals • A snowflake is not frozen rain. Frozen rain is called sleet! Take a magnifying glass outside and a black piece of paper and look at the different types of crystals forming. Have fun!

Please remember those in need. If you wish to donate to victims of Hurricane Sandy here are some helpful links. I will add more as situations change. I know many people in the Adirondacks received help during Hurricane Irene and know it is our turn to help. Where to get gas?  Salvation Army is providing mobile feeding units and shelters along the East Coast Red Cross Feeding America is distributing emergency food, water and supplies AmeriCares is providing medicine and other supplies World Vision has flood clean-up kits, personal hygiene items and food kits for hurricane victims Save the Children provides relief to families with children Other places and organizations are looking for volunteers. There are also collection places to donate items so it is certainly a good time to clean out our closets and pantries.

Make your hummingbird food recipe solution,  1 part white, granulated sugar 4 parts water  closely approximates the concentrations found in the nectar of wildflowers they prefer. To make a little over 1 cup of hummingbird nectar recipe solution (normally enough to fill a standard feeder) follow the below directions: Make sure your feeder is cleaned thoroughly before adding new solution. Boil 1 cup of water.  Stir 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar into the 1 cup of heated water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Cool, fill your hummingbird feeder, and serve! Nectar can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

By Diane Chase, Adirondack Family Activities™ Lowe's Building Supple has family fun for all ages on select Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. During their Build and Grow clinics each child is given a kit to make a wooden toy. Each child will also receive safety googles, work apron and a certificate of completion. This is a wonderful way to spend an hour together and build something that can last a lifetime. An older child can build to toy and gift it to a younger child! Enjoy

For Halloween, make this easy felted candy corn tote and or felted bat. It is an easy pattern to follow and a great starting place to practice your knitting, crocheting and felting skills. Gauge is not essential for either craft which makes it a good activity for all. The free Felted Candy Corn Tote pattern is from Lion® Brand Lion® Yarn. Final size of bag = About 9 in. (23 cm) long after felting and not including handles.

Do you need an inside project to do with your children? Build a bluebird house over the weekend. Here is a free plan that uses just one piece of lumber. It could also be completed with scrap. Make a couple and then come spring you will have a nice nesting box for birds.

Making a treat for the birds is something that can be done anytime and is simple and easy to do. The children love it and any remains (if the dog doesn't get to it first) can be used again. Making This can be done no matter where you live. Materials: ribbon or string, peanut butter, bird seed, pretzel rods

My little nugget is now on her second dose of antibiotics for Strep. To keep her busy we've been making paper chains. Above is template I made if you need something to occupy your own children. We just used recycled newspaper but anything will do. Here is the Adirondack Family Time tutorial . Enjoy!

By Diane Chase Though it seems against the whole idea of summer vacation and getting outside, children can become Web Rangers and learn about all the various National Parks. It is an opportunity to experience all the National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites from the comfort of your own home. By all means, this is no substitute for a nature hike and being active. It is a nice learning experience under the guise of a rainy day activity . Choose from over 50 activities that allow children ages 8-16 to learn more about each of our national parks. There is even an opportunity to get a WebRanger patch. A sampling of activities are People – Decode Washington's secret messages. History – Travel the seas in 1812 on a Navy war ship Nature – Read a map to figure out the quest. Puzzles – Go on a website scavenger hunt Science – Match dinosaurs to their diet. Parks – Play “Alpha Codes." Animals - Guess the animals in your parks We choose to set a limit on how much com

1 tablespoon corn starch 1 ½ tsp. water 2 tsp. cold cream food coloring In a small container, mix the water and corn starch until it is smooth. Blend in the cold cream. Make sure there are no lumps so the when the color is added it will be consistent. Add a few drops of food coloring at a time until the color you wish to achieve is created. Basic colors: Blue = 4-5 drops, more for darker color Red = 7-8 drops Pink = 3-4 drops Yellow = 4-5 drops White = leave as is Orange = even amounts of red and yellow Green = even amounts of yellow and blue Purple = even amounts of red and blue *Please do not put anything on your face or anyone else's without doing an skin allergy test first. Apply a small amount on the skin and wait at least 5 minutes before applying to larger an more visible portions of the body. If any food coloring remains gently scrub the area with toothpaste. It should come right off and you will smell minty-fresh. To wash off use mild soap and warm water. The cold cream th

he Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan has a guide on using cloth as opposed to paper for wrapping gifts to cut down on the paper waste. Using the same square of fabric you can also create a tote bag to use to carry small parcels. Furoshiki (f'-ROHSH-kee) means “bath spread” and it derives from the practice of bundling clothes at public baths in the Edo Period (1603-1867). The term refers to any size or pattern, though most are around one to two ft. square. The furoshiki usually double-sided pattern and a stitched hem around the edges. Unlike wrapping paper furoshiki can be part of a gift, and can be used again and again. To make your own: Take a square of 100% cotton fabric (one that looks the same on both sides so there isn't a "wrong" side and stitch a rolled hem around the edge. You are finished. Now you can go out into the world and make it a better place! small = 18" medium = about 20" large = about 35" Another option is to go to the

Make a simple door hanger for every holiday. For Valentine's Day fill it with a treat for you or your sweetheart. Materials: scraps of ribbon, various colors of wool felt, needle embroidery floss or other thick thread Directions: Tip: Use a cookie cutter for a pattern. Trace and cut two hearts out of wool felt, thread needle with embroidery floss, start on upper corner and sew 3/4 round leaving the top open creating a pocket. Sew a ribbon loop inside creating a hanger. Decorate the front with silk flowers and beads. Use different decorations for each season (shamrock, star) Have fun.