Letterboxing - Adventure for the whole family

People keep asking me, what is letterboxing? Here is a brief explanation from Wikihow.

"Letterboxing is a type of treasure hunt/hiking activity involving hidden boxes, journals, and rubber stamps. Each person needs his or her own personal rubber stamp (called a signature stamp) to leave his mark on the letterbox's journal. In return you take an image of the box's stamp for your own journal. It's like treasure that is art and proof of your find."  

The locations are endless.  All you need are a few hours of your time, a journal and a stamp kit. Don't forget your sense of adventure though, it is highly recommended. 

First choose where you are going at Letterboxing.org. We planned a trip to Kingman Az for memorial weekend.  There are four letterbox locations in Kingman listed on the website.   This is what the clues look like:

1. Looking for Gold

2. Stone Corral

3. Another DamLetterbox

4. Joshua Forest Parkway Letterbox

The second clue included a disclaimer: Beware of rattlesnakes.  We made sure to bring long sticks and cautious ears.  We hiked for 20 minutes to an old corral. At the end of a rusty pipe, under the boulders was a ziplock bag with a plastic jar inside. Inside the jar - a stamp and a journal.  Phew! I was praying there would be something there after the hot hike. 

The girls stamped their journals, then stamped the letterbox journal along with their signature, date, and state of residence. It was fun to look through the notebook and see where everyone was from.

Our next stop - the Mohave County Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed for the holiday.  This is when planning ahead is beneficial.  Luckily, I like the spontaneity and hope involved.  So we ended up at the third location which was inside the Dambar Steakhouse.

Next time we will pick a location in the Hualapai Mountains and hide one ourselves for people to find.   All that is required is a membership. 

This is a great activity for kids as early as 6 to adults.  Be considerate and put the package back exactly as you found it.  If something is damaged, leave a note on the website.

For people with a keen sense of direction and a GPS, try geocaching.  It is more involved and prizes are involved.

Letterboxing kits are available to give as a gift but I find they are fun to make as a craft with the kids as well.  Here are some stamp ideas to add to your own letterbox kit.

Have you tried letterboxing?  Share your story below.

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In Memory of...Rocks

We started this tradition in our home when our cousin Steve was tragically killed in an accident. It was inspired by my mom and aunt who paint their grandchildren's names on rocks and place them throughout their yard.

Since we don't attend grave sites of our loved ones very often, I thought painting a memory rock would allow us to reflect on the people we love and miss everyday.

It is also a helpful way for children to remember their lost pets. We lost our cat Sebastian last year. In honor of him, we painted a cat rock. Now every time we walk outside we reminisce about his silly ways. A beautiful story was also written in honor of Sebastian. (Read it here on the story time experiment blog, CAT COME BACK)

This is not a tradition I look forward to doing, but I love walking around my yard and remembering the impact each loved one had on my life.

See other traditions and crafts for kids.

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Plant a Rock Garden

Over the weekend we bought seed packets to make our favorite salad - radishes, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, some herbs - thyme (for this Next Food Network Star winning chicken recipe) and cilantro. We also planted something sweet and spicy - strawberries and jalapeños. We found a small area with lots of sun, prepped the dirt and planted the seeds.

Then we went rock hunting throughout our yard and found various shapes and sizes. We painted each (with an acrylic paint set from Aaron Brothers) to replicate what would grow where - Cucumber, tomato, strawberry, carrot. Now our garden is colorful from day one and it was a fun craft to share with the kids.

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Gift #18 - Nativity Calendar

Give a Nativity Calendar to your nieces or nephews for the holidays. You can make one yourself or purchase one of many styles. My favorite ones to purchase are from Pottery Barn.

They have a personalized house as shown to the right, or a large felt tree that is a great decoration for a wall.

To make it really personal, make one yourself from felt and personalize all the ornaments for the family.

My mom made one for us (left) when our daughter was born and filled it with things she was interested in (horses, trains, etc.) As the kids get older, we sometimes wrap cash. This makes them want to open and decorate the tree first thing in the morning. (Tip - Velcro dots help to keep the ornaments in place.)

A menorah calendar is another idea you can make for families who celebrate Chanakah. Kids simply put a felt "light" on the tip of each candle on every one of the 8 days.

Either way, a nativity calendar (advent Calendar) is something a person will bring out every year and remember.

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Thanksgiving Craft

I just adore this idea and wanted to share it with you. As your guests arrive, they write down what they are thankful for on a feather. This becomes a centerpiece for your table. Hopefully it is not to late to put together for your family to enjoy. Until then, you can find the directions for this at parents.com.

What you'll need

9 in and 4 in Polystyrene Ball

Dark Brown Yarn

Light Brown Yarn

Felt squares in colors - Orange and Red

Real Feathers

Google Eyes

Wood Skewers

Good Glue

Construction Paper

How to make it: Cut a 1-inch sliver off the bottom of a 9-inch polystyrene ball. Wrap sphere neatly in thick dark-brown yarn, covering surface completely; knot on side. Make a 4-inch ball from light-brown yarn and attach to body with a wooden craft stick. Create simple facial features using felt: white circles (approximately the size of a quarter, with 1/8-inch pom-poms for pupils) for eyes, yellow triangles for the beak, and long red felt teardrops as the wattle. Cut feather shapes from colored craft paper and bend in half lengthwise to create seam. Glue wooden craft stick to the bottom third of the feather and insert in a fan shape on turkey body.

Post pictures of your thankful turkey on our fan page.

Or Download this picture and tag your friends on each feather telling them what you are thankful for about them.

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