… and with social distancing keeping us from frequenting restaurants as often as we might normally, picnicking is a great way to get your family outside for some meal-time adventure.
Here are some tips for packing your perfect picnic:
✴️Instead of packing one large cooler that might be cumbersome to transport to your picnic spot, use smaller coolers for food and drinks, and totes for supplies. Let each family member be in charge of carrying one item so mom and dad don’t bear the brunt of the work.
✴️Pack some playthings. Kids get bored fast, so bring games, balls, bubbles, or outdoor toys to give them more to do than just eat.
✴️Keep everyone comfortable with sunscreen, insect repellent, hats, and sunglasses. .
✴️Make your picnic spot more comfortable by bringing a small rake. A child-sized rake is easy to pack and will allow you to quickly clear your site of prickly pinecones, pebbles, or seashells.
✴️A nice large picnic blanket is a great idea and makes for pretty pictures, but camp chairs and a small folding table are more comfortable and keep you away from the ants.
✴️Make your outing educational. Even if you are only going to the backyard, you may be able to find some teaching moments among the trees, plants, insects, or critters that live nearby. If you are headed to a park, visit their website first and find out a little about the history of the area or the plants and animals in the area. ??For nighttime excursions, a location away from artificial light will make stargazing easy. Bring a strong flashlight to point out constellations.
Here are some of my favorite picnic sites in the Desert (and near the desert):
– Up Highway 74 to Idyllwild
– Drive up to Big Bear town
Once the weather cools down, try these places:
– Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
– The Living Desert
– Indian Canyons
– Sunnylands Center & Gardens
– Moorten Botanical Garden
Let us know which places you’ve tried!