Resources
All things Gear, Ticks and more!
All the things you need to know about gear and weather is included below.
Gear
🥾Are you ready to Dress for YES to MESS!?
To help you be prepared for all weather play, our friends at Biddle & Bop and Outdoor School Shop have offered a discount to all Outdoor Play Connection families!
You can also ask local swap groups if anyone is looking to pass along used gear.
↩ If you need any help finding gear please email hello@outdoorplayconnection.com and we are happy to help! We are also building a lending library of gear.
🥾⬇️ 15% DISCOUNT ⬇️ 🥾
Link: https://www.biddleandbop.com/discount/OPC23
See Your Welcome Email for Discount Codes
Measure Up
Read here to get a good fit and know what size you will need. https://www.biddleandbop.com/pages/rain-gear-helps
Gear Suggestions
Our school suggests each student have at minimum a two-piece rainsuit, one quilted thermal set or fleece set, one baselayer set, one thin balaclava/tube scarf, rain mittens, and boots. See the most common gear detailed here: https://www.biddleandbop.com/a/blog/gear-for-outdoor-school-and-nature-kindergartens
Personalized Shopping Help
Let us do the digging - fill out the Gear Request Form here: https://www.biddleandbop.com/pages/gear-request-form-for-outdoor-schools To make it easy, let us make a suggested list for you from in-stock items. You’ll get a personalized invoice and we’ll work with you to get everything just right. Make sure to check your spam mail if you don’t see our response.
🥾⬇️ 15% DISCOUNT ⬇️ 🥾
Link: http://outdoorschoolshop.com/schools/outdoor-play-connection/
See Your Welcome Email for Discount Codes
Gear Checklist
Outdoor School Shop has created handy, downloadable regional checklists to help ensure you have all your outerwear needs covered. Each 'kit' has an easy clickable link to a curated regional shop that will assist you even further in narrowing down the best options for your region!https://outdoorschoolshop.com/gear-checklists/
Layering Guides
A simple layering guide to keep your child comfortable outdoors for the entire school day (or for any cold-weather activity). No confusion! Just a simple 1-2-3 formula that weather proofs your child. https://outdoorschoolshop.com/layering-guide/
Ticks
We want to share some helpful information about Tick safety as this one of the top questions we get in our classes.
YES - ticks are around in ALL seasons, even winter.
We find less ticks in the colder months, as it is more likely your skin is covered for warmth and ticks are buried down more and your activities are different than warmer temps. So there are statistically less opportunities for ticks to find you.
💥 TICK CHECK REMINDER 💥
The best defense against ticks is a TICK CHECK so you find them!
No matter what you use to prevent ticks (covering up skin and hair and using bug spray), it is best to ALSO do a tick check!
WHEN to check:
It is suggested to check for ticks for 24 hours after your adventure.
at your car &/or when you get home from the forest
at bedtime
the next morning
bedtime again
This will help you find anything within 24 hours of exploring the forest. You can also take a shower/bath when you get home. This makes a tick check easy, and may wash off any unattached ticks.
WHERE to check:
Check the entire body:
In hair
Along hairline
In and around ears
Arm pits
Inside belly button
Around the waist
Between legs
Behind the knees
Between the toes
HOW to remove a tick
➡️ Fine Tip Tweezers - grab close to your skin and gently pull straight up! Click HERE for a video.
➡️ Use a Tick Key - best for adult ticks. Place the key over the tick in the slot. Pull key away from the tick sliding flush along the skin. Click HERE for a video
✅ Once removed, flush it down the toilet or put it in alcohol, a sealed bag/container, or wrap it tightly in tape before throwing it in the trash.
✅ Wash the bite area & tweezers/tick key with soap and water.
Click HERE for a quick reference guide on ticks.
💕 See you in the forest! 🌳
