Resources for Families

WinterKids’ vision is that all kids are healthy and happy because they are outdoors, active, and having fun…especially during the long Maine winter!

Check out these great resources for families to get yours outside having fun together:

Upcoming Ski Swaps, Family Days & Community Events

Gear up at a ski swap, try something new at a community event, and get outside with your family at an upcoming WinterKids Family Day!

There are no upcoming events at this time

RESOURCES FOR GETTING OUTSIDE

Websites

Mobile Apps (FREE)

  • WinterKids App – Free & Discounted discounted winter sports and outdoor recreation opportunities across Maine & New Hampshire
  • AllTrails App – Database of trail maps, which includes crowdsourced reviews and images.
  • Calm App – For improving sleep, decreasing stress and anxiety, and improving mood and self-esteem.
  • MindfulgNATs App – Mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation videos.
  • Sleep Meditations for Kids – (iOS App) Offers four bedtime stories that are transformed into guided meditations designed to promote relaxation and contentment.

Mental Health Resources

  • Health Affiliates of Maine – (Ph: 1-877-888-4304) Parents can make referrals for themselves or their children for therapy and case management services.
  • Community Health and Counseling Services – (Ph: 1-800-924-0366) Offers therapy or case management services located in Augusta, Bangor, Caribou, Dover-Foxcroft, Ellsworth, Houlton, Lincoln, Machias, Skowhegan, Sojourn, and Westbrook.
  • Maine Behavioral Healthcare – (Ph: 1-844-292-0111) Offers individual, family, and group therapy services with offices located in Belfast, Biddeford, Brunswick, Damariscotta, Farmington, Norway, Portland, Rockland, and Springvale.
  • Tri-County Mental Health Services – (Ph: 1-888-304-4673 (HOPE)) Offers a variety of mental health services including individual, family, and group therapy, case management, and med management.
  • United Ways of Maine – (Ph: 211) Locate local services and programs that help with things such as food, housing, mental health, crisis, child development, education, health, and more.
  • Psychology Today – This covers the state of Maine, and allows you to search for a therapist near you.
  • Maine Statewide 24/7 Crisis Hotline – (Ph: 1-888-568-1112 (Voice) or 711 (Maine Relay)) Helps to stabilize individuals and families while assisting in crisis resolution and action planning. If you are concerned about yourself or about somebody else, call the 24-hour crisis hotline and speak with a trained crisis clinician who can connect you to the closest crisis center.
  • Intentional 24/7 Warm Line – (Ph: 1.866.771.9276 (WARM)) Peer to peer recovery-focused conversations.
  • National 24/7 Suicide Prevention Lifeline – (Ph: 1-800-273-8255) National network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
  • G.E.A.R. Parent Network – (Ph: 1-800-264-9224) Provide critical support to parents/caregivers and families who may otherwise be isolated and overwhelmed dealing with a child’s emotional and behavioral struggles. They empower parents and families by offering parent-to-parent support, advocacy, education, and meaningful participation in all aspects of the services children and families receive.
  • Inner Health Studio – Provides coping skills, relaxation information, guided meditation, and visualization scripts.
  • Therapist Aid – Provides education on anxiety, anger, depression, and relaxation, coping skills, art therapy activities, mindfulness and gratitude building ideas, and more.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness – Information on mental health, impact of COVID-19, and helpful resources.
  • Anxiety and Depression Association of America – Information on anxiety, depression, and coronavirus and its impact on mental health, helpful strategies and coping skills for managing stress.
  • American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – information on anxiety, depression, stress, impact of COVID-19, tips on transitioning children back to school, children and school resource center

Maine Outdoor Places to Play

New Hampshire Outdoor Places to Play

Trails and natural areas in New Hampshire, most offering free public access (some State Parks charge a nominal entrance fee). Find hundreds of places to play across the state by visiting the websites below.

Activities for Kids

Child Safety

Health Organizations

  • Alliance For A Healthier Generation A catalyst for children’s health working with schools, companies, community organizations, healthcare professionals and families to transform the conditions and systems that lead to healthier kids.
  • Let’s Go! A nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program implemented throughout Maine.
  • We Can! Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.
  • Children & Nature Network A collection of free toolkits, reports, infographics and advocacy tools is designed to help you or your organization connect children, families and communities to nature.

Outdoor Organizations

ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO “OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM”

Share your active outdoor learning adventures on social using the hashtag:

#ImAWinterKid

Filter Activities by Age Group or Event

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Fall Activity Roundup

The changing of the seasons each fall means incredible foliage, the return of snuggly sweaters, pumpkin-spiced everything, and best of all, an opportunity for children to spend time outside learning about all things Autumn!

Summer Activity Roundup

Summer is here! The kids are out of school and you want to keep them busy, but where do you start? Our Summer Activity Roundup is full of ideas to keep your kids busy moving, learning, and exploring this summer.

Spring Activity Roundup

With spring officially here, it’s the perfect time for families to get out and move. Before you know it, summer will be here with its busy schedules and long, sunny days. Make the most of the spring months by incorporating active learning into your schedule, with these fun outdoor active learning activities

Dressing for Winter Safety

We all need to think “safety” when it comes to dressing for winter activities – to keep us warm and dry and stay visible when it gets dark since there are fewer hours of daylight. Here are some simple tips to help keep you and your family safe while you’re outside having fun this winter.

How to Combine Different Food Groups to Make a Healthy Snack

Presented by Hannaford Snack Pals. Watch as April Byron, a nutritionist at Hannaford, walks you through how to combine different food groups to make a healthy snack!

WinterKids Winter Playlist: Dance While Nature is Watching!

One of the best tools to get your kids moving is music that inspires them to dance! In the classroom, at home, in the yard, on the trail, wherever – here is a great winter playlist to help you and your kids move, learn and explore.

Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe Your Kids Can Make!

This easy-to-make Vegetable Soup recipe is ripped straight from the pages of our Guide to Active Outdoor Learning for Pre-K, and is a great way to warm up when the weather is chilly! Let the kids do all the heavy lifting!

Free, Virtual Outdoor Learning Training for Maine Preschool Teachers

WinterKids is offering a virtual training to go alongside the WinterKids Preschool Guide to Outdoor Active Learning, aligned to Maine Early Learning Development Standards with 8 weeks of study that include active, outdoor lessons for preschoolers.

Autumn Fun Puzzles for Preschoolers

Download, print, and cut these 8 autumn fun puzzles for preschoolers. In addition to the benefits of working on a puzzle, these can be great for vocabulary development and may spark an interest in getting outside!

WinterKids Fall Playlist: Music to Accompany Nature’s Show

The seasons are changing, and Mother Nature is putting on a show, but you’ve got to get outside in order to see it! We’ve put together a fall playlist with 18 songs that will help inspire your kids to move, learn and explore! These songs are great for backyard play, dancing in the living room and more! Enjoy!

Blizzard Snack

This “Blizzard Snack” is ripped straight from the pages of our Guide to Outdoor Active Learning, and is a great way to beat the heat with a healthy treat this summer! Let the kids do all the heavy lifting, and just make sure there’s an adult present to turn on the blender.

WinterKids Summer Playlist: Music and Movement to Brighten Up Your Summer

Looking for something new to liven up these long summer days? We’ve put together a summer playlist with 52 songs that will help inspire your kids to move, learn and explore! These songs are great for backyard play, dancing in the living room and more! Enjoy!

Fruit & Veggie “Sushi”

These fruit & veggie “sushi” roll-ups are fun to make, and even more fun to eat! Whether you have adventurous or picky eaters, this is a great way to get them to try a little something new, along with something already familiar. Making this healthy snack together is fun for the whole family!

Animal Action Cards, Maine Wetlands Edition

Animal Action Cards are a fun and simple way to incorporate nature-based learning with movement. We’ve included 15 animals in this set of action cards – just a few of the many animals that you can find during spring in our Maine wetlands. We hope this activity also sparks an interest in exploring wetlands and learning more about these important habitats.

3 Ingredient Banana Popsicles

These banana popsicles are easy to make and require just three ingredients. They’re a fun, delicious, and healthy treat that kids of any age can make for themselves!

WinterKids Offering a FREE Spring Virtual Training for Preschool Teachers

Winter may be over, but outdoor learning happens in all seasons. WinterKids has launched a virtual training to go alongside our Preschool Guide to Outdoor Active Learning (GOAL) and for a limited time, teachers can get both the training and the GOAL binder for FREE.

Spring Fun Puzzles for Preschoolers

Print, laminate, and cut these 9 customizable spring recreation picture puzzles for preschoolers. In addition to the benefits of working on a puzzle, these can be great for vocabulary development and may spark an interest in getting outside!

WinterKids Spring Playlist: Music and Movement to Welcome and Appreciate the Season

Our WinterKids Spring Playlist includes music for moving, learning, and exploring throughout the spring season. This playlist is great for backyard play, dancing in the living room, road tripping, yoga, and more! Enjoy!

Tree Cookies: A Nature-Based Art Activity

In this nature-based art activity, students will learn more about trees, then choose something they love about winter in Maine and illustrate it on their tree cookie! 

Melting Snow & Ice Experiment

In this activity, students will conduct an experiment in order to find which solid melts the fastest: snow or ice. Many thanks to the 2nd Grade teachers at Helen Thompson School in West Gardiner, Maine for sharing this great activity guide during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!

Snow Volcanoes!

In this activity, students make volcanoes with snow and a few other ingredients. While creating their volcanoes, they will explore the states of matter – including solids, liquids, and gasses! Thank you to the wonderful teams of teachers from: Glenburn Elementary in Glenburn, Maine, Bay Ridge Elementary in Cutler, Maine, and Dr. Levesque Elementary in Frenchville, Maine, that contributed to this activity during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!

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