Listen to this episode on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Here’s an edited transcript of our conversation on The Humans Outside Podcast.
Amy Bushatz: No matter who you are or where you go, heading outside is always worth it. Welcome to Humans Outside where we’re using the Humans Outside 365 challenge to build a life around spending time in nature while learning from fascinating outdoor minded guests. I’m Amy Bushatz. I’ve let curiosity be my guide as a journalist for 18 years, but life, including my husband’s war injuries had burnt us out.
So we moved sight unseen to Alaska to see if a change of scenery and new focus on spending time in nature was just the shift we needed. Since September, 2017, I’ve spent at least 20 consecutive minutes outside every single day, no matter what to explore how nature can change my life. Ready to hear from experts and outdoor lovers who make heading into nature just a part of who they are while we work to do the same? Let’s go.
Among the things I vividly remember from my time as a kid hanging out with my extended family in Maryland over the summer was how unbearably hot I was and sticky — so sticky. My family and I lived on a beach in California. The hot, humid summers were just outside my comfort zone. I didn’t have any experience at all in what they felt like or how to deal with them. I am 100% sure I was a whiny kid mess /puddle.
Anyone who has ever spent time outside with kid has heard them complain about temperature and probably in particular about being hot. So how do you create great outdoor experiences while keeping kids comfortable? How do you know what to wear or what to do to make that happen.
In this episode of Humans Outside, we’ve got an adventuring with kids in heat expert because she personally does it with her own family. India Tate is a self-described adventure travel mom with two boys under four, and a social media manager based in the notoriously hot and sticky city of Atlanta, Georgia. But she doesn’t just play outside in the south. So today she’s got tips for us on staying cool with kids in all kinds of heat India, welcome to Humans Outside.
India Tate: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.
Amy Bushatz: Well, I’m really excited to connect here with you today and to share your experience because you’ve lived it. You were telling me that your two kids who are both under four and that they’re a year and a half apart, so you are in the throes of it my friend.
India Tate: Yes, it’s definitely an adventure for sure.
Amy Bushatz: So why don’t you kick us off by telling us how you personally became someone who likes to spend time on.
India Tate: So I’ve always spent time outside, just not in the same nature as I do currently, which is funny. Growing up, like we went camping with our, I have a younger sister, so like we would go camping, growing up with our friends, our parents as well. So like, we will all get together and have like this big group camp session every summer, which is really fun. But then as I got a little bit older, most of my times, but outside was doing sports. So not really like having fun. Right? So like I ran track and fields and so I was always into the running and the walking and stuff like that, which is why hiking now resonates with me. So well. So when I first started having kids, I was just like, I don’t really want to be cooped up in the house all the time. It’s like, what can I do to get them moving to get all that energy out?
So we found like a local forest school with other parents and their kids. And we went on like little trails and explore different parks. And we did that for a while. And then we moved to California several years ago. And it’s funny that you mentioned California in the hot summers. So we moved to California a few years ago and you know, it was right before the pandemic happened.
So it was like, okay, well we just moved to this new state. What is there really to do? We can’t go anywhere. So we found out that, of course the beaches were still open and the regional parks were still open. So we explored a lot of our time outdoors during the week when barely anybody was outside.
And that’s really how we got into well how I got into exploring more with them, just, you know, staying close to home. And going on little short trails and then coming back and doing more. So, yeah.
Amy Bushatz: And I mean, during the pandemic, especially in really populated areas, the outdoor spaces, those parks in particular, right? Like obvious places to go, organized spaces, if you will, were really so overrun with people. We even saw that here in Alaska, which is crazy because it’s Alaska. So you’d think there’d be like space for everybody but it was just bumper to bumper parking in some areas. Super crazy. I mean, great to see everybody outside, but it felt, I mean, in a time where we all felt a little bit crowded out anyway, it felt like being crowded out. So it makes perfect sense that you’re like, how about on a weekday?
India Tate: Yes. Yes. Cause I like, I am somebody who already doesn’t like crowds. So like even going to an airport is like, I get a little bit of anxiety. Cause there’s just like, it’s a lot of people. So yeah, during the week, day is always, the best time, always the best time for us because, not that I wasn’t working like part-time or anything, but like I had more flexibility in my schedule to be like, let’s get outside for a few hours.
Amy Bushatz: Right. Really picking the, picking your time purposefully. You said that you, when you had kids, you found a forest school. Was there ever a time before you guys got into that, that being outside or spending time outside with your kids, wasn’t just a natural progression for you. Was there maybe an on-ramp or sometime where the light bulb kind of flipped on where like, wait a second.
India Tate: So for me, I honestly, I think it was, like after we moved to California, honestly. Because I was just like, it’s not just time to get outside and take up time, but like, you know, we really enjoy doing these things. I got more into homeschooling and I was just like, we can learn a lot by like living our day-to-day life and doing things outdoors and spending more time together as a family. No matter the season.
Amy Bushatz: Right? So much of American kid culture and this is even more true for people with older kids. I like, I watched even my friends with kids who are older than mine, so my children are a 10 and 13 now, but you know, even going into high school. So much of spending time outside is exactly what you said your experience was earlier being in track and field and doing sports and being outside by virtue of the activities that you’re doing. Do you see that becoming part of what you maybe shift into doing with your kids? Or are you steering away from that in favor of, spending more time as a family adventuring? Because honestly, You can’t do it. Right. So it’s just so hard.
India Tate: Yeah, no. So I definitely want to continue to doing what we’re doing, getting outside and going on adventures, just exploring the outdoors like we already do, but I do feel like, you know, we’ll room for. Outdoor activities if they choose to. Because they’re at the age now, Well, at least the oldest one is where he, like, he’s getting introduced to all these different little sports and one day he’s like, oh, I really like soccer. And tomorrow he’s like, oh, well, can we try a mini golf? And I’m just like, do you really know what you want to do or are you just like exploring that option? So I think there’s definitely going to have to be a balance of what they ended up doing, for sure.
Amy Bushatz: It’s such a hard balance to make. And I find that, well, I hesitate to make sweeping declarations less. I have to eat my words later. So like I try not to say I will never do that, something, anything, because that’s a real good way to have to look back and be like, and in fact we did. So. If we can find a mini golf league, that’d be amazing. Is that a thing?
India Tate: I have no idea.
Amy Bushatz: I think your son should really lean into that. It’s just, I mean, that’s my idea.
India Tate: I know, I know he’s played mini golf off maybe like twice and I don’t even know why he brought it back up randomly. I think because he saw that tehre was a mini golf field where we went camping last time. And maybe that he’s really good at remembering things. So probably why he brought it up.
Amy Bushatz: Mind like a steel trap. Awesome. That can go both ways. There is pros and cons to that.
India Tate: Oh, my gosh. I know. It’s like – how do you remember that?
Amy Bushatz: So I’ve spent time with hot and uncomfortable kids before, and I know you have, cause you live in Atlanta. It’s an unavoidable truth. In fact, we lived at Fort Benning, Georgia, so not very far away. And the way we handled that was we went to the pool a lot, but you cannot do that every single day. Yeah.
So I want to talk about how to keep kids cool and hot weather. Because this is such a huge part of having a pleasant, outdoor experience is one being comfortable, but two, not listening to people cry because they’re hot. Any people, any people, but small people too. So, I’m wondering first about like just clothing. Kids can be a little more naked than adults that’s true, but we all have to wear clothes sometimes. So we think a lot about as adults, what kind of fabric we’re putting on ourselves. Is this something you also think through for kids?
India Tate: So I do think about it and I recently got like this really like light weight, long sleeve shirt and you’re probably like long sleeve, are you crazy? But it’s like, it was super lightweight. I think the materials like polyester so not the cotton that will like stick to you and absorb like all the sweatiness and everything, but I wore it out recently we went somewhere, it was hot that day and I worked a long sleeve shirt just to see like, how it would do. And surprisingly, I was not uncomfortable. And one, so one reason I say that is not only like, should you wear long sleeves? But could you wear long sleeves when it’s hot outside? Because it protects your skin, if you’re in like direct sunlight. But also if it’s lightweight enough, like those types of shirts are, then you can easily, wear on top of something else. And if you’re too hot, take that off. That way you still have something on up under you. But like for the kids. I try not to put them in cotton stuff during the summer time just because it does get really hot. So I try to find like, clothes, material that is super lightweight. Usually it’s short sleeves on, I haven’t tried putting them in long sleeve stuff in the summertime yet. But I’m thinking about it, especially if we’re going to be exposed to the daylight often, but no matter where we go, I always bring a hat for them.
Amy Bushatz: And you know interesting, you talk about cotton . Of course we know that cotton is like the great evil of outdoor for outdoor clothing. Do not wear it in the heat, do not wear it in the cold. Don’t wear it at all. Just leave it home. My God. So many of kids’ clothes are like cotton or cotton blend. And I’m thinking about like those little onesy rompers for your kids. And I just have this memory that keeps popping into my brain. Every time I started thinking about this issue of my fat little just over maybe 16 months. Okay. Like little guy, right. Toddling around in his little, you know, button under his diaper, cotton little shorts thing. It’s so cute, but he’s wearing cotton and I didn’t know. And he is sitting in a high chair at some picnic, we were at on the side of the lake. I mean, we just drove there and he looks like he is on fire because he’s so hot looking. He also looks like he’s melting, like a melting fire. Okay. And crying because he’s hot and uncomfortable. And I just keep like going back to this hot sticky baby. Now this is a kid who had his own personal clip on fan. Okay. Huck likes his name’s Huck. Huck like’s a breeze. And when he would be in the stroller, I had this fan to keep him happy uh, because you get hot. So he was uncomfortable just as a rule anyway, but I it never even occurred to me at that point in my life because this wasn’t my lifestyle that one, I had no idea cotton was bad. And two that I was putting my kid in something that he was going to be just become a sticky puddle in, on almost on purpose. You know, and diapers aren’t well ventilated either. So it’s like a whole.
India Tate: No, they’re not at all. And it seems like we wear cotton,, even though cotton is not bad, it seems like when we do wear it, we just get like super sweaty. You can see all the sweat marks all over us. It just, it doesn’t really do a good job at like keeping us cool.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. Cause it doesn’t like absorbs water and doesn’t let it evaporate. Which makes you just hotter or colder on the date, depending on the date. Zero star environment. Yeah. Yeah.
India Tate: I feel like you kinda need something that’s like, I think it’s wicking the right word?
Amy Bushatz: Yeah, but to think about that, I think for your kids is kind of new for a lot of people. Not to say that parents don’t think about their children, but they do, but I just, I think we’re just not used to thinking about fabric types when it comes to our little guys, especially those real little kids in diapers and whatnot.
So how do you have like a secret to finding affordable outdoor summertime clothing for kids? Because gosh, talk about some that you can spend a lot of money on for yourself. Um, Kids will not stop growing, so.
India Tate: I know. So the crazy thing about like outdoor gear and itself is , it can be very expensive. So usually, and I do this for like regular clothes, but I try to find stuff that’s second hand first if I can help it. Cause it’s just, like you said, they grow so fast. Like something they can wear this month, they may not be able to wear it in two months time and we’re still in the same season. So I usually try to size up and then also find it a second hand. So like going to a local thrift store or even I know rEI has like a second hand section too on their website and in the store. So I like to shop, I really like the shop secondhand first, if I can help it before I buy anything new. And if I can’t find anything new then of course, I mean, if I can’t find anything secondhand and of course I’ll buy new, but that’s like my last resort, unless it’s something that I really want to invest in. But the clothes, it’s usually not one of those.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. I think the sizing up is a really important tip because it’s easy, especially when you’re talking about shorts, like that’s totally an option. There’s no reason that you can’t do that. And shorts, then, will just shorter. So what the heck, you can wear them for like four years. My, my now 10 year old I’ve got pictures of this kid wearing size 18 months shorts, well into age three. So they still fit around his middle. They just got a little bit shorter.
India Tate: Yeah, and honestly, like you can do the same for shoes too. Shoes can be very expensive, but sometimes if you go to the right third store, you can find some really good shoes and really good condition, or even like shopping on Facebook marketplace. I love Facebook marketplace for a lot of things. And then there’s like another secondhand place that I shop for kids stuff. And I think it’s called Kidizen.
Amy Bushatz: No I’m familiar with once upon a child. That’s when that I’ve seen in a,
India Tate: Okay, so Kidizen like an app you can go on and like, just input, like what you’re looking for. And then people who may have it in their house will sell it to you for discounted price.
Amy Bushatz: It’s like Poshmark for kids. Maybe.
India Tate: Yeah.
Amy Bushatz: Very cool. Yeah. No, I wasn’t familiar with that. That’s a great tip. Thank you.
Okay. So talk to us about food and drinks, cause we are at the Humans Outside podcast, pro snacks. For everyone, all of them specifically for me, but also for the kids. So, they play a role. So in your experience, what role do they play in keeping your kids comfortable in the heat specifically? And do you have like go-to snacks for hot summer days where everyone needs extra hydration and it’s nice to say feed everyone popsicles, but like that’s not always practical coolers sometimes aren’t as cool as you need them to be. And so on. So what do you love?
India Tate: So it is definitely like a key element and keeping them happy and comfortable. But the funny thing is we will get out of the car and get ready, say, go on a hike. And they’re already asking for a snack. We haven’t even done, we haven’t even done exercise that we came here to do and you already want food.
So usually I’ll be like, okay, well let’s give it a little bit at a time and then we’ll get some. But if I can tell, like, they’re like super not into it, because then they’ll have something to start the trail with, and that’s fine. So I always try to bring a lot of snacks if I can help it. A lot of like our main ones that I go towards are apples, oranges, bananas. And then we do like snack bars that are made like from date, and then of course, like we’ll have like nuts and fruit or whatever else in it. And then I do bring regular water, but sometimes depending on how hot it is outside, I like to bring coconut water because of the added electrolytes.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. So what I hear you saying is a lot of, sort of natural based foods with lots of good natural sugars. ’cause of course at the core of this is the good old blood sugar, and you don’t want to spike that too high with fake, not fake sugar, but refined sugar. Right. And then having that fruit sort of manages that a little bit better, plus provide some fiber. So you’re not just feeling immediately hungry again. Sort of a picture like full nutrition picture there, yeah. Even though
India Tate: Plus, the apples and oranges have, they technically have water in it. So another way to hydrate.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. Although, I mean, I still am pro- Swedish fish, but okay.
India Tate: No judgement there.
Amy Bushatz: Just here for the fish guys. No, and I have a friend, one of my friends here in Alaska uses sour patch kids. So you gotta, you gotta find what works for you. Got to find what works for you. Yeah.
India Tate: So we are actually a vegan, so like, they don’t eat candy. So for them the dates are like their candies, because they know that they’re super sweet. And I just try to like, like you were saying, the things that I’ve mentioned sound like natural and like natural sugar. So I like, I try to go for those things first, if I can help it. However, sometimes I do bring pretzels or crackers or even make sandwiches for days that I know that we’re going to be out most of the day.
Amy Bushatz: Right. Because that salt is important too. Especially if it’s really hot having a
India Tate: Right, so we likes to bring cashews. Like the salted cashews.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah, exactly, having that good salty snack doesn’t just taste good. It’s actually doing something for you. That’s a great, that’s a great tip. And I hadn’t, I was thinking, salt purely in the form of, maybe you salted pretzels or something like that, but that salted nuts is a really good tip because I think that people don’t really think about that in that way. They think about it as this source of protein, but not necessarily a source of sodium, even though it totally is, depending on how its cooked.
India Tate: Right. Yeah. So I read somewhere recently and it was probably a few months ago, honestly that when you like are out exercising, whether it’d be hiking, running, whatever, you’re like when you’re sweating, you know, you’re losing all of that. So like you want to replenish it with something salty. So. I think it was like recommended to do like salted nuts or like something salted, to put that sodium back in your body.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. Yeah. And it’s, part of it with kids is what they’re used to eating, of course. Right. So your kids are used to those fruits and that’s a really palatable thing for them, but you want to keep it interesting to right, with textures and that kind of thing. So nuts really nuts, really check the box on that. Just sort of shake it up, that’s why they’re in the trail mix.
India Tate: Yeah, exactly. But I know, some kids are allergic to nuts or maybe specific kind of nuts, so you kind of have to like switch it up with salty snack you’re going to bring.
Amy Bushatz: Right. Exactly. Exactly. I also find like, well, it’s harder with a kid because you’re not, you have to listen to what they’re asking for. And kids aren’t always really in tune with what their body needs. Right. But. I know when I need a salty snack, right, because I’m craving it. And I don’t know, they always say like, when you’re a brand new mom, if you’re cold, your baby’s cold or something along those lines. Right. So I figured the same thing goes on the trail. If I’m hungry for something specific or if I’m feeling hot, then probably my kids are riding us too a little bit.
India Tate: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
Amy Bushatz: So you said you bring coconut water. Do you have any secrets for keeping kids drinking enough water? I feel like I beg my children to stay hydrated like have you had any water this year at all?
India Tate: Oh my gosh. On like a regular day. I’ll be like, you haven’t had any water today. Like you needs to drink water. But when we’re out, usually those, like when they see me drinking water. then they usually asks for it. But if it gets to the point where like we’re on a trail, for instance, and we’re basically on the last leg and they have given up. And they’re just trying to push to the end. That’s when all of the, can I have water? Can I have water? Starts to kick in more because they’re tired. They’re hot, they’re cranky. They don’t want to keep going. But I’m just like, well, we can stop, take a break, have some one, or have a snack but we gotta keep going because we’re almost there. So usually they kind of follow my lead. But sometimes they’ll ask.
Amy Bushatz: I’ve seen parents purchased their kids, like backpack, hydration packs. And I give my kids water bottle, you know, like they each have their own Hydroflask right now. And I’m just sort of like pushing the water tools. Like maybe if we make this feel fancy or special, they’ll drink a lot of water. And I do think, you know, like I said, they’re older. I think having they’re own water bottles has helped with this because it’s a sense of ownership over this thing and they have stickers on it and they think it’s kind of cool. But it is man. It is a struggle bus. My, my 13 year old looks like he’s lives in the Sahara desert half the time. Cause his lips are so chapped. It’s just like drink some water my dude, what is going on with you?
India Tate: Yes. So I have book bags for both of them and what happens to them when we’re out?
Amy Bushatz: They get lost?
India Tate: I ended up being the one to to carry them.
Amy Bushatz: Yes, that’s the second option.
India Tate: Yes. So I don’t really have a secret, so like them, getting them to drink more water. But I just try to like, keep reiterating, Hey, let’s stop and take a break and drink something, if I’ve noticed that we’ve gone a long time and nobody’s hydrated, especially on a hot day.
Amy Bushatz: Hey humans did you know, you can officially join the Humans Outside 365 challenge and score some really cool and exclusive challenge swag, including a finisher metal and decal on HumansOutside.com/challenge?. You’ll also get an outdoor challenge guide written by me for you, an exclusive challenge tracker and insider info all year long. You don’t want to be left out of this. There is never a wrong time to join the Humans Outside 365 challenge. So get going, join it today. Go to HumansOutside.com/challenge to learn more now. Now back to the show.
So dry heat and that humid, sticky, heat feels very different. Of course, you’ve lived in California. So, you know, the dry heat and now you’re in Atlanta, so you know, the humidity very intimately.
India Tate: Well I grew up here and I do not miss the heat, like, I am not looking forward to the summer because I just know it’s going to be hot and humid, versus being in California, it’s a little bit different cause we lived closer to the water. So it was still hot. Just not as bad.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. You kind of, it’s like a steaming to death or baking, like pick one. Do you feel like you prepare your kids for outdoor ventures any differently, depending on the heat, that humidity level?
India Tate: Sometimes. Yeah. So quick story. We live in California, we, so we were in the bay area, which is, Northern California. And we decided to go to Joshua Tree, which is basically Southern California. And the desert. I knew what the temperature was going to be. However, I don’t think I was mentally prepared for how hot and dry, it was going to be, I don’t know. It just like being a man in that heat made me like choking a little bit. Cause it was like, it’s so dry and hot at the same time. So. I was just prepared for regular hot heat, but when we got there, I noticed, it was just way too hot to be doing anything. And there were some other people in our camp site and they were just like, we usually come during this time of year, every year and it’s hot every year. But what we’ve learned is to stay in the shade during the day and do go out and adventure, like earlier in the morning, before it gets too hot or like later in the day as the sun starts to go down. So even though we weren’t prepared with our clothes, the correct way we still had squeeze still had, whatever you would wear when it’s hot, outside, like short sleeves, shorts, those types of things. We just try not to do too much. And the middle of the day.
Amy Bushatz: I feel like if you live in that kind of heat, you, well, you’re you develop this habit of gravitating towards the right time, quote unquote right times of the day, but also you become accustomed to that dry, baking heat. And it maybe doesn’t feel as hot in the same way. You know? And I, I like to remind people who are listening to show that nothing we ever say is meant to be a judgment for how somebody experiences, whatever temperature it is in which they live. So, when I sit here and I’m like, well, it’s negative 30 today or whatever that’s exaggeration. It’s not usually quite that cold, but like my experience of dealing with negative temperatures or, you know, I often go for runs and negative temperatures or I’m out, like frosted eyelashes. And that looks very cool, but I’m used to that. Well, not today, but in the wintertime I’m used to that. So like today that would be a real shock to the system.
It’s okay for me because I, one, I not only do I know how to dress for it, but I know what it feels like, and I understand how to experience it. And I understand the experience of it. But when you are new to that, that’s can be very shocking. And so wherever you are, maybe that 30 degrees feels like a very shocking cold, cause it doesn’t get that cold where you are except for this one day.
And that’s okay. And the same thing goes for when it’s hot. So like you’re saying you go down to Joshua Tree, it’s extremely hot. It’s not something that you’re used to. And that experience is very jarring and you figure it out and you have as good of a time as you can, but it’s not something that’s been with an experience. The point is that wherever you are and whatever your experience of temperature is, that’s fine. It’s not, this is not a comparison. This is just like a tool box on figuring out ways that work for you.
Yeah totally. So, I don’t want people to hear me talk ever and be like, oh, well I’m not as hardcore as that. Listen, if you can avoid negative temperatures, do it just,
India Tate: Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever been in negative temperatures purposefully. So I think the coldness I’ve ever been outside is probably like maybe 19 degrees and that was cold enough for me.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. And I’ve never done so like August, which is my understanding that’s the hottest time in Georgia. Never done it.
India Tate: Like July, August. That’s really hot.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah . Never done it. We moved down there in October and we, our tour down at Fort Benning, Georgia was up in June. And we moved away.
India Tate: Yes you missed it. You missed the dead hot of summer.
Amy Bushatz: I did. I did nonetheless, my oldest son was two at the time he turned two while we were there and the way we dealt with what I considered unbearably hot temperature was I worked part time at the time from home and after his nap time in the afternoon, and sometimes in the, between naps in the morning, I would put him in the bike trailer and we would cycle a half mile to the community pool and basically sit in a cooling puddle for hours on end. That’s how we dealt with it. Okay. But because one cannot swim all the time. You have to tell us what your favorite summer activities are in the heat. What do you like to do? Where do you like to go? What’s your kids enjoy? How do you balance keeping outside, keeping moving, but not just sitting in a puddle of your own sweat or at a pool the whole time.
India Tate: Yeah. So one thing that we have started doing a lot lately is finding and I’m gonna, I’m gonna mention water because every kid loves water is going to a creek. So that way, they don’t have to swim. Right. Cause you’re not at the pool, but they still get the opportunity. To play in water and even play with whatever surrounding in that area.
So for them, they always like to pick up sticks and rocks. If there’s leaves on the ground, they like to pick up the leaves and play with those. We spend a lot of time at the creek but we also still like to do hikes earlier in the day when it’s not so hot. They love riding their bikes. So honestly, like a lot of the stuff that we do is not in the middle of the day when it’s blazing hot outside. And I’ve just learned that works better.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. You’re just avoiding the hottest times of day. And putting your schedule around, what’s comfortable for you because like we’ve been talking about. Really the best way to make an enjoyable outdoor experience. Step one, be comfortable.
India Tate: Yes, because you don’t want cranky kids. That’s just not going to help the situation out at all.
Amy Bushatz: And that’s true of little kids and I can testify that is true of older kids too, man. Just, I mean, cranky adults aren’t great either. It’s just a whole ball of fun, so just, keep it down. But yeah, but I love that creek point because the other thing about a pool is that’s really can be a place of not to overuse the term, but privilege to say you have a membership to a pool, or you have access to a pool, or you could afford a pool. Or there is a pool. So many factors there that not everybody has readily available. Even just depending on where you live, there may not be a nearby pool. You know, we had that because we lived on the military base and that’s what the base communities all have there. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had a pool, so yeah, you just, you got to use what you have access to and that could be a creek.
India Tate: Yeah and a lot of the times wherever the creek are, however you get to them is free. Like exactly. It could be a local park or whatever, most of the time it’s free. So that’s also good because like you said, like not everybody can afford, a membership to a pool or even if it was you know the neighborhood pool I’m sure somebody is paying for it.
Amy Bushatz: Well, exactly. Now, do you, have you ever used water tables with your kids? Like little, those little water table features, do they like that? Does that work for you guys?
India Tate: So it does. So there was maybe a couple of years ago where we didn’t have access to a pool, we didn’t live close to the beach. Like the beach was like an hour or so away. And so it was just out of the question to be doing that every single day because who is driving an hour back and forth every day when it’s hot outside. And so we would just go outside and I would set up their water table and they would have little toys in it that they were playing with. This year, it’s been a little hot already. So we’ve gotten the sprinklers out, that’s new to them. Do you remember ever growing up and turning the sprinklers on and running back and forth through them?
Amy Bushatz: Yes. Heck yes.
India Tate: So I recently introduced that to them. They’re just like, what do you do? I’m just like, just run, just have fun. So, they’ve been doing that. We got like a little slip and slide recently and they’re just like, okay, how do you do this? So, for those who like, can’t have, don’t have access to a pool, but still want to do something water related, you kinda gotta think outside the box. Or just think back to when you were a kid from what you did outside. Yes.
Amy Bushatz: Peak enjoyment chasing your sibling with the sprinkler. It’s just an idea
India Tate: I feel like that could go bad in so many ways,
Amy Bushatz: When, now that you’re mentioning this my best friend, when I was like maybe nine or 10 years old had just a real collection of water guns. Super soakers, right, man. Yeah. Those are the days super, soaker time.
India Tate: Definitely an option too.
Amy Bushatz: So this goes back to chasing your sibling.
India Tate: We just have to think about when we were younger. We just have to think about when we were younger, honestly, like, we did all the things, we were outside all the time. I feel like kids these days, a lot of them are not outside as much, which is one of the reasons why I was just like, we got to get outside and do all the things and figure out what we can do no matter what it is. Cause you know, there’s so much to, there’s so much to explore so much to see in this world alone. So why not go do it?
Amy Bushatz: So because you’ve lived in two very different places. I’m wondering if you can give, and because you went to Joshua Tree, you experienced something that you weren’t quite ready for, but you rolled with it you rolled with it. So how can people maybe get ready to go into a different kind of heat than what they’re used to. So maybe somebody’s traveling maybe deeper into the south from north and about to hit, hit that ‘Hotlanta’ right away. Or maybe going like you did down to Joshua Tree. What, how, what’s a great way to prepare for that kind of a change? I don’t know, maybe even just mentally.
India Tate: So, I don’t know if you could like mentally prepare for the heat in the south versus the north, if you’ve never experienced it. But some ways to be prepared maybe is to always bring layers. Now whether you wear them or not is completely up to you, it’s up to your comfort level, but I’ve noticed like, especially in the desert, it gets very cold at night.
And even here, like the night times can be, it can be pretty chilly to where you might need a light jacket or long sleeves. So definitely bring layers, even in the summertime, you can wear your short sleeves all day long, but if you’re going to be out at night to o have something that you can wear on top.
Always bring a hat. We have gone to Utah many times when it’s hot, when it’s cold and you know, it can get very hot there too, especially in the summertime. So I always try to bring a hat with us no matter where we go whether I wear it or not. Sunscreen, if you don’t want to bring long sleeves but you know, you have sun screen, you want to do that. That’s always something to bring. I feel like you should wear sunscreen almost every day anyway, because the sun’s out every single day, whether it be super hot or just very comfortable, I just feel like you should always use sunscreen. Water. Be prepared to drink lots of water in the summertime because you can get very dehydrated quickly.
So, whether you’re driving or fine, just pack a water bottle or like a reusable water bottle. That way you can just refill it wherever you go. And we do that when we travel anyway, like always bring water with us. And then, the snacks,
Amy Bushatz: The snacks!
India Tate: You gotta have the snacks. So I think maybe those are a few things that I would definitely recommend.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. Yeah, those are such good and practical tips and the thing that’s so good about them is they’re very, not all great tips are rocket science, right? Sometimes you just have to hear the things that would be obvious if you stop to think about them, but it’s just like, oh right. I don’t know why. I didn’t think of that. Like me not putting my kids in heavy cotton clothing, Amy, come on.
But you know, like,
India Tate: Yeah so one thing that like, honestly, like a really prepares me for a super hot heat, like no matter where it is the past couple of years I’ve gone to Costa Rica and the part of Costa Rica that I go to. I don’t don’t know if it’s Costa Rica as a whole, or just like where we’re staying, but it’s like very close to the equator I’m pretty sure. Or something like that. And.
Amy Bushatz: It’s hot.
India Tate: Yeah. It’s hot. So hot. Like it’s so hot to the point where , you can walk, if you’re going to walk to the water on the beach, you need to wear shoes on the beach to get to the water because the sand is like unbelievably hot. So, those are the main things I think about when preparing to be out in the sun, you know. And also limiting my exposure to the sun, too, ’cause you don’t want to be in the sun too much. Like you can wear a hat and you can wear long sleeves, but like still trying to find a space where there’s shade too, that’s also important. So you’re not under the sun a hundred percent of the time. Yeah.
Amy Bushatz: It’s easy to forget how important that is when your busy thinking about how much you wish you were in the sun. So too much of a good thing guys, and going back one of your tips before it was about sunscreen. And I think it’s just it’s well, especially for the kids reapply, remembering to reapply, because they’re not going to understand when they’re starting to burn, but it’s, talk about great way to be hotter than you were before. Have a sunburn.
India Tate: Right. Cause it’s not comfortable at all.
Amy Bushatz: Not good.. And so, you know, just keeping an eye on, even just on the clock to say, okay, how long has it been since we put sunscreen on and let’s do that. Let’s just do that again. Just for fun. It’s not going to hurt us, right? Yeah.
India Tate: Right. Mine are always like, why do we have to put this on. And I’m like because you’re about to be out in the sun. That’s why, we have to protect our the protector our skin.
Amy Bushatz: That’s right. So, before we close out, we’ve been talking about gear. We’ve been talking about tools we’ve been talking about most importantly about snacks. It’s possible that I’m hungry right now. Okay. Tell us though, what if you had to pick one piece of outdoor gear that you just love, what is your favorite piece of outdoor gear? Something that you can recommend.
India Tate: I would say, I would think my most essential would be to have a good pair of shoes. And I know it’s not necessarily like clothing, but I think, yeah, I think shoes are important. Not just for us, but for kids too.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, absolutely. I mean, and if you’re not in good shoes, you’re just uncomfortable, you know, and that really goes back to what we were talking about before. It’s all of this comes back, temperature, clothing, all that comes back to making sure you’re comfortable and your people are comfortable, because then this cuts down on the crying, but more importantly, but more importantly, it increases your personal and your kids’ enjoyment of being outside. And that’s what we want to do. We want to make being outside and having outdoor experiences a pleasant part of our lives. So that it’s something that we want to do more for ourselves. But so it’s something that, like you were saying earlier, how you were raised. You had great outdoor experiences. And so it was something you wanted to keep doing. And when you’re really uncomfortable, that’s probably not true.
India Tate: No, not at all. And let me tell you, the boys had just gotten a new pair of shoes. Now, mind you, like, I, didn’t not really know the size that they were in. I kind of was just like, oh, they’re probably in this now since they can’t wear whatever other size anymore. The first time that we went out on trail in those new shoes, they’re like, my feet hurt the entire time and come to find out the shoes were not big enough for them. So like that made for an uncomfortable whiny outdoor experience. So that’s why I feel like shoes are definitely essential.
Amy Bushatz: Yeah, absolutely. You know, it’s funny that you mentioned it. Cause I. I mean, getting, figuring out what size your kids were on their feet is so hard. Why is it so hard? But you know, like, that’s just, I mean, as you’re saying, that’s an essential thing. You have to take the time to figure out what size they are. And I think in an, in an era where we do so much online ordering it’s particularly difficult because you don’t have that shoe fitter thingy that in the store in your house and it’s just, and then you’re ordering shoes, trial and error, not good.
Okay. Walk us out. I think we could diatribe for a long time about the perils of the shoe buying because it is a universal experience. Never fun, not good, zero star event. But let’s talk about something that is fun.
As a final thing, if you’re going to walk us out with maybe your favorite outdoor moments, something that you just like to think about some time that gives you joy or something, you’d like to go back to where are you and what are you doing?
India Tate: My favorite outdoor moment would have to be sitting at the beach. We’re not necessarily sitting, but like just walking the beach and pretty my toes in the sand. And then in the water, sometimes it’s cold. Sometimes it’s warm depending on which coast to you’re on. But I don’t know something about the ocean breeze and the sound of the water, just like, kind of puts me at peace. No matter what I’m doing, no matter how the week went, it just kinda like, brings me back to being peaceful in that moment. Yeah.
Amy Bushatz: India thank you so much for joining us on Humans Outside, sharing your experience and your hard earned expertise in this area of getting your kids outside and the heat, no matter what kind of heat.
So thank you so much.
India Tate: Thank you for having me.
Thanks so much for listening to this week’s episode of Humans Outside. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, give us a little love and leave a rating and review to make it easier for others to find the podcast to what you say matters. It really truly does make a difference.
And until next time we’ll see you out there.
