Florida Outdoor Recreational Website

In recent development is the blog and forum located at www.floridaoutdoor.net which caters to all who seek a Florida outdoor recreational website. The Florida Outdoor site is loaded with content based on Florida outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, camping, hunting and more. The site also has a dedicated forum for users to interact about every Florida outdoor topic imaginable. The site also has a couple unique additions. These additions include a "Live from the Field" interactive site, and a "Site Update" area to keep all users in formed of changes and additions to the site. The "Live from the Field" site is unique in that it includes content only available to those who view it that will not be available on the main blog. As the name refers, these are updates and stories as they happen live in the field. This area can also be used to interact with Florida Outdoor staff while in the field. This all creates a very interactive environment which has yet to be tried here in Florida.

• Make sure you know something about Florida survival before you go. Go the Florida library and read some books, take a Florida survival class, visit the Red Cross. Then, teach your children age-appropriate information as you go. Remember: you are their protector, but if something happens to you, they become yours AND theirs. Give them the tools they need to save all of you if they have to.
• Tell someone at home where you're going and when you'll be home. (Make sure you know where you're going, and then stick to your Florida plan, or alert the people at home of any changes).
• Choose an age-appropriate Florida area and activity. Remember that little legs wear out faster, especially in uneven Florida terrain, and that children have a tougher time adjusting to high altitudes. When your children are small, try to stick to trails in good condition and without big climbs.
• Children don't fully develop a good sense of balance until their teens, so don't take younger children to places -- such as narrow ledges, rocky terrain, snowy trails or alongside any body of water -- that require physical abilities they haven't yet developed.
• Remember to keep yourself and your children well-hydrated. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.
• Dress everyone appropriately for the Florida terrain, and with Florida proper shoes, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. Dress them in layers so that it's easy to alter clothing to fit the temperature.
• Limit any Florida packs to 20 percent (or less) of a child's total body weight -- and be open to relieving discomfort when the pack begins to feel heavy. A good idea is to let the child carry a fanny pack with a few survival items, such as water, a medium-sized space blanket, several energy bars, candy to suck on (if the child is old enough), a plastic garbage bag that can break the wind, a small raincoat, a pocket knife (if the child is old enough), waterproof matches or other incendiary device (if the child is old enough), a glow stick, and a mirror (teach the child to use the mirror to attract a rescuer). Just remember: the goal is to have fun and to learn something -- not to run a boot camp.
• Keep a hawk-like watch out for them (getting momentarily out-of-sight has been fatal for many children). It will be easier to watch out for a child if there is an adult in front of the child and another adult behind.

I encourage anyone into trekking outdoors in Florida to consider joining the blog and forum, look for how to's and reports, as well as contribute your own experiences. You can also find gear reviews, a dedicated YouTube channel, and much more on social networking platforms (such as facebook, twitter, and myspace). Florida Outdoor staff is also member sof the Florida Trail association and the Everglades Association. Florida Outdoor is dedicated to preserving the natural beauty in Florida, as well as introducing new and long time residents to activities they hadn't considered before about Florida.