I partnered with this app in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

Here in Chicago, it can be cold one day and hot the next, so when we are fortunate to have a nice day we seize the day. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology and teach my kids to embrace it, but I also want them to experience outdoor adventures like I did as a child. I remember heading out after breakfast, coming home for lunch and then back out until dusk. I lived outside as a kid, never tied to an outlet with a device.

Well now there is an app that encourages kids to go out and explore nature. Nature Cat’s Great Outdoors is an app that features a daily adventure for kids to go out, find and record. I thought this app was genius when I first heard about it. Yes it is an app that requires your child to use an electronic device, but it also inspires nature. I found that while my daughter did use my phone to complete the daily adventure, she also wanted to spend more time outside. I see the app as sparking something in her that has peaked her interest.

Everyday after school, she asks me if we can go out and explore like Nature Cat, which if your child has not seen the show yet, I highly recommend it. Nature Cat is a PBS KIDS Emmy-nominated show that features a house cat who has a passion for exploring. He is all about experiencing nature first hand and tackling adventures he encounters. The show encourages kids to go outside and investigate nature!

Really there is so much fun to be had on Nature Cat’s Great Outdoors and it has been something so easy to get kids outside. My 5 year old loves taking pictures with it and sharing in her journal. It is also a simple app that she was able to figure out pretty much on her own. We use the app as a way to spend time together and even my boys who are 8 and 9 years old started to get into it. The app is wholesome and does not feature anything in-appropriate for kids.

Some more features of the Nature Cat’s Great Outdoors app:

• Squeeks’ Compass
• Daisy’s Camera
• Hal’s Sound Recorder
• Sketching and art tool, with nature words & Nature Cat stickers.
• Nature journals to create, share and record adventures.

Check out Nature Cat’s Great Outdoors for your electronic device.

Keep in mind you will need an internet connection (or cellular data) to use the app.