The holidays may be over, but winter is finally here. If you are like me and feel like you end up stuck inside all winter, hopefully this will provide you with some outdoor inspiration. There are a lot of outdoor winter activities great for children and adults alike here in Montana. Keep reading to find out my favorite activities to get you outside this winter!

The Best Montana Outdoor Winter Activities

Skiing

Skiing is usually the first thing that comes to mind when I think of winter and the outdoors, especially here in Montana. We are lucky, because we have two great facilities close to home. Both ski areas are a relatively short drive from Belgrade/Bozeman. If you are new to skiing, have no fear! Bridger Bowl and Big Sky Resort offer lessons for both children and adults, as well as kid camps. Both also partner with Eagle Mount to provide lessons for adaptive skiers, including those with developmental delays, visual impairments, spinal cord injuries, and amputees.

Sledding

Who doesn’t love hopping on a tube or a sled for a few runs down your favorite hill? If you have kids, this is a relatively fast and easy way to let them work out a little extra energy that is easily built up during these short winter days. Gallatin County Regional Park has a giant man-made hill perfect for sledding and well loved after a fresh snow. Snowfill Recreation Area also has a lot of great hills for sledding down, just watch out for dogs, since this is also an off-leash dog park. Another town favorite is Peet’s Hill. This hill is very well loved and the biggest sledding hill in Bozeman, so beware. It can become pretty icy, but it’s a great work out hiking back up each time.

Ice Skating

There are several places around Bozeman and Belgrade where you can lace up your skates and take a spin on the ice. In Belgrade, Kiwanis Park (702 Home Run Drive) has a seasonal ice rink and warming shelter. There is also a seasonal rink on the corner of North Broadway and West Park Street. In Bozeman, Beall Park, Bogart Pavilion, and Southside City Park all have ice rinks. If you’re new to ice skating or just want to give it a try before fully committing, Chalet Sports and Play It Again Sports both offer skate rentals.

Montana Outdoor Winter Activities – Hiking/Snowshoeing

Hiking is one of my favorite summer activities, but just because there is snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a good hike in the winter. There are so many trails around the area and if you are willing to drive out to Three Forks or Manhattan you are likely to find some trails without a ton of snow. The Missouri Headwaters State Park and Buffalo Jump State Park are two of my favorites. If you prefer a winter wonderland, Hyalite Canyon Recreation Area offers a lot of trails great for snowshoeing. If you don’t have your own snowshoes, no worries, Chalet Sports rents these out too.

Ice Fishing

Ice fishing is a great way to get outdoors during our long Montana winters. Sure, it might be cold, but it can be a fun and laid-back way to catch up with family or friends. This activity is best for those who already have the equipment or have a friend with equipment who wants to take you with them. Hyalite Reservoir is great for ice fishing. There is a five trout per day limit and graylings are catch and release. You can also ice fish at Glen Lake Rotary Park. Just remember, a valid fishing license is required!

Cross Country Skiing

This is an activity I would like to devote more time to this year. If hiking and snowshoeing don’t appeal to you, cross country skiing may be just the right fit. You can still explore the beauty that winter in Montana has to offer. But, you can make it as easy or challenging as you like. There are several groomed trails around Bozeman and Belgrade.

The Bridger Ski Foundation grooms several trails in and around Bozeman, so you can find the perfect trail to meet your skill level. Trails are located at Bridger Creek Golf Course, Hyalite Canyon, Bozeman Creek, and Lindley Park. Bridger Ski Foundation has also put together a handy map showing the trails and skill levels.  If you are looking for a lovely area to explore that is more challenging, Crosscut Mountain Sports Center has several miles of beautiful terrain to explore, and they also offer lessons and rentals.

Montana Outdoor Winter Activities – Hot Springs

I saved my favorite for last. After a long day playing outside, there is no better way to unwind than with a soak in one of our hot springs. Bozeman Hot Springs, Norris Hot Springs, and Chico Hot Springs are all a relatively easy drive from Bozeman/Belgrade. Bozeman and Chico Hot Springs are open to the public daily. Norris Hot Springs is open Thursday through Sunday.

Hopefully this has filled you with inspiration to get outside this winter! You can also check out Exploring Yellowstone if you just want to jump ahead to planning for summer.

You have probably heard of sciatica and maybe you have experience with it yourself. Sciatica is a term that can describe pain that radiates down the leg, but there can actually be a lot of different causes. Physical therapists need to do a little detective work to figure out where and what is causing your sciatica. Sciatica refers to the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body.  Nerves in the lower spine called the lumbosacral plexus form the sciatic nerve. It has a mix of sensory and motor fibers that supply most of the areas of the thigh, leg, and foot.

What are the Causes of Sciatica?

• Joint inflammation or nerve irritation
• Piriformis or pelvic floor tightness
• Disc herniation
• Spinal stenosis

What are the Symptoms of Sciatica?

• Pain that originates deep in the gluteal region and sends pain down the back of your leg and even down into your foot
• Numbness, tingling, or burning sensations and feelings of weakness of muscles in your leg

How do I Manage Sciatic Pain?

See a physical therapist! Not only will a PT help differentiate where the pain is originating from, but they will also create an individual plan for how to manage your symptoms. Medical management may be warranted as an adjunct to physical therapy. First things first. Exercise is essential for managing sciatica, and bed rest is NOT recommended.

Goals for Sciatica

• Keep moving. Exercise is key. Motion is lotion for our bodies! Try not to be fearful of movements that will help in your recovery
• Reduce nerve irritation. Depending on where the pain is coming from, we want to target that area to reduce inflammation and irritation. This may take time, so be as patient as you can! Reducing inflammation and pain is the priority.
• Centralize symptoms. This means your symptoms are moving up closer to your spine, moving away from your leg. This is a good sign your body is healing and adapting!

Sciatica is very complex, but with an individualized plan, your physical therapist can help reduce pain, get you moving better, and get you back to doing the things you love to do! Call MOSAIC at (406) 388-4988 to schedule your evaluation today.

As parents, how many of you have had the pleasurable experience of stepping on a LEGO? Pretty sure we have all cursed them when they were left lying about the floor. LEGO bricks are a standard toy in many households. They are easily found in stores and often can be found in garage sales, as well as secondhand stores. Another great thing about them is that they can be cleaned easily, which with today’s challenges, can be important when selecting toys. Fun fact, did you know that the plural of LEGO is LEGO? Or LEGO bricks and LEGO sets?

Did you know that, in addition to being a great toy to keep kids entertained, LEGO bricks are also an excellent learning tool? Firstly, we all know that kids learn best through play. Children have short attention spans and patience. Play is a natural way to introduce many skills, and they engage kids’ natural curiosity, teaching them without them even realizing it. They introduce kids to S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in a way they can easily relate to and enjoy, which is what makes LEGO such a good learning tool. You can also check out our fun Stained Glass S.T.E.M.

Benefits of LEGO

LEGO are very versatile and can be used at so many learning stages, making them great for developing a wide variety of skills for all ages. For young children, LEGO are a great way to learn about colors, shapes, and size. The bright colors are attractive to kids, drawing their attention. For the little ones, go with the primary colors of red, blue, green, and yellow. As they grow, add the more complex colors.

LEGO are perfect for developing fine motor skills and building strength. Children need to learn how to hold the pieces, as well as twist, turn, and manipulate them to fit together. This helps develop fine motor skills by making the muscles in the fingers, hands, and arms stronger and more flexible. This is important, as it helps build dexterity and coordination, which are important for coloring, handwriting, and dressing skills.

Social Skills

Whether it is at home with siblings or friends, in daycare, or in school, playing with LEGO helps develop play and social skills. Early play, or parallel play, is when children engage in the same activity but do not necessarily interact with one another. Kids will often observe what the others are doing and will imitate. As play skills develop LEGO are a simple way to introduce sharing, trading pieces, and turn taking. With this comes language development and learning about social skills in a very natural play environment. As kids get older, LEGO can be an excellent group activity, teaching how working and problem solving together can lead to some wonderful creations.

As children grow, LEGO are a great way to encourage creativity, showing how a child learns, reasons, and imagines. Giving kids a bunch of bricks entices them to figure out how to use them. Through trial and error, they will figure out how to fit them together and make the things they see in their mind come to life. Most sets come with simple step by step directions of how to build specific things. Therefore, this helps kids learn how to follow directions and the importance of sequencing to complete the project.

Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance

As I was looking into the benefits of playing with LEGO, I came across one that I had not considered. It referred to teaching children the 3 P’s: patience, persistence, and perseverance. LEGO play can develop patience, as many kids may become frustrated when pieces don’t fit or go the way a child thinks they should. They must also learn to sort and find pieces, which can test patience and concentration.

Through trial and error, children begin to learn to be more patient and realize being mad and giving up won’t get them the results they want. In a world of instant gratification, the building process shows them that it takes time to get good results. In other words, being persistent and sticking with something will get results!

This is just a small sampling of the amazing benefits of LEGO. This, matched with the fun they provide to a wide age range of kids make LEGO a great toy. So next time you step on one of them, just think about the wonderful learning experience you are providing for your child and try to smile! For more Lego learning activities go to Brainpower Family.

Regardless of when you plan to introduce a bottle into your breastfeeding journey, a common question in the clinic (and all over the internet!) is which are the best bottles for breastfed babies, and how to introduce it. Fears of nipple confusion, bottle preference, or complete bottle rejection are common, and with marketing and advertisements all claiming to be the best for your baby, making the choice is an understandable challenge. Of course, all babies are different – that’s why we are here to help – but there are some key points to get you started.

How to Start Using Bottles for Your Breastfed Baby

Firstly, you’ll need to decide when you’d like to introduce a bottle. This includes a variety of variables – birth history, jaundice levels, need for supplementation for medical reasons (with formula or breastmilk), return to work scheduling, a family member wanting to bond with baby, etc. While it is typically recommended to wait to introduce a bottle until your nursing relationship has been established, this is going to be an independent decision for your specific family, and one that our lactation consultant can help you with. There is no shame in wanting your child to take a bottle so that you can go to an appointment alone. It should not be a fear that this will ultimately damage your long term nursing relationship. Likewise, there are many infants who go their entire infancy without a bottle, and that’s a great decision too!

Now, which bottle do I choose!? Looking online, there are a multitude of advertisements for bottles that “look” or “feel” like real breasts. Often they claim that they work best to mimic the feeding relationship you have started. However, this isn’t necessarily true. Let’s look at the science of it real quick:

When your nursing infant latches to your breast, they are pulling in breast tissue as well as the nipple. This allows an appropriate seal, and the tongue to effectively and efficiently express milk. After all, it is breastfeeding, and not nipple feeding. Take a look:

Images courtesy of Babycentre UK

So, how do we mimic this latching process in a bottle? Look for a bottle with a wide nipple base and a slow flow rate. Many breastfed babies maintain a level “zero” or “one” nipple size for the duration of their bottle feeding journeys. This is because the rate of milk from your breast does not change over time. Some great choices are Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Anti-Colic Baby Bottles, Evenflo Wide-Neck Anti-Colic Baby Bottles, or Lansinoh Momma Feeding Bottles with Natural Wave Nipple, however, there are lots of options. Here’s what to look for when you’re starting out:

Graphic adapted from Legendary Milk

Are you seeing a theme here? What works for one baby may not work for another. So if you have already started and are seeing success with a “not ideal” nipple shape, carry on without worry! If you still can’t get baby to take a bottle, consider chatting with our  lactation consultant to see how we can support starting the process of using bottles for your breastfed baby. Along with the question of bottles for breastfed babies, pacifiers can also be a source of stress and confusion. To learn more about pacifier use, check out Pacifier Facts – A Speech Therapist’s Perspective.

In our community, Occupational Therapy for the older adult population is typically relegated to upper extremity orthopedic issues or severe neurological conditions. Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely qualified to provide a variety of services to older adults because they have an excellent understanding of human activity, daily activity, and function in addition to the knowledge they acquire to treat medical conditions.

Occupational therapists use a variety of tools and training to address the following concerns experienced by older adults:

• Lifestyle changes
• Cognitive changes or decline
• Chronic pain
• Mental health changes
• Leisure promotion
• Low vision or vision changes
• Community mobility concerns including driving

The Lifestyle Redesign® program, activity and occupation-based interventions, and functional cognitive approaches are all excellent programs to use while working with adults to provide an all-encompassing treatment experience. However, addressing fall prevention, community safety, daily activity participation, and well-being are the tip of the iceberg for OT treatment options. For example, topics from the Lifestyle Redesign® program include Health and Aging, Transportation, Finances, Relationships, and Home and Community Safety. Functional cognitive approaches include completing a cognitive profile of an individual and assisting clients to develop strategies to address function, provide cognitive retraining, or assisting clients and caregivers in working within cognitive impairment needs.

So, if you are interested in learning more about occupational therapy for adults, please reach out to MOSAIC Health & Rehab.

References

1. Clark, F., Jackson, J., Mandel, D., Nelson, L., Zemke, R. (1999). Lifestyle Redesign: Implementing the Well Elderly Program. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.

The holiday season is known for the abundance of food and treats. Therefore, this edible stained glass holiday S.T.E.M. activity is a great choice! You will need a base understanding of geometry for this activity. This activity can use premade or store bought candy that is melted, or you can make your own candy.

As previously stated, there are two ways in which one could make stained glass. The first is by making your own candy using corn syrup, sugar, water, and a candy thermometer. The other option is to use store bought hard candy (i.e. jolly ranchers) and slowly melt them down to a liquid state.  We will explain both methods.

What You Need for Holiday S.T.E.M Edible Stained Glass:

• Hard candy (either homemade or store bought)
• Egg whites from 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• ½ tsp of cream of tartar
• Pretzel sticks and/or rods

Tools Needed:

• Candy thermometer
• Heavy metal bottomed pot
• Wooden spoon
• Stove
• Mixer
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Aluminum foil
• Heat safe surface
• Piping bag

Preparing your stained glass:

Make sure you talk with your child about safety when using hot products. Give each child a heat safe surface covered in aluminum foil. You can use a plate or piece of cardboard. Using the pretzel rods and sticks, have your children map out a frame for their picture. Older kids can do this on their own, and younger kids can follow a printed picture or one outlined in marker. Make sure that all sides connect to make it more difficult for the liquid to flow out and escape the frame.

Royal Icing:

Firstly, you will make the royal icing. Combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar in a bowl. Mix until frothy. Add the powdered sugar slowly and incorporate it completely. Mix until glossy and peaks form (this will take about 5 minutes). Put the icing in the piping bag. Take your already made template (pretzel structure), and glue down all the pretzels with the icing. Finally, do your best to make sure that there are not any gaps between the pretzels. If you use jolly ranchers, place one jolly rancher into each gap in your picture until every space fills up. This will let you know how many jolly ranchers you will need.

Melting the Jolly Ranchers:

1. Take all of your like colored jolly ranchers and unwrap them. You may want to add a few extra to be safe. Place into a microwave safe bowl.
2. Place in microwave and cook at 50% power for no more than 2 minutes at a time.
3. Mix and melt until you have reached a “molten glass” consistency.
4. Spoon into appropriate spaces on your template. If you have several templates, try not to do too many at once, as the candy will begin to harden.
5. You may need to remelt your candy, but keep in mind that if your candy is too thin (not as much volume) you will need to melt in 30 second intervals to avoid burning.
6. Repeat until all your colors are done, and your template is complete.

If you did your project properly, once it cools, you should be able to lift it off and let the light shine through.

What can be learned from this holiday S.T.E.M. activity?

This holiday S.T.E.M. activity is all about geometry! We use geometry every day. We may not even know it! Firstly, we use geometry to build houses. We use geometry to figure out how many groceries will fit in the trunk of your vehicle. Study art history. See how stained glass has been used throughout time. In addition, research how real stained glass is made, or modify this activity with cookies.

Finally, for more fun activities to do with your kids, check out Hess Un-Academy or MOSAIC’s Holiday Mad Lib and Christmas Scavenger Hunt.