With the right equipment and clothes winter can be a great time for camping. There are no crowds or bugs, and there's the fun of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, animal tracking, bird watching, and ice fishing. Preparing to winter camp starts with the shelter...

Are you and your parents, your boy or Girl Scout troop, or church planning on doing a winter camping trip? Before you go, everyone should know how to protect themselves out in the cold and still have a ton of fun..

When bird watching, you need to know what you are looking at. First off, remember how big or small the bird is. Hummingbirds are small and delicate, while crows are much bigger. What color(s) is the bird? Is it all one color or does it have many different colors? How about markings? Does it have stripes, circles, or is it a solid color? Now we need to look at the shape of the birds body parts. How long or short is the beak? How about the tail? Of course we also need to remember what sounds the bird makes...