Outdoor Challenges

Spring is finally here!

We’ve started going outdoors after dinner to enjoy the sun and play in the backyard.   Soon we will start outdoor soccer and going to the park after dinner.   We have more energy in the sun but it also tuckers the kids out when they play outside.

This spring I am challenging you to choose a challenge below and take your kids outside.

#1.  Rock painting.   Rock painting has grown huge here in Ontario this past year.   Find some rocks or buy some at the local landscape supply if you really can’t find any.  Clean them up, paint a few base coats and paint or write some inspirational quotes on them.   You can connect to your local rock painting group on Facebook.   We have two.  Burford Rocks and Brantford Painted Rocks.   They have little tags you can print off and glue to the bottom which just tells people to go online if they find your rock and post a picture.   People all over are hunting for rocks.   Others don’t know about it until they find one and read the instructions.   Kids love to find and hide these rocks.   It makes someone’s day to find a rock that says “You are special” or some other encouragement.

#2.  Selfie challenge.    My daughter and her boyfriend don’t live in the same city.   They wanted to do something active and decided on a selfie challenge.   I sent them 25 items to find.   Selfie with a yellow car.   Selfie with an elephant.   Selfie shadow.   Selfie with a tree, a flower, a rock, a bug, etc.   So many ideas on Pinterest about items that you can use for your selfie scavenger hunt.   All of the items should be something you need to find outdoors.  This idea is great for kids of all ages.   Have the littles pair up with an adult or older sibling.

#3. Giant paper games with chalk.   All you need is a bucket of chalk and some pavement.  Play games that you would normally play on a small scale paper in huge scale.   Giant tic tac toe, giant pictionary, giant squares (the game were you draw a grid of dots and people take turns drawing lines and making squares), or hangman.

#4.   Backyard obstacle course.   Kids are all loving the Ninja Warrior craze.   It’s the best new thing because it is challenging kids to challenge themselves physically.   It doesn’t take much to come up with some easy obstacles for you kids to run, jump, balance and swing on.   Here’s a link to one of my Pinterest boards that has some easy ways to set up your own Ninja course.

#5. Gold rush.   Spray paint a bunch of pebbles gold.   Hide them around the yard and let the kids loose to find them.   Early Easter egg hunt practice!  This activity could easily be more educational if you read a book about the gold rush here in Canada first.

#6.   Box challenge.   Collect all those Amazon boxes for a week or two and bring them all outside.   Help your kids come up with a plan for what to build and build a fort.   Spaceship, pirate ship, igloo, what will you create?  I would love to see what you come up with.  Post a photo and share!

#7.  Car wash.   Oh not your car.   My parents let my brother and I wash their car once.   We thought we should also clean the roof and if we brought a bucket of water up there it would clean off all the bubbles.   Except my brother, who was carrying the bucket slipped and the bucket smashed the front windshield.  So when I suggest a car wash, what I mean is their cars!   Little tykes cars, bikes, water tables and any outdoor equipment you want cleaned before they drag them out to play with.

#8.  Outdoor scavenger hunt.   These are fun to do in your own yard, park or on a hike.  I found this easy list from No Wooden Spoons.

I hope that you have some new ideas and things to try with your kids.   Even teens will enjoy some of these.   No kids?   Try doing some of them with you and your spouse or you and some friends.   Make your own challenge up and offer prizes for the winners.   Enjoy the sunshine and the fun and watch your mood soar.

Share your comments, ideas or photos of what you’ve done outdoors.