It’s no secret that we spend a lot of time outside and love the outdoors. Peruse our Facebook page, Instagram account, or even here at the blog, and almost all our pictures are outside. In the fields, in the woods, at the tree farm…even without structured activities our days are split about 60/40 outside time to inside time, other than school hours. Maybe even 70/30…if the weather is nice on the weekends even 90/10! (Yes, my housework suffers for it!)
Here are some of the ways we lever the kiddos off the couch and into the sunshine with a good attitude!
Let Them Take Their Toys
Really, it’s not a big deal if they get messed up or lost. What is a big deal is your kids being excited to go out and play! We keep a big basket on the back porch for “outside” toys–meaning they’re too dirty to come inside right away. Nerf guns, slingshots (we have these and love them) cars and trucks, army men, sports equipment…I love Schleich toys for this because they’re practically indestructible and you can just throw them in the top rack of the dishwasher afterward!
Let Them Dress Up
Let Them Dress UpThis goes along with toys–it makes everything a bigger adventure! Hats, capes, boots, costumes…we keep plenty of miscellaneous “dress-up” supplies around in what we call it the “pretend” bucket. Be sure to have a supply of old belts and string (or yarn and baling twine!) to fashion carrying straps for everything! Swords and shields, stick horses, whatever props you can think of work just as well outside as in the playroom.
Give Them a Bag
Let them carry some supplies for themselves. Whether it’s a notebook and magnifying glass, binoculars, a compass and safety whistle, flashlight, pocket knife, those toys we mentioned earlier…don’t weigh them down–they’ll just dump it somewhere. {smile} But let them “pack” for their adventure. The Cowboy has currently appropriated my shoulder sling pack for his adventures and the other two love their drawstring soccer sackpacks for toting snacks and “supplies” around the woods and fields. Plus, then they can save treasures for their leaf and rock and “stuff” collections back home.
Give Them New Spaces to Play
This can be tough, depending on your living situation. But I think it’s so important to give your children exposure to new environments and outdoor adventures. Let them get out in the woods, in creeks, in fields and pastures, in parks and playgrounds, near big rivers and waterfalls, beaches and wetlands, in mud and sand and grass…
You might find that they prefer one type of environment to another and that’s another way to channel their love of the outdoors.
Give Them Nature Study and Crafts
Hiking, picnics, creek wading, collecting rocks, tracing leaves…more structured nature study and crafts or activities can give kids who aren’t as good at self-entertainment a chance to see the fun possibilities.
You could grab our Nature Scavenger Hunt printable for some fun hunting in the woods, or here’s a simple Spring Scavenger Hunt that would work for an outside activity in any environment. Our munchkins are already outdoor enthusiasts, but we really feed the passion with nature journaling and unit studies that make their everyday moments exciting. The way we do unit studies doesn’t feel like lessons at all, so feel free to read about developing relaxed learning plans and get some ideas.
Nature study doesn’t have to be just about plants and animals either. You could look at the weather (I know some boys that are really into extreme weather phenomena), at geography and navigation, sailing (my kiddos have been into this topic since watching Moana) survival skills, astronomy, the list is endless!
Let Them Grow a Garden
You can start a garden in any nook or cranny. Whether it’s in the backyard like ours, or in containers on your patio, this is a great experience to help kids appreciate the sunshine, fresh air, and even rainy days. It’s a good idea to start with growing something they’d like to eat when it’s done. Or if you’re more of a flower-lover, pick something that butterflies will love. But their little garden will take a lot of outside time for watering, weeding, and watching.
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Let Them Watch Good Movies and Read Good Books
If you pick good entertainment, it will inspire your kids in their creative play. Look for stories that have kids in the outdoors. Stories of wilderness adventures, of safari adventures, of ocean adventures…shows with outdoor science adventures and tree houses and forts…
My kids went on a fort-building spree after watching Swiss Family Robinson, they’ve been obsessed with building their own sail boats since watching Moana, and went on a survival streak after reading Hatchet and watching the Adventures of Yellow Dog and binge-watching episodes of Survivorman one weekend. Guess what they do after watching
Guess what they do after watching Teen Titans? Nothing. Usually, they go play Legos. I’m not saying the show or the Legos are bad–we’re fine with both activities sometimes. I’m just saying that what they watch can impact and inspire their behavior. So if you want them outside, watch more shows that inspire outside play and outside time.
You can find lots of good outside activities and ideas at our Nature Study and Natural Sciences Pinterest board. Being outside is one of our favorite activities–even when it means just sitting outside reading or working from home!
