Join us as we try to create 30 days of fun memories with our kids outside EVERYDAY starting April 1st.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Favorite Outdoor Activity Linky

Our family came up with a list of 30 of Our Favorite Things to Do in Our Own Backyard.  Hopefully it will spark some fun ideas for you as you prepare for our 30 Day Challenge.  Don't forget that begins on Friday!  Sometimes you don't have to travel away from home to have a great time!  While it is fun to go on field trips and do elaborate activities with our kids, sometimes all you really need is some dirt and water. Here is our list, with a few pics. The list is in no specific order.


1-Help plant a garden.
2-Play with the wagon.
3-Catch and release bugs and worms.


4-Andrew's current favorite-bird watch!
5-Sports (We love soccer and basketball right now).
6-Throw bean bags at the fence.
7-Skateboard, bike, and ride scooters.
8-Ryan's favorite-Play chase (or as Ryan calls it "I'm Gonna Catch You).



9-Paint- the house with water or on the easel with real paint
10-Draw with sidewalk chalk.
11-Mommy's Favorite-Read stories outside under our trees.
12-Use tools.


13-Blow bubbles.
14-Play in the sandbox.
15-Splash in puddles.
16-Play with the water hose.



17-Molly's favorite-Ring Around the Rosie
18-Have a picnic.
19-Climb a tree.
20-Take a walk.
21-Play on the swingset.
22-Camp in the backyard.
23-Build Forts.
24-Play pretend.  (We currently spend a lot of time make believing we are super heroes, spies, and Star Wars characters).



25-Jump on the trampoline with Daddy.
26-Explore with Magnifying glasses.
27-Daddy's Favorite-Pushing the kiddos down the hill on the ride on cars.
28-Play in the sand and water table.  Right now ours has bird seed in it.
29- Making mud pies and playing restaurant. 
30-"Putting on shows for Mommy and Daddy where we do cool tricks."



Now it is your turn to share!  Please feel free to link up your blog posts that share lists of your family favorites.  I can't wait to see all of your fun ideas!  Thank you for sharing this fun challenge with our family! 


It is not too late to join our April challenge!  Click here to sign up.  All you have to do is leave a comment and say you are in! If you haven't joined in the fun yet, I hope you will!



Thursday, March 24, 2011

Favorite Outside Activities



I wanted to give you a head's up! I plan on posting a link-up on Monday, March 28th to share ideas on outside play with our kiddos.  We will do this throughout the month of April, each time with a different theme.  The first one, however, will be for Lists of Fun Outdoor Play Ideas.  So if you have your own blog and would like to share your family's favorite outdoor activities, write a blog post and share it with all of us on Monday! Or maybe you already have a great list you have shared previously on your blog.  That is wonderful, too! It will be a great resource to all of us as we seek for fun new ways to enjoy the great outdoors with our loved ones! (Others coming up will include research on benefits of outdoor play, nature play, rainy day fun, and books about nature to share with our little ones).

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Inviting Friends to Play!

If you have joined the challenge, please consider "Liking" us on Facebook.  The tab is to the right of this post.  This way we can have an easy location to check in with each other every day to say "Yes! I played outside today!"  It is always motivational to me to have someone I can be accountable to. 

If you have your own blog, feel free to grab a button and let your readers know you are up to the challenge! 

Monday, March 21, 2011

Can You Come Outside to Play?

Right now I have the door open and I am listening to my 3 children giggling together in our backyard.  The wind is blowing, rustling the leaves, the birds are singing, and here in North Carolina, it is a lovely 60 degrees.  All of a sudden I am 8 years old again, playing in the woods with my cousins in Cedarland.  Cedarland was our special hideaway in the woods that the grownups pretended they knew nothing about.   We created towns in the fall, where we raked out leaves to make houses and roads.  I was always the town school teacher.  In the winter we dared each other to walk in the creek with no shoes on.  In the Spring and Summer, those more adventurous than I, chose to catch and observe lizards and toads.  There were nights filled with catching lightening bugs in jars. Mud pies in the rain. Blackberries to pick that stained our already "filthy from playing outside all day" fingers. I remember this huge empty barrel we climbed inside of and rolled down the hill, and wagon races down that same hill, where we used the handle as our steering wheel.     We packed snacks and set off exploring in the woods. We brought books outside and read under trees. I directed my cousins and friends in plays outside that our parents enthusiastically watched  patiently endured.   I know it sounds idyllic, but it really was my childhood. We were sent outside after school, EVERYDAY! And all day long in the summers.  I am guessing that those of you who are my age, have very similar memories.

I have such happy memories of my childhood and playing outside, and I really want my children to have this as well.  This is why we bought our house with the big fenced in backyard  So why does it seem so hard to make sure my kids ages 6, 3, and 1 make it outside EVERYDAY? (especially the youngest).  There are lots of logistical challenges and these are things I plan on blogging about and confronting over the next month, but it really shouldn't be THAT HARD!  Should it?  I feel it is imperative for their development  and growth as a human being, I have read MANY books and blogs and articles on the subject.  We do try and play outside almost everyday, and usually we make it outside.  But still there are nights when I tuck them in and wonder where the day went?  Why they spent all day in the car or in the playroom instead of time outside.

Hence my challenge to myself and to all of you.  Let's play outside this month.  Every day. No matter the weather.  No matter how pressing our to-do list seems. Let's share fun ideas to do with our kids outside.  Tips for getting your kids to play outside WITHOUT you.  (Not all play should be structured).  Let's talk about where we play.  Share books and articles and blogs with each other.  And let's savor each and every beautiful spring day in April.  Whether it is rainy or sunny or snowy where you live, play outside. 

Can You Come Outside to Play?

*If you would like to accept the challenge to play outside EVERY DAY in the month of April, please comment on this blog post below and become a follower of this blog. .   Also share your FAVORITE place to play outside as a child. At the end of April I will ask you to post again if you met the challenge.  There will be a drawing for an Amazon Gift Card. 

*We will share ideas throughout the month of April on how to reach this goal.  We will include books and blogs about the benefits of outdoor play. If you have a book or blog you think we should highlight, please message me at daniellescribner at juno.com. 

*Each week I will also host a "Weekly Virtual Play Date."   Something that we all do in our separate locations.  On Sundays, I will add a link-up where you can share pictures and blog posts about your outdoor play that previous week, if you wish.  This isn't required.   

*For it to count, I think the playtime should be at least 30 minutes total that day.  (Although much more would be ideal). At the end of the month your child(ren) will have been outdoors at least 900 minutes!