These unique ideas for outdoor scavenger hunts make discovering nature fun and engaging. Great for use with schools, families and community groups, this collection of ideas includes free, printable scavenger hunts alongside hands-on ideas that are super engaging for all ages, but especially your littlest hunters! 7 Fun Outdoor Scavenger Hunts Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt: Take […]
7 Essentials For Creating An Outdoor Play Area Kids Will Adore
Tips for creating an outdoor play area kids will fall in love with. There are so many great reasons to encourage kids to play outdoors. The benefits to physical health are well documented but it is the mental health benefits that I believe have become just as important for children, thanks to the pace of […]
Let Them Go Barefoot and 6 Other “Rules” for Play
Climb a tree. Make mud pies. Build a fort. Invent a game that lasts for days. Play in the rain. Camp out on the trampoline. How many of these do you remember doing as a child? Now look at the list again any tell me, when was the last time your children had a chance […]
Outdoor Activities: 20 Ways to Play with Sticks
Inside: 20 super ways to play, create and explore with one of the oldest toys in the world – the humble stick! When it comes to childhood toys more often than not, simple is best. Take the humble stick, for example. It’s free, can be found just about anywhere, and can transform into almost anything […]
Best of 2013: Outdoor Play Ideas
There’s a little something for everyone in today’s Best Of list – active kids, constructive kids, creative kids and pint-sized explorers…and their parents! – which is not surprising as I am a long time advocate for turning off the TV and taking play outdoors. If you are looking for inspiration and ideas for encouraging outdoor […]
Creating an Undercover, Outdoor Space for Winter (or Summer) Play
Now that AJ is on the move it is more important than ever that she has time to potter outdoor each day. Unfortunately, the weather is cooling rapidly and I am not much of a Winter person, in fact I seem to be lacking in some essential gene that finds the cold and rain enticing. […]
Making Space for Outdoor Play When Space is Tight
Christie recently shared some great ideas for creating an outdoor play space kids will adore and I thought it might be fun to follow up with some of the ways we make space for outdoor play in our rather urban, not-so-natural-feeling, smallish backyard. First, let me set your mind at ease: Don’t worry if you […]
7 Tips for Making Outdoor Time a Habit
Let’s face it: It’s not always easy finding time to get outside with your little ones. That goal becomes especially challenging when kids or parents are sick, the weather isn’t cooperating or other life demands get in the way. And yet even 15 minutes outside a day can help boost mood, restore energy and provide […]
Our Play Space: A Tour of Immy’s Cubby House
This post was first published in April, 2011. As Immy’s birthday is so near Christmas, my extended family decided to put our funds together to buy her one big present instead of giving many small gifts. And you can’t get much bigger than a wooden cubby house! Inspired by The Grugly House over on the […]
9 Ways to Encourage Indoor Kids to Play Outside
Growing up, I was an indoor kid. Severely lacking in any form of physical coordination (can you say ‘last girl picked for school sporting teams’), I would rather curl up with a good book or direct my younger siblings in a theatrical performance than hit a ball or climb a tree (which I had a […]
