Summer/Spring outdoor activities

Don't forget to participate in the Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser. We only have 4 days left. Check out all the details here.

PLACES TO GO:

Park: have a picnic

Water park

Zoo

Camping

Hiking

Fishing

Nature Gardens

Sports field to play soccer, baseball, etc.

Beach at the ocean or lake

Swimming pool

Fair

Boating

Outdoor markets

Outdoor movies

ACTIVITIES:

Nature scavenger hunt: check out my blog post with lots of ideas. You can even make spy glasses using paper towel rolls.

Sidewalk drawings with chalk or wet chalk

Rolling balls down a pipe: secure a pipe/tube to a wire linked fence. Have the children roll balls down the pipe so the land in a basket/bucket.

Hopscotch: draw it on the ground using chalk.

Hollering: cut the bottoms off of clean plastic gallon milk jugs. Use them and megaphones.

In the sand box: sand combs (using sand combs or old large hair combs make designs in the sand); sand toys (buckets, shovels, rakes, etc.); water; rubber snakes, lizards or bugs; plastic plants; tongue depressors; plastic animals, toy dishes (cups, plates, etc.).

Car wash: wash the car

Bike wash: wash the bikes/trikes

Target practice: with water squirt bottles aim and shoot at a target. On a windy day try it will bubbles.

Obstacle course: Use old tires, hula hoops, ladders, tunnels, long pieces of 2x4's for balance beams, yarn, objects to climb, etc

Soda can or pop bottle bowling: set up your "pin" are roll a rubber ball. Try a beach ball.

Hose rainbow: arch a water hose and run under it.

Matching shapes: name a shape or for younger children show them a picture of a shape and have them find objects outside that match the shape

Catch bugs: check out my bug blog post here

Footprints: get your feet wet with water and walk around. Or you can make different kinds of footprints by cutting up sponges and using those.

Sort rocks: by size, shape, color

Ride bikes

Rollerblade

Cloud drawing: draw the shapes of the clouds. Do you see a dinosaur? How about a flower? Or a tall glass of lemonade? Or just watch the clouds drift by.

Yoga or other exercises like Taebo, push ups, sit ups, etc.

Color match: find things that are colors of the rainbow

Blow bubbles: try using different objects to blow bubbles like a slotted spoon or spatula. Bubble recipe below under "make".

Woodworking: provide wood or a large stump, nails, hammer, saw, googles, etc. With adult supervision let the children hammer nails into the stump, or screw screws (have nails/screws already started) or saw a piece of 2x4 that is secured in a clamp.

In a water bin/sensory table: egg beaters with liquid soap (make bubbles); plastic water baby dolls, liquid soap, wash clothes (wash babies); doll clothes, drying rack, liquid soap, wash boards or washcloths (wash clothes and hang to dry) rocks with old toothbrushes/scrubbing brushes (clean rocks); cups, funnels, etc.; straws, liquid soap (blow bubbles); fizzy bath balls; plastic fish, boats, fishing nets; tongs, plastic balls.

Parachute: with many people lift a parachute or a large sheet up and down. Bounce balls on top or have a few people sit under it (take turns).

Jump rope/double dutch

Jacks

Marbles

Frisbee

Fly a kite

MAKE:

Bird feeder: use a large pine cone, peanut butter and bird seed. Hang it from a tree with yarn.

Telephone cups: punch a hole in the bottom of two styrofoam cups. Insert a long string through the bottom of the hole. Secure the string by tying it to a toothpick (it will be inside the cup). Talk into the cup. Who do you hear? What did they say?

Wind chime: go here for instruction. You can also check out my windy day blog post for lots of other activities and ideas.

Bubbles: 1 cup Dawn dishwashing detergent, 1 gallon warm water, 3 Tbsp glycerin

GAMES:

Bike freeze: play music and instead of dancing you ride bikes/trikes around a path. When the music stops, they stop. When the music starts, they start.

Red light, Green light

Red Rover, Red Rover

No bears are out tonight

Hide and seek

Capture the flag

Mimes: act out an object in nature. Have others guess what you are

I spy

Water transfer race: 4 plus buckets or bowls. First team to get water from one bowl to the other bowl using a baster wins

Egg race: balance eggs on a spoon and race.

Simon Says

Mother May I

Kick the can

Tag: freeze tag, tv tag, shadow tag, etc.

Hot potato