As a result of spending more time at or near home over the past few months, the fun and excitement may be dwindling. We have been brainstorming ways to bring back the novelty to a path or environment that has become too familiar! Here are a few ideas to help turn your usual stroll into a new nature walk each time.
- Picture walk: Give your child a camera or allow them to help you take pictures of things they like or find interesting along the way.
- Movie walk: Similar to picture walk, use video to capture things you come across that involve movement not captured well by photo such as the wind blowing the branches of a tree, a dog running, or waves crashing on the beach. Another approach you can take is videoing your child doing different movements along the way such as running, jumping, walking along a curb like a balance beam, hopping, side stepping, skipping, galloping, etc.
- Senses walk: Look for things that spark each of our five senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and tastes. Consider categorizing what you find as you go. If touching isn’t for the best wherever you are, alternatively you could talk out what each may feel like.
- Alphabet walk: Look for an item/place/thing that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
- Scavenger hunt walk: If you simply search online for scavenger hunts for kids, a ton of resources pop up. Look through and select something that seems relevant to your area and your child’s interests. Taking a picture of each item as you find it or writing up a list to look back on later are great alternative to touching and/or taking home.
- Chalk walk: If able, design a “course” with chalk in your neighborhood. You can include hopscotch, walking on the line, stepping sideways, jumping, walking forwards/backwards, doing jumping jacks, riding a scooter, etc. Cater the difficulty to the skill level and interests of your child!
As you work through some of these, you may find your child is inspired to create another version and all you have to do is go with it!