December is almost here and cooler temperatures are in the air. The cooler weather creates the perfect opportunity for parents to bundle up with their children and explore the outdoors. Parents and children don’t have to worry about getting sunburned or overheated. Instead, a warm jacket, hat, and comfortable shoes are just about all that is needed to enjoy the outdoors during late fall.
Kids spend plenty of time enjoying indoor activities like watching television, playing video games, making craft projects, cooking and playing board games. But, there are just as many fun and interesting activities that they can enjoy outside. Consider inviting your kids to play outside and explore the world around them with these five fun activities:
Create an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Parents can create an exciting outdoor scavenger hunt to encourage their children to explore outside. To create a scavenger hunt for your kids, start by writing a list of items that your kids can easily hunt for and find outside. An outdoor scavenger hunt can happen at a local park or right in your own backyard and the items on your list can vary depending on age. For younger children, consider listing items that are easy for them to see and reach. For older kids, consider listing items that might require them to climb a tree or challenge them to find and take pictures of certain trees and animals. Once the list is ready, pass it along to your kids and talk about each item on the list with them. Then, when you’re ready, go outside as a family and begin the scavenger hunt looking for the items on the list. If you would like, you can even form small teams and turn the scavenger hunt into a little competition. We encourage parents to go on the scavenger hunt with their kids to ensure their safety and to guide them as they learn about the outdoors. Once the scavenger hunt is over, invite your children to talk about their experience and to share all that they learned while exploring outside.
Read About Wild Plants & Animals
Reading out loud with children is an important way to help them develop language and literacy. It’s also an essential tool to guide them as they explore and learn about the world around them. We encourage parents to read books about plants and wild animals with their kids to help them learn about nature. Here are a few children’s books that focus on wildlife and ecosystems:
- Planting the Wild Garden, by Kathryn O. Galbraith
- How a Seed Grows, by Helene J. Jordan
- The Rainforest Grew All Around, by Susan K. Mitchell
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr.
- Life, by Cynthia Rylant
There are countless children’s books available that help children learn about all different types of plants and animals living all over the world. Consider reading books about plants and animals during each season. For example, read a book about hibernation while the weather is cold to help kids learn about what bears do in the winter. Or, read a book about how flowers bloom in the spring. Parents can read out loud about wildlife to spark their kid’s imagination and curiosity about the great outdoors.
Take a Nature Walk
After you’ve read through a few books about plants and wild animals, consider taking your kids for a nature walk. A nature walk is a calming, uncompetitive way to inspire your kids to enjoy the outdoors. Parents can choose to take their children on a walk through a local state park, along a lake or river or even hike up a mountain. Invite your children to bring one of the books that they’ve read about nature during their walk outside. As a family, use the book to find interesting plants and animals in the wild. This process can help your children make the connection between what they’ve read and what they see in the wild. Encourage your kids to look closely at plants and to search for animals during the walk. We encourage parents to guide their children during the nature walk to ensure their safety and to answer any questions they may have during the walk. A nature walk can help your children develop a better understanding of Earth’s delicate ecosystems and the importance of environmental safety and recycling. Once your nature walk is finished, invite your kids to reflect on their experience, discuss what they saw and share what they enjoyed most.
Visit a Farm
Consider taking an afternoon trip to a local farm with your kids to help them learn about nature. A local farm is a fun, exciting place to help children explore the outdoors and interact with animals. While at the farm, consider going on a hayride to see all of the different animals and learn fun facts about each animal during the ride. Invite your kids to visit the farm’s petting zoo, or if possible, let them bottle feed a baby animal. Close interaction with animals can help children develop a passion for caring for animals and encourage them to spend more time outside.
Many local farms also have fields of freshly grown produce. As a family, consider taking a moment to walk through the fields of growing food to learn about the importance of farming. It’s a great time to discuss the process of photosynthesis and the many different stages of growth for plants. If possible, invite your children to harvest some of the fresh produce to take home and cook. It’s also a great opportunity for parents to talk about healthy eating and protecting our environment so that food and animals can continue to grow. There is so much that kids can learn during an afternoon visit to a local farm.
Play Outside
The traditional way to inspire your kids to enjoy the outdoors is by playing outside. We encourage parents to also join in the fun and play outside with their children. It’s a healthy way to bond as a family, get some exercise, and enjoy the outdoors. Consider taking your children to the park or stay right in your own backyard. There are countless games to play like Hide-N-Seek, Hopscotch, or an exciting game of tag. Parents can always use a baseball, softball, or football to play a game of catch with their kids or organize a hula-hoop contest, or an old-fashioned sack race. Playing outside can help your children enjoy the outdoors and spark their curiosity about nature. While playing, parents can ask their children to look for pretty flowers, unique birds, and several other aspects of nature. Before they even know it, your children will be learning and playing outside and enjoying the entire experience. Playing outside is the perfect, simple way to motivate your kids to explore the outdoors.
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Compass Charter Schools (CCS) is a WASC-accredited virtual charter school that serves families throughout California. Interested in learning more about CCS’ flexible academic programs? Visit our website, or contact our enrollment team at enrollment@compasscharters.org or (877) 506-8631.