Spend Your Summer Engaging in a Batch of Child-Friendly, Relaxing Pastimes
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Discovering the great outdoors can be an enjoyable and enlightening experience for everyone, especially when you have a list of fun and easy activities to explore. Here are some suggestions for family-friendly outdoor adventures, inspired by the American Mountaineering Club (AMC) and its authors, parents, and naturalists.
Shell Identification with AMC's Guidebook
If you're planning a day at the beach, bring along AMC's guidebook, Seashells in My Pocket. This handy resource will help you identify the shells you find along the shore, making your beach trip even more educational and exciting.
Hiking and Scavenger Hunts
Taking a hike can be a delightful outdoor activity, especially when you're prepared with snacks, water, and a sense of adventure. For families with younger children, consider exploring kid-friendly trails that are generally flat and wide, such as the 1.5-mile Crocker Neck trail, which showcases diverse ecosystems and wildflowers like the pink lady slipper.
Why not make your hike even more fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt? Create a list of items to find, like leaves, rocks, or specific types of flowers, and go on a hunt to collect them.
Geocaching and Photography
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt that involves searching for hidden containers called "geocaches" using GPS coordinates. It's a fun and engaging way to explore the outdoors and learn about your surroundings.
Photography can also be a fun and educational outdoor activity. Take photos of natural landscapes, wildlife, or interesting objects, and use the opportunity to teach your children about composition, lighting, and the beauty of the world around them.
Building and Crafting
Building a bird feeder or miniature dams, canals, and mudcastles can be a fun and educational outdoor activity. Use materials like wood, birdseed, twine, a pail of water, cups of different sizes, a shovel, and a funnel to create these projects.
Camping at Home and Stargazing
If traditional camping isn't your family's style, consider setting up a tent in the backyard or living room, inviting friends over, telling stories, and making s'mores. This is a fun alternative that still allows you to experience the joy of camping without leaving home.
Stargazing can be a peaceful and educational outdoor activity. Look up at the night sky to observe constellations, planets, and shooting stars. Local farms also offer opportunities for picking berries, and other seasonal produce like pumpkins and apples can be planned for later.
The Perseid Meteor Showers
Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Perseid meteor showers, a summer event with increased "shooting stars" in the sky. The event is expected to be visible in the United States on August 11 and 12.
Additional Activities
Bug hunts and insect observation, paddling and swimming in lakes, and games and responsible outdoor recreation education are other fun and interactive activities led by naturalists, authors, and AMC volunteers. These activities emphasize easy access, nature exploration, and learning, making them suitable for families and children new to outdoor adventures.
Watercolor sidewalk and body painting with chunky colored sidewalk chalk and bathtub crayons can be enjoyable, even for older kids, on rainy days.
These suggestions provide a wealth of opportunities for families to connect with nature, learn, and have fun together. So get outside and start exploring!
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