Enjoy the end of summer by spending time outside with your kids. It’s the perfect time to get your kids outdoors and involved in some fun and eco-friendly activities! Take a break from your phones, TVs and other tech devices and spend the day outside with mother nature. Here are 5 fun activities parents and kids can enjoy together.
Create a backyard garden: Kids love anything to do with creepy crawlies, bugs and worms. You may not have the space to create a large garden, but a good alternative is to plant vegetable and plant seeds in a pot. Your kids will get excited about watching a bean sprout out of a pot or paper cup; they can watch the plant grow from the very beginning! Gardening also teaches them responsibilities by having to look after their own plants by feeding, watering and tending to them.
Make a bird feeder: Use an old egg carton, milk carton, plastic bottle or any other container to make a hanging bird feeder. Get creative juices flowing by supplying your kids with buttons, glitter pens, googly eyes, pom poms and other craft supplies you have to make their bird feeders colorful and unique. Not only is this a fun craft activity, but you and your kids can bird watch all season long!
Plan a treasure hunt: Kids of all ages enjoy a good scavenger hunt. It can be even more fun with fellow hunters, so invite friends or neighbors to join in. Keep the ages of the kids in mind when writing the clues to encourage active participation from everyone. If the group has a large span of ages, ask kids to wait until everyone is present before reading clues to foster inclusivity and patience.
Join a citizen science project: Different organizations sponsor citizen science projects, allowing non-scientists to contribute to the advancement of all kinds of sciences. Although these projects can vary widely, many of them do involve spending time in the great outdoors. Monitoring wildlife, water quality, air quality, and other outdoor activities are common in these endeavors. This is a great way to help encourage your kids to learn about science while also befitting a local project.
Make an obstacle course: This is a fun activity that won’t require buying any supplies. To make this activity as simple and green as possible, try using items that you already own. Use a garden hose or spare board to create a balance beam or tight rope, or lay sticks across chairs and have your kids crawl under them. Ask your kids to crawl through a large cardboard box, jump over chalk lines on the sidewalk, or throw items into a bucket.
These eco-friendly activities will keep your kids busy and having fun all day. Produce less waste, contribute to your community and keep your kids entertained with these fun outdoor activities.