Image Courtesy of the National Park Service
Cover Image Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife. Kids don’t realize it but their parents care about them and want them to know that more exists to life than video games, computers and television. In order to change where and how kids use their electronic devices, parents need to find activities that can compete with video games and movies. How about dinosaur tracks, seeing and feeding thousands of fish at a fish hatchery, swimming at a local lake, going on a fossil hunt, seeing the rings around Saturn through a telescope, flying a kite or camping out.
To make these activities even more successful parents/adults should plan to have food when the children are hungry, plenty of water to keep them hydrated and happy, sunscreen to prevent painful sunburns, insect repellent, the appropriate clothing in case the weather changes and patience to let the children explore to their hearts delight.
Below is a starter list of activities and links that should help get kids outside.
44 Fun Ideas for Getting Out of the House with Children
1. Sea Turtle Release
http://www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/releases.htm
2. Watch bats come out from under the Congress Street bridge in Austin, TX or check out bats in your area
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/species-profiles.html
http://www.austincityguide.com/content/congress-bridge-bats-austin.asp
3. Visit a fish hatchery (call ahead to check on tour availability)
National Fish Hatcheries http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/nfhs/offices.html
Texas State Hatchery http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/management/hatcheries/
State Fish Hatcheries of the U.S.A. State Fish Hatcheries
4. Construct a planter box or stand for the back yard or for the railing at an apartment
5. Grow plants that attract monarch butterflies
6. Grow vegetables, strawberries, watermelons, sunflowers and/or pumpkins at home
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/
http://www.texasheirloomseeds.com/
7. Harvest sunflowers or pumpkins and roast their seeds in the oven
8. Plant and tend to flowers that can be cut for the dinner table or taken to a nursing home
9. Take an evening away from the city to see the stars or a meteor shower
10. Take a walk at a local park with binoculars and Frisbee in hand
11. Take swimming lessons at a local park or pool
12. Pick apples at an orchard
http://www.pickyourown.org/TX.htm
http://www.allaboutapples.com/orchard/tx.htm
13. Try camping in the backyard or get instruction through a state sponsored “How to Camp” workshop by searching Becoming an Outdoor Family or calling your state parks to see what programs may be available
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/outdoor-learning/texas-outdoor-family/
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/family/?Page=outdoorfamily.html
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/education/bow/bow_calendar.htm
http://gfp.sd.gov/outdoor-learning/BOF.aspx
http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/education/programs/bow/BOF/outdoor_family.asp
14. Check out backyard Birds with younger children
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0904.pdf
15. Go hunting for fossils
16. Put water outside and see how long it takes to freeze
17. Visit a park to see alligators
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/brazos_bend/
http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm
18. Visit a park to see where maple syrup comes from
19. Take a walk in the snow and look for animal tracks
20. Take a walk along the beach or the edge of a lake or pond and look for animal tracks
21. Go sledding on a sand dune or on a local hill in winter
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/monahans-sandhills
http://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/sledding.htm
http://www.nps.gov/slbe/forkids/parkfun.htm
http://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/index.htm
22. Go ice skating
23. Try ice fishing
24. Put a rain gauge in the backyard to see how much it rained
25. Put a thermometer in the shade near the house to know the temperature
26. Start a compost pile to be used on the garden the next year
27. Put a bucket under the bath faucet to see how much water is wasted when warming up the shower and use that bucket of water to water the plants in the garden
28. Have a water balloon fight and then pick up the broken balloons on a hot summer day
29. Go see dinosaur tracks at a park
Texas
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/dinosaur_valley/
Colorado/Utah
http://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm
30. Go to the beach at low tide and look to see what is there
31. Listen for as many sounds as possible in the backyard (wind, birds, cars, raindrops, dogs, cats, coyotes)
32. Go for a picnic, lay out a blanket and watch the clouds for different shapes
33. Go for a bike ride
34. Play catch with your parent, sibling, friend or cement wall
35. Build a fort out of fallen branches in the backyard
36. Fly a kite in a park
37. Go to a kite festival
38. Go cross country skiing
39. Go snowshoeing
40. Rake leaves to make money
41. Go skateboarding
42. Kick the soccer ball in the yard or at a local park
43. Walk to the local fishing hole and fish
44. Visit Science and History Museums (and remember some days are free admission)
