There's nothing like a quick stroll around the block after dinner in Autumn; the leaves crunching underfoot. Or perhaps a trek along a windswept beach on a rainy day; sea spray flying about. I use these little excursions to break up the monotony of the week. The children and I walk through our neighbourhood pointing out which houses we like, making up stories about who might live in them. Doing this gave me a great idea for a very easy idea.
For this idea you need a pen, a piece of paper and well-trained eyes.
During the warmer months our family were doing a walk around the block every night. For some reason my eldest son decided he was going to look out for bits of metal or steel on our way. We all scoured the footpaths and the gutters looking for screws, bolts or anything similar. What was an easy walk around the streets became a scavenger hunt and that's where this idea came from.
On a piece of paper write down sights or objects they might encounter. The premise being that as they spot this item, they tick it off the list. It's a simple idea but it will add another dimension to a walk and possibly encourage the reluctant walkers in your tribe to get out there.
Knowing the route you will be taking in advance will help. If you're walking down your street you might know of a letterbox that has a number missing. This would be a great item to put on your scavenger hunt list. So have a think about the route you will take and what significant sights your children might encounter. Not only does this encourage them to pay attention to the world around them, it creates that community awareness we talked about in Episode Two. This is a value I think is important to instill in our children: Awareness of their surroundings.
To test drive this idea, the family and I headed over to our local beach about ten minutes away. I created the list ahead of time and knew that we have two visible off-shore islands so I put one of them on the list. I also knew that it is a family tradition to have an ice cream at the end of a beach walk so that went on the list too. I put a few items that would require them to scout around. For example the 'fan shaped' shell on the list meant they really had to look at each pile of shells and see if the right one was to be found.
Another thing I put on the list was a friendly dog. We don't have a dog in our family and our two boys are quite weary of them so I wanted to encourage them to look for them and interact with them. It was a way to show them that dogs can be friendly (but first check with the owners if they are child-friendly). I'm not recommending this as an idea but merely giving you an idea of how you can be creative with your own list.
My own attempt proved to be a mixed bag. The three year old loved the idea and was tearing about trying to find each item. The eight year old wasn't keen on sifting through piles of shells to find the right shape. I put this down to age so maybe keep this in mind when doing your own list.
No matter what, every age group would be interested in an ice cream - including Dads.
Have fun!
Here’s
a great rainy day activity that doesn’t cost a lot and will get both
you and your children thinking. It may take a bit of preparation on a
sunny day but it will keep your children entertained for hours. My kids
and I call this one ‘Cardboard City’.
All
you need is a pencil, a permanent marker, coloured felt tip pens, a
ruler, a craft or stanley knife and a fridge box. Most appliance stores
are happy to give you big fridge boxes - but remember to ask permission
before you start rifling through the recycle bin. Also, it’s a good idea
to get your fridge box on a sunny day, often times the recycle bins are
uncovered and on a rainy day, soggy boxes will disintegrate in the car
boot before you get them home.
You’re
basically making a cardboard mat, so at home, using the craft knife,
carefully cut through one corner of the box, so you’re able to flatten
it out on floor. Once you’ve got your cardboard flat and you’ve put your
craft knife somewhere safe, it’s time to start planning your city. I
typically measure out roads using a two match box cars side-by-side for
the width of the roads. I create blocks of empty sections and draw
streets dividing the sections. You may be thinking; “Big whoop, I can
buy a play mat with roads printed on it” but, while those types of mats
are great, they don’t encourage the sort of interaction and discussion
you’ll have with your children.
Drawing
your own city on this blank canvas will provoke the ultimate question:
What does our town need? Don’t be surprised if the first ideas are along
the lines of toy store, lolly shop, amusement park. To us, these might
not be the most important features of a city but they’re fantastic and
valid suggestions. Decide which suggestions are going into which section
and label them in pencil. Once you’ve got the initial suggestions drawn
in, get your children thinking about their world around them. What does
the real life city you live in need to exist? Houses, police station,
dentists etc. Get them thinking about the places they go in their lives -
they might like visiting the library. Get them to decide where the
library goes. You’ll be amazed at what they know about the world around
them. This awareness and what makes a town, and a community is a
fantastic thing to encourage in your children.
Once
the roads have been drawn in, the empty sections have been designated
and labelled, get them to draw the details of their own house or the
aquarium they work at. What colour is the roof? How many car parks do
they need? Having this sort of say and control over their own little
world is a dream come true.
Your
cardboard city is a work in progress, try not to fill in all the
sections straight away, you’ll find you and your children think of other
ideas well after you’ve folded the city up and put it away in the
cupboard. If you do finish your town and think of more ideas, all it
takes is another piece of flatten cardboard and you’re away laughing.
My
boys love our cardboard city and get a lot of play out of it on rainy
days. In our cardboard city my house has a six car garage and is only
five minutes walk to my job at the Chocolate Fish Factory.
Have fun!
