Off the Beaten Path Park Activities
Summer has finally arrived, and what is more fun than hitting the local parks? However, after awhile, the swings can become boring. There are many things to do at park besides the playground, though.
Three area mothers, Sarah Holmes, Kansas City mother of two, Stephanie Martinez, Kearney mother of three, and Laura Sorens, Liberty mother of two, all share some tips for off-the-beaten-path fun at local parks this summer. Try something new next time you hit the park!
- Flip over rocks along the edge of the park. Look for worms, ants and other stuff. Just make sure you flip the rocks back over gently to give the critters underneath a home.
- Give the kids a "treasure" box. Any $1 plastic school box willdo. Hike and let them fill up their boxes and look at the treasures.
- Add some requirements to the treasure box hike and have your kids seek out specific items (depending on their ages), such as something red, an acorn, a leaf larger than their hands, a stick, an insect, etc. Remind them that trash is not a treasure.
- Lay out a blanket and have a cloud watching time, seeing who can find the most object-like shapes in the clouds.
- Play TV tag or book tag for older kids. This is a traditional game of tag, but you can save yourself by saying the name of a TV show or book.
- Create an obstacle course using the playground equipment—go under the bridge, across monkey bars, up stairs, down the slide, etc.
- Fly a kite! See who can keep it up the longest or who can get it the highest.
- Bubbles are always fun.
- Relay races of all kinds are a great activity at the park. Bounce, leap, spin, run, dance, monster walk, etc., from one point to another.
- Take a family hike.
- Play board games on a blanket. Card games are easily portable, or you can bring traditional board games.
- Play catch with a baseball, Frisbee or football, or kick a ball back and forth, soccer passing style.
- Go for a paint chip walk. Grab some paint chips in a variety of colors. Cut them up individually, punch holes in them and put a book ring on them. Then ask the kids to find the colors of the paint chips in nature or on the playground.
- Play “Pooh sticks” if there is a creek nearby. Take a few sticks, drop off one side of the bridge and watch for them to float to the other side.
In addition to the activities listed above, try hitting a local state park, like Weston or Watkins Mill, for some outdoor fun. Or explore Burr Oak Woods in Blue Springs for more nature fun before the weather gets too hot!
Jennifer Higgins is a freelance writer, mother and teacher from Kearney.