Before you settle down for homework and dinner this week, take at least 30 minutes to play outside!  I suggest we all get out:  mom, dad, brother, sister, babysitter, grandma, etc.  It’s great for all of us.  But, for sure those kids need to get out into the fresh air and do some running around.

A game or two to try out this week:

• Leap Frog – you know the game…do the kids? 
• Hunt for what’s starting to grow.  How many things are starting to grow even though spring is still a ways off?  Find a ruler and measure how far those tulips are up out of the ground.  Measure next week too.  How fast are they growing?
• TV Tag – I really like TV (yes you can like TV and the outdoors too).  Use that TV knowledge outside and play TV Tag.  One person is “It” and the others run away from them.  If you are about to get tagged you can squat down and yell out a TV show (Scooby Doo!).  If you make it down and yell the show before you’re tagged, you’re safe.  If you don’t,  you’re It.  You can’t use the same TV show twice in the same game.  How long can you play without starting the game over? 
• Build a Bird Nest Bonanza – divide up in to teams, gather “supplies” from around the yard, build the best bird nest that you can.  Can you get it to sit in a tree?  Who can make the prettiest?  Who is fastest?  Whose is biggest?

Outside gets a bad rap for being “dirty.”  When actually, the fresh air outside has much fewer recirculated germs and the surfaces many fewer ickies from us touching and sneezing on things all the time.  (door knobs, keyboards, etc).  Today’s blog is not about the gross-out factor or a stimulus to go sanatize your home.  It is a call to head outdoors with your kids, even the smallest ones.

What do you do with a baby outside?  Well, here are a few suggestions.  (Ideas borrowed from the Children & Nature Network’s “Together in Nature” publication).

• Just take a walk.  Point out colors, wander under trees, say hello to squirrels.  Leave the cell phone at home and be present with your baby.  Do this when they’re fussy.  Nature is a great soother.
• A Touch of Nature.  Help your baby touch bark, grass, moss, pebbles, etc.  These are great moments of sensory discovery.  If something holds their attention, linger. 
• Nature Nursery Day.  On a nice day, spread out a blanket under a tree and spend the  whole morning or afternoon outside.  Bring books, snacks and a few toys.  Let the baby crawl freely, watch birds and play in the leafy shadows.  Take a nap.  Enjoy.  (Again, no cell phones.)

Join the WATER Center Staff for a free storytime and nature activity.  February the story is Big Al by Yoshi and the activity is “Fish Friends!”  The program is designed for Pre-K aged children, but all are welcome to attend.

The WATER Center is located in Herman Hill Park on the corner of Pawnee and Broadway. Due to contruction at Pawnee & Broadway, please access Herman Hill park via McClean and Pawnee. 

You can park in the lot by the playground or behind the WATER Center building.  The building has fountains out front.  Wander up the path towards the fountains and enter the building for storytime.  After storytime you can play in the museum or hike along the streamside paths towards the Arkansas River.

The great thing about this abnormally warm winter is that you can enjoy the Zoo’s Winter Wednesday program without frostbite!   And, if it is cold just check out the indoor exhibits (Jungle Building, Reptile & Amphibian Building, Downing Gorilla Forest, Koch Chimp & Orangutan Habitat, etc)

Click here to find out the zoo programs and animal feeding times you can see while you’re at the Zoo these next few Wednesdays!

We are looking forward to AWESOME family events this summer!  Check out our schedule here.  See you there!!!

g2g Outside is hosting a Parent’s Night Out on February 6th, 6:30-8:30pm.   We will provide an evening with refreshments, a bit of education, some lively discussion, and a few fun activities or ideas that you can take home and use.

The purpose of the evening is to give parents the time and space to talk about how outdoor play shapes children and benefits them.  We will trade ideas and activities that we use to engage kids in nature.

The event is free.  But, we ask that you please register here

Why?  Because, in the 80s there were very few Canada Geese, and wildlife biologists wanted to increase the numbers to a healthy population.  Today, there are LOTS of geese.  Some only stop off here on their migrations north and south, but many stick around and live here all year.  At times, there are so many geese that they become a nuisance.  The Goose Counts help wildlife biologists keep track of populations and it helps them make decisions about how to manage so many or not enough Canada Geese.

Why am I tell you all this?  Well, I think counting and tracking things in your own backyard could be a great way to increase counting and observation skills while getting your nature-fix.

Ideas!

• Throw out some bird seed.  Watch for birds.  Once they arrive to feast have your kiddo sit for 5 min (or 10-30 depending on interest and age level) and count the number of birds that come to eat.  Do it again the next day or next week and see if MORE or less come.  For older kids you could have them track temperature to see if that affects the number of birds. 
• When doing the above bird count, children 7 and older can start using basic bird guides to identify the birds that arrive.  Are there new ones this week?  Who didn’t come that usually is there?
• Watch for changes in the plants in your yard.  When do the first flowers start poking their green leaves up out of the ground.  Mark the date on the calendar this year, and see if it changes next year.  Check daily or weekly.
• When do the first leaf buds start appearing on your trees?  Do different trees have different bud-dates?  Check daily or weekly. 
• Take a picture of something (tree, plant, entire backyard, resident bird or squirrel) weekly or monthly and see what changes throughout the year.
• If your child really likes computers, have them record their observations in a computer file.  Or, if they are more journal-writer-ish they can make a nature journal and record their findings in there. 

These types of activities may get some kids excited and others may have little interest.  Encourage the ones that LOVE this type of observation.  Don’t force it if your child isn’t excited about this activity.  Try it for a while, if they hate it, move on to something else.  This activity is for left-brainers.  If your child is a right-brainer this wont have much appeal.  So, try it and if it flops, no big deal.

The cool thing about this (obviously I have left-brain tendencies) is that if you keep these lists year to year, you’ll start to see changes and cycles in your own backyard.

Even if we, as adults, are a little nervous about this, let’s try to give our kids some good, clean, fun adventure!

Read this great article on the bringing more adventure in to our family lives: click here.

g2g Outside is hosting a Parent’s Night Out on February 6th, 6:30-8:30pm.   We will provide an evening with refreshments, a bit of education, some lively discussion, and a few fun activities or ideas that you can take home and use.

The purpose of the evening is to give parents the time and space to talk about how outdoor play shapes children and benefits them.  We will trade ideas and activities that we use to engage kids in nature.

The event is free.  But, we ask that you please register here.