Credit: Michele Whiteaker

This is the last guest post from the Take it Outside Series by the amazing Michele, from Fun Orange County Parks.

Thanks to Aracely for inviting me to share my ideas with you over this last month of summer. I see she’s been taking her own kids to the beach for some kite flying and family time. I hope you’ve learned it’s not hard or complicated to get outside. One of my favorite sites for getting outdoor inspiration is Green Hour by the National Wildlife Federation. They have dozens of ideas and activities. Also, watch Nature Rocks! for their FREE downloadable activity guides which come out every season.

Week 4

Plant a Seed Together. This is a great way to get outdoors, yet stay close to home. I’m working on my own container garden. I think pumpkins or sunflowers are fun starters. Our neighbors have a grand crop of corn this year. I’ve taken notes from Children’s Gardens we’ve visited and don’t have any rules about what container we use. I’ve seen old boots, wheelbarrows, sand buckets, or milk cartons. Dig through your recyclables and see if something will work. Recommend: Visit Tree of Life Nursery to find native plants to attract local wildlife.

Water Play at Home. Sprinklers? Water balloons? Cups filled with water? What containers can you come up with? Let the kids get parents wet for once! It’s so much fun. I say do it in your clothes right before shower time when the laundry is going in the wash anyways. Just keep the boys away from the hose (They don’t play fair)!

Would you rather take it day-by-day? Look at Michele’s Make Playing Outside a Habit in 30 Days.

Thanks for rounding out your summer with some outdoor fun. Hope you’ve started some routines that will stick with you through the school year. Remember:

• Recess is not enough FREE play time!
• The beach is still fun in the winter if you bundle up.
• Don’t wait for summer to enjoy all this summer fun.

This video will give you all the encouragement you need to make PLAY a priority in your child’s life whether it’s summer or not:

Michele Whiteaker promotes play by sharing local places on her FunOrangeCountyParks.com Play Blog. Subscribe to her Play Trips newsletter for new ideas every week. Join her page on Facebook where she’s built a local community of play enthusiasts. Or just skip all that and go out and play!