Credit: Michele Whiteaker

I’m excited to share another great post from our guest blogger, Michele, that encourages  us to take the kiddos to go outside and play.

This is the third installment of a 4-part series.  Hopefully you read last week’s post (Week #2) about getting lazy and bringing books outside.  This week is all about doing “normal” things in unusual places. Or going to a normal place and doing “unusual” things.  The key is to spice things up by surprising your kids.

Week 3

Go to the Beach with your Clothes On. A trip to the beach needn’t be the big deal of packing coolers, grabbing sand toys, and loading the car to the brim.  Wear comfy clothes that can get dirty and shoes that are easy to take off. Prep the kids by saying “We are NOT going in the water this time — it’s just play time. You get to have some free play.”  The beach is one of the most relaxing places to visit with kids. You can park yourself in a central location and watch the kids go!  Recommend: Build a sandcastle, dig a hole, find treasures, walk along the shore

Take Art Outside. Not your cousin, Art. No! I’m talking about paints and canvas.  You can even just introduce a paintbrush and a cup of water. See what the kids decide to paint!  We like to make sculptures out of rocks, fairy houses out of bark and leaves, or even “gardens” in beach sand using seaweed and driftwood.  Recommend: Get inspiration from this post on Rock Stacking

Remember my keys to success?

1. Focus on the kids.
2. Get the WHOLE family involved.
3. Team up with other families.

Would you rather take it day-by-day?  Look at Michele’s Make Playing Outside a Habit in 30 Days. Come back to Daytrippingmom.com for our final Week #4 ideas!

Michele Whiteaker promotes play by sharing local places on herFunOrangeCountyParks.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!