Create.  Discover.  Explore.

Reinvent the family walk

By Alison Butt

These days we’re all looking for ways to keep our families active and introduce more exercise into our lives. But sometimes it’s difficult to generate enough excitement to make everyone want to get up and go. Maybe it’s time for a rethink of the type of outdoor activities your family likes to do. Here are some ideas for making the family walk a fresh adventure.

Go geocaching. If you have a Global Positioning System receiver, geocaching is an activity you must try. Families hunt for treasure by using a GPS to locate small “caches” (containers with items in them). It may sound a little high-tech, but it’s a family-oriented activity and easy to do. Check out Geocaching.com for advice on getting started.
Tip: Make sure you download clues to go with the coordinates, as caches are typically about the size of a camera film case and can be fairly tricky to locate. Plan ahead, and take a cache with you that your family has made. This saves on disappointment and frustration if you can’t find the one you’re seeking, as the kids will still get the opportunity to hide their own.

Mini golf on the go! Play a game of miniature golf on your walk. Each player will need a golf club (toy ones are fine), a couple of golf balls, a score card and a pencil. Begin by asking your children to think about where you will be going on your walk and the type of obstacles (or “holes”) you might find. For example, a curved tree root, a piece of old pipe, a set of stairs or a fire hydrant all could be obstacles on the golf course. Then make a score card by listing the obstacles, along with a score for completing the shot in one stroke. It may be something like Over the Tree Root = 3 points; Around the Fire Hydrant = 10 points.
Tip: Remember to check all obstacles for safety before your kids take a shot at them. You don’t want to knock a ball through an animal’s current home, for example!

Garden art scavenger hunt. On your walk, look for interesting items that you could make into a sculpture, mosaic or mobile to decorate your garden, such as driftwood, broken tiles, pine cones or shells. Or if you like more practical things, why not collect some small rocks or pebbles and transform them into a set of garden dominoes? The kids can paint traditional spot patterns onto them or design their own pictures, and the set will develop each time you walk and find another stone domino.
Tip: Don’t forget to take a bag with you to carry your found objects home in, and do make sure you only take things that are OK to take away—no live animals, plants, or anything that would upset the natural environment by being removed.