Spring in the Garden - Activity Ideas for Kids

Education and Adventure in Every Download Find adventure right in your local outside space! Hike it Baby and Super Nature Adventures have partnered to create two downloadable PDF series to help you and your children bring more fun to your backyard, neighborhood, or local park. Each issue includes activities, crafts, games and other ways to actively engage in nature.  Each illustrated issue includes six pages of outside activities, crafts, games, and other ideas to engage in nature.  The publication arrives in your email inbox as a downloadable PDF you can print or use right from your tablet. New issues in each series will be released every other week. Proceeds Help Support COVID-19 Relief The interactive booklets are a great way to encourage safe and responsible outside time for families that are sheltering at home and practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. One dollar from the sale of each download will be donated to Global Giving's Coronavirus Relief Fund, which supports a range of projects serving urgent medical needs.   Explore Your Own World This series features fun activities and crafts to help your kids get outside, get inspired, and get creative. For kids ages 3 - 11. View Available Issues and Order Today! Create Your Own World This series is an ode to all the dreamers and kiddos with imaginary friends...and also just for any kid who needs some tools to imagine an outside place where they can feel free, powerful, and safe. For kids ages 4 -13. View Available Issues and Order Today! The cost is $5 per issue, and Hike it Baby members receive a $2 discount. Visit the Community Discounts page to grab the code. Make sure you are logged into the website to access the code. [embed]https://youtu.be/YwNyQ8OxvZ8[/embed] We believe kids and families need nature now more than ever, and getting outside is as easy as taking a step out of your front door. Subscribe to our Community Newsletter to stay in the loop on when new issues in each series are released. About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

It is the 14th day my family and I have self-quarantined due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Though it is a gorgeous, sunny day, and I, as the extrovert of the family am bouncing off the walls to get outside, my homebody-son is not.  My 3-year-old son is actually thriving in this new social-distancing era. He loves to stay at home and play trains and trucks and that’s about it. We do get outside most days but, to be honest, he’s a little bored with my usual arsenal of outdoor ideas and requires extra coaxing just to get dressed. I know I’m not alone here. At this point, everyone is running out of creative ideas (and wine...am I, right mamas?!). So, here are some of the things we’ve been doing to stay motivated to get outside every day!   Toy Scavenger Hunt  My son loves animals, especially night animals, so I took all of his tiny figurines outside and hid them in our yard. When I told him he had to come outside to find them because they were hiding, it blew his little mind. He kept asking to do it again and again and we spent at least an hour outside in the sunshine. There are endless possibilities like this that can be done right outside your door. Pro Tip: Count all of the pieces before hiding them so you don’t lose any and anything with bright colors is best. We had a hard time finding the grey wolf, brown bison and tan elk in our neutral colored yard. Nature Is Not Canceled  Though Hike it Baby hikes are on hold for the moment that doesn’t mean you can’t do your own. I am big on structure in order to make my day go smoothly. With the hiatus of groups like Hike it Baby, my days are left with gaping holes of time that I struggle to fill unless I have a plan. It helps me to schedule out time in my planner for a hike or outdoor time just as I would for a Hike it Baby gathering. In fact, this is the perfect time to participate in the Hike it Baby 30 Challenge. It’s a great motivator to get outside for 30 miles or 30 minutes 3 times a week in the month of April. Mix It Up We are creatures of habit and even though this is a new and bizarre situation, at this point we have acclimated and have a routine. Around the same time every day, I start to get antsy and want to get outside and thus begin the cajoling, begging and bribing of my son to get dressed and come outside with me. However, I’ve found going out at different times of day helps a lot. Try going for a walk at sunrise or sunset. Make note of the different colors in the sky, the animals, the way the air feels. If your child stays up late enough try stargazing.  Set Up An Obstacle Course I don’t know about you, but I think everything is more fun with an obstacle course (and fake lava or alligators). Social distancing makes our options pretty limited and I find myself visiting the same neighborhood trails over and over again. Adding obstacles to jump over, skip around, roll into or even throw can make the same old hike way more interesting for the little ones. If you have any ideas for staying motivated to get outside I’d love to hear them because, as you know, we are in this together! Help a mama out! While we are pausing in-person hikes for the time being for the safety and health of our communities, be sure to check out the virtual hikes and activities happening in your Hike it Baby branch Facebook group. Learn more about hosting a virtual hike here! About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. Photo courtesy of Ashley Scheider.