Monday: CHANGE
Tuesday: WORDS
Wednesday: PICTURES
Thursday: AGE
Friday: LISTENING
Today’s topic is AGE: we’re staying young by playing outside with our kids
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The list
1. Climb a tree: There’s an apple tree at the cottage that’s a favourite. The bears are partial to it too.
2. Roll down a really big hill: The park near Grandpa & Grandmaman’s house has a great rolling hill. And soft grass for stumbling around in afterwards.
3. Camp out in the wild: The firefighter has, the monkey hasn’t. Although some nights I swear, based on the noises coming from their room, that they’re wild animals living outdoors…
4. Build a den: How about a tee pee?
5. Skim a stone: Their dad is a master stone skimmer (CV worthy). The firefighter has managed 2-3 skips on his own.
6. Run around in the rain: After the thunderstorms in Ottawa last summer they’re both terrified of rain now. Unfortunately we need to warm up to the idea that rain can be fun.
7. Fly a kite: Best part – we managed not to get it caught in any hydro wires or tall trees.
8. Catch a fish with a net: Thankfully we didn’t have to eat it. Fish are fun to catch; I don’t enjoy cooking or eating them.
9. Eat an apple straight from a tree: Calabogie apples are the best. Orchard apples are a close second.
10. Play conkers: I had to Google what this was; apparently a traditional British game involving the seeds from chestnut trees.
11. Throw some snow: And roll in it and eat it and make snow angels. And track it into the house in copious quantities so mom has wet socks all winter long.
12. Hunt for treasure on the beach: We may have our very own sandy beach where we like to see what gets washed up from the bottom of the lake. Driftwood is a favourite. Smooth stones a close second.
13. Make a mud pie: And possibly eat it. He was only two.
14. Dam a stream: How about un-damming one? And un-damming a beaver’s destructive efforts as well.
15. Go sledging: Wheeeeee
16. Bury someone in the sand: Thankfully no. Can you imagine how fast they’d flee afterwards?
17. Set up a snail race: I’m no longer allowed on bike rides because apparently I walk too slow. Doesn’t count does it?
18. Balance on a fallen tree: Of course. And fall off. And skin knees.
19. Swing on a rope swing
20. Make a mud slide: On our side lawn! It started as a slip and slide but apparently mud is *way* more fun.
21. Eat blackberries growing in the wild: And blueberries and raspberries. It’s how we discovered the monkey will actually eat fruit.
22. Take a look inside a tree: Guess what we found? The remnants of our dogs tennis ball that a raccoon had stripped!
23. Visit an island
24. Feel like you’re flying in the wind: At our maternity photography session last week. It was so windy the boys nearly blew away. So they took advantage and tried to fly away instead.
25. Make a grass trumpet: Yes (unsuccessfully). And then tried to eat it.
26. Hunt for fossils and bones: We’ve spent many hours hunched over river beds but only found one (with the imprint of a plant)
27. Watch the sun wake up: Not intentionally
28. Climb a huge hill: Oh yes. With a great deal of complaining: “my feet hurt…there are too many bugs…”
29. Get behind a waterfall: The ones at Calypso don’t count do they?
30. Feed a bird from your hand: Chickadees!
31. Hunt for bugs: We even have bug containment devices. Only rule: bugs live OUTSIDE.
32. Find some frogspawn: And then kill time by counting them.
33. Catch a butterfly in a net: Nope, just each other
34. Track wild animals: Raccoon and deer and beavers and bears!
35. Discover what’s in a pond: Small dirty children with sticks
36. Call an owl: We called (it didn’t answer) but we’ve also been lucky enough to see them in the wild
37. Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool: And then fall in and discover even more creatures in the depths of the pool
38. Bring up a butterfly: I might have to break the ‘inside’ rule for this one…
39. Catch a crab: Again, as long as it stays outside, I’m game
40. Go on a nature walk at night: We have 17 flashlights and no excuses
41. Plant it, grow it, eat it: Yes! Strawberries and tomatoes.
42. Go wild swimming: The best kind. Until they start drinking copious amounts of lake water.
43. Go rafting: I can’t wait until they’re old enough
44. Light a fire without matches: Does burning wood with a magnifying glass count? It smoked, there was burning.
45. Find your way with a map and a compass: I just picked up a book for kids on learning to read maps. And we have a compass.
46. Try bouldering: I have boys; they are like magnets to sheer rocks surfaces that look like they can’t be climbed. And also a husband who loves rock climbing.
47. Cook on a campfire: Do s’mores constitute cooking? Technically there are ‘ingredients’
48. Try abseiling: The thought of the monkey with rocks and rope and heights makes me nervous
49. Find a geocache: Maybe this summer…I think the firefighter is old enough to start reading/understanding the GPS
50. Canoe down a river: What about canoeing or kayaking in a lake?
How does your family fare on the ‘get outside’ bucket list?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know what abseiling is but if it makes you nervous I’m betting the kids would love it. We have yet to get into geocaching but the kids know about it and are anxious to give it a go.
We’re doing pretty good too on that list. I’m not usually keen on those kinds of lists, I feel pressure to step up my parenting game.
I like ones that resonate with how we parent; especially ones that involve minimal cost and involve the great outdoors! Plus now I have ideas for how to keep the two biggies entertained this summer while the little one eats and sleeps
I’m going over the list trying to figure what I did and didn’t do before I was 12…
I’ve never played conkers, gone abseiling, or geo-caching. My 12-year old self will have fun this summer!
I have a good friend whose mother was a teacher. Every July and August, she and her two kids would travel up north to their cabin – no electricity and no running water. They would spend TWO months there in the wilderness. From what my friend says, it was such an integral part of her childhood, and taught her more than all the years in school sitting at a desk. I keep dreaming that one day I’ll be able to do something similar (but…I’m kind of a wimp, and I think I need running water!!)
lol I don’t know about the no electricity or running water but I could see no gadgets, computers, or TV, just good old-fashioned cards, games, and books. And maybe two weeks not two months
We are such city folk that most of these are either alien to me or are quite a trek for us. But they sound lively and lovely, and definitely something I’d love for my girls to experience. They’ll probably not hit everything on it, not even close, but to have a plan to get some of them crossed off is at least a good start! Thanks for sharing this.
There must be an urban version of the list too! My kids think riding the city bus and going on the subway are as fantastic as visiting an amusement park
DH here
With the exception of conkers and geo cahe, I can say I had done every one of these by the time I was 12.
It was a combination of scouts and my family cottage at calabogie. Much like Misty’s friend I spent 2 months a year up there and got to wander the forest , the lake and the river bed. (most of it unsupervised) The only time the TV was allowed on before dark was the olympics and the royal wedding. (Charles and Di)
This has given me perspective in the sheer scope and importance things. Life is a lot bigger than an excel spread sheet.
Hey you finally de-lurked!!
They’ll have a great summer up at Calabogie this year. I’m looking forward to seeing what adventures our feral children stumble upon
Love the list–my kids are still young for some of these things (though my husband helpfully showed the 5 yo how to start a fire with a magnifying glass (with the toddler looking on, sigh). But we’ve done mud pies, surely, rolling down hills, growing things, and our SoCal version of sledging. That is sliding down the extra pile of sand at the beach on a boogie board. A week before Christmas.
I’m envious of your sand. Snow is great for a month or two but the novelty of winter and snow pants and big boots and slippery roads wears off pretty quickly!
I’m so excited to see this here. My friend and her nearly-teenage daughter have been talking about this Kids’ Bucket List for a while now. I think it’s absolutely fabulous…especially with an emphasis on getting OUTSIDE!
I stopped short on “Visit an island,” and now I’m quietly obsessing on how I can make that happen this summer.
Love!
We’re really looking forward to this summer! My husband has a few weeks off and there are many days of cottage time in our future