Stir Crazy? Get Outside!
There has never been a time when I’ve been more thankful for having a neighborhood to walk around with the kids! Not only do we have a neighborhood that is pretty large (at least in my suburban-dweller opinion), but we also have a neighborhood that backs up to a few different walking paths maintained by our county. (It’s been GOLD and has kept me sane; mamas with young kiddos, you hear me, right?) It’s been wonderful seeing things beyond the walls of our own house (and with it being spring, there really have been lovely things to see!)
Even when we aren’t stuck inside due to a “worldwide illness”, we usually take a walk every weekday as long as it’s not raining. (I sometimes get some weird looks in the winter, but my thinking is that if we are bundled up it’s ok, it’s not like we have to fear frostbite here in Virginia.)
I decided to add a little fun to our walking routine recently by creating some fun neighborhood scavenger hunts (and I wanted to share them with you so you could enjoy them too!)
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Take a Walk
“I got a new way to walk. Walk.Walk.” Anybody else picture Destiny’s Child singing on Sesame Street? (Beyonce looks like a baby in that music video- I had to stop and look up how old she was in that episode…25. Yep, a baby (I was too then. I was only 24! Ha! I didn’t realize I was a year younger than Beyonce! I just got an extra pep in my step! And also a kick in the rear- I mean, who wouldn’t want to be in the same shape as Beyonce, right?!)
ANYway, aside from Beyonce and finding a “New Way to Walk” (What? Letting my toddler watch Elmo music videos on YouTube while I make dinner? How can you tell?), we have been enjoying getting outside adn walking.
But even though this post is about printable scavenger hunts (I promise, you can find those at the bottom- scroll down), I thought walking deserved a little appreciation-
So, why is walking so great???
Walking is a Good Reset
I can almost guarantee that if things feel off in our house: if people are moody (never me, of course), if there has been bickering (my children, bicker? Gasp!), or if we are just feeling a little “bleh” (I’m just like WedMD with my medical terminology), usually a walk is a good way for us to reset.
Walking is Good Exercise
Walking is good exercise for everyone! It’s low-impact on joints and is a great FREE way to get the body moving.
According to Healthline, did you know that walking can help you:
- Burn calories.
- Strengthen the heart. (You can dramatically reduce your risk of coronary heart disease- the leading cause of death of adults in the US, just by walking.)
- Lower your blood sugar.
- Ease joint pain.
- Boost immune function. (I mean, walking’s an easy thing to do to decrease your risk of getting sick during flu season!)
- Boost your energy.
- Improve your mood.
Walking is Good for Your Soul
Let’s just go ahead and conclude that walking is good for you- all of you. 🙂
And spending time outside, instead of being cooped up inside, is always good for everyone. (Back to those scavenger hunts like I promised, ok?)
Walking with Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger Hunts for Multiple Ages
In the past I’ve seen some scavenger hunts that looked like a lot of fun, but got me thinking. Some of them didn’t seem like they would work for families whose children are a wide-range of ages. (My family for example has children that are 10, 5, and 1. Yes. We have a wide age gap there….It takes me a while to “gear up” for the next pregnancy….)
I made a couple neighborhood scavenger hunts that I thought would entertain my 10 year old, but also be easy enough (each printable scavenger hunt has pictures) for my 5-year-old who can’t read yet. Hooray! (If I laminated them, the 1 year old could gnaw on them, so I guess that would make them enjoyable for all 3 kids??)
Download the FREE Neighborhood Scavenger Hunts here in the Printable Resource Library!
Things to Have on a Scavenger Hunt
- You may have noticed this pink cup photobombing in a couple of pics above. I got it at Target and I love how well it keeps my water COLD and how (relatively) inexpensive it was. (Holy Water Bottles Batman, have you SEEN the prices of some water bottles these days?)
- We love these markers in our house. It’s the blue marker my son is holding in the photos above. (We have lots of art supplies in our house, but these markers are ones that my kids love and choose to use everyday.)
- We used a regular clip board, but we might need to upgrade to this one!
Need Some Fun for Rainy Days?
- Make these easy firecrackers
- Send somebody some “happy mail” with these printable cards
- Print a Summer Bucket List
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