Get Out and Play!

It’s finally getting cooler outside, and that means that everyone here in the desert will be spending more time outdoors.  While it’s always important to get fresh air and exercise, it’s much easier when the temperatures fall below 100 degrees.  The cooler months mean more bike riding, scooters, running and playing, bouncing on the trampoline, and hiking and exploring.

More outdoor play also leads to more dirty laundry.  Depending on the daily activities, Munchkin can go through several outfits during the day.  Playing in the mud or rolling in the grass can mean stains on the clothes, but Shout doesn’t want those stains to deter kids from having fun.  The Shout Go Play initiative encourages kids and families to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors.

Shout and Growing Trees Toys, a great place to find learning toys, have teamed up to give families great ideas for outdoor play.  Shout knows the importance of play in a kid’s life.  Studies have shown that unstructured play helps kids build fundamental skills like problem solving, coping, and conflict resolution. In other words: play is how kids become happy, healthy adults. We received a fun set of 52 Nature Activity cards to help us mix up our normal outdoor activities as well as an assortment of Shout products to assist me in cleaning up after our family fun because we all know that play can and does get messy.

Munchkin really liked a good number of the activities suggested on the Nature Activity cards, so we’ll be using those over the next few months.  Some of the activities are better suited for areas with normal seasons and trees, so we’ll have to use those when we’re away from our immediate area.  Other activities can easily be used in any location.

Munchkin decided that her favorite outdoor activity this week was throwing her airplane with Grandpa.  Every day, they headed outside to thrown the airplane for a few minutes.  (It was still a bit hot for Grandpa, so he couldn’t be out for extended periods of time.)

Outdoor activities don’t need to be expensive or difficult.  The idea is to just get out there and have a good time.  Don’t let your kids be the only ones getting fresh air and exercise.  Join them in playing.  Put a blanket out on the lawn and cloud watch.  Try to find some fun shapes in the clouds.  Go on a nature treasure hunt or take some tree/leaf rubbings.  It doesn’t matter what you decide to do – just get out and play!

I received a Shout Fall Package from Growing Tree Toys and Shout featuring the 52 Nature Activity card set and Shout products to help with the writing of this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.