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Great Games for the Great Outdoors
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If my kids don't get outside and blow off some steam after school, by 6 o'clock they'll be chasing each other around the house like Tom and Jerry on espresso. But after a while, the same old four-square and hide-and-seek have the appeal of a deflated playground ball. And unfortunately, we lack the neighborhood of roving kids required for pick-up kick-the-can or capture-the-flag.
So I went hunting for new games, and found pages of driveway diversions in SIDEWALK CHALK: OUTDOOR FUN AND GAMES by Jamie Kyle McGillian and RUN, JUMP, HIDE, SLIDE, SPLASH: THE 200 BEST OUTDOOR GAMES EVER by Joe Rhatigan and Rain Newcomb.
We started experimenting late one afternoon with snake hopscotch, but by the time we got to number five, the girls' enthusiasm was flagging. I might have known it's all about thrills and speed for Caitlin and Ellie, and Natalie is only too happy to play along. Luckily, OLD FASHIONED CHILDREN'S GAMES by Sharon O'Bryan (McFarland & Company, 1999) featured no less than 68 move-or-lose outdoor games.
Wolf, the first game we tried, was such a hit that it went on until dark. In fact, this may be the one game we play where the kids want to be "it." Apparently it's nothing short of thrilling to hide until the gang comes looking for you, only to pounce out, and chase down the players who scatter like terrified rabbits while you let loose ear-splitting yowls and howls.
A similar game called Gypsy proved equally popular. Small wonder, considering it has the same alluring element of danger. The evil Gypsy hides all the children/players. She is eventually foiled by the good Mother who finds all her children, and then teams up with them to catch the meddling Gypsy. (You gotta love the mom-as-hero theme!)
For something less dramatic, we tried Hang Tag, which has nothing to do with shopping and everything to do with exhausting your arms and legs. When you're approached by "it," you make for a tree branch, jungle gym ladder, swing — anything to get your feet off the ground and save yourself from being tagged. After three hangs, running becomes your only resort for staying free.
My kids' appetite for this game is endless — I have the sore biceps to prove it. But when the novelty runs out, no worries. We've got 65 more games to try.
Member Comments On…
Great Games for the Great Outdoors
Np at all Catherine. Parents get so busy these days but spending time outdoors with my kids has been truly rewarding.
The marketing company I work for started this campaign with the the Ad Council, which is how I found about the decline of outdoor activities amongst our kids, but I'm glad I idi!
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This is a great guide! I work for a marketing company that is doing a campaign for the National Forest Service and they have a great website for outdoor activities:
http://youcastcorp.com/discovertheforestlink
From what I have been hearing our kids spend about 50% less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago, so anything that gets them enjoying the outdoors is a big plus!
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One of my favorite things to do is play games outside with my kids. It is so hard to keep it fresh, thanks so much.
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Oh Thank you for this! We're always looking for new outdoor games and as embarrassing as this is to admit, I totally get into the tag games. I've NEVER heard of this Hang Tag which is perfect for our yard. I love how these ideas are "fresh" but sweetly old fashioned in that they're simply great outdoor play ideas. Well done!
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When my DS was much younger we would get home when it was dark or all the other kids had just run in for dinner. So we would go on a flashlight hike. We would just walk around a block or two and shine our flashlight everywhere we could.
We live in a town right now that has a very wet, cold winter and it gets dark early around here. For Christmas I bought a game called Hyperdash, with the intent to use it for rainy days that we can't go outside. You can play it indoors or out. On the simplest level it is 5 have cones - colored, the joystick (announcer) calls out a color and you have to run to that color as quickly as possible. As it gets harder the announcer will call things like reverse or even 'red plus one" (the colors are numbered 1-5). I think you could even make this game with things you have at home without buying it. But I know on thing my 5 and 2 year old love it.
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Thank you for the book titles! I'm going to look them up right now! I love the sound of Hang Tag - my arms could use a workout!
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What timing on this article. Not only are we in the middle of some unseasonably warm weather, but new kids moved in on the block last weekend and afterscool meeting in the center of the cul-de-sac clasic hide and seek and tag is inevitable.I plan on sugesting wolf tonight.
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One problem is weather, and even our super cool playspace in our garage, is dry but cold. So my children are indoors most of the winter. We can hear children outside from the school that is a couple blocks away, but mine get cold real fast and want back in (homeschool), they have ballet and TaeKwonDo, not every day. I need indoor activities that are active and a little quiet too.
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