Make the Most of Seasonal Activities At Home
Sometimes we think adventure only counts if you are doing something new – like going somewhere different, or trying something new. However I was looking at old photos of my kids and the adventures we’ve had on our local beach and it just hit me: everything is new for kids, it’s always an adventure for them. Nature’s seasons naturally create new experiences even if you visit the same place over and over again.
Adventure is all about attitude. All you need are eyes to see and a heart filled with a love of nature – neither of which have to be the exclusive domain of kids.
Here are some examples of how our times at the same beach have been different:
Rocks or shells to play with (some days there are no rocks, sometimes whole sections of the beach are covered)
Seaweed (it comes and goes in different seasons or types of weather)
Creatures – crabs, jellyfish, eagles, whale, sea snake, bees (yes, bees), butterflies, insects, cicadas, wallabies, fish, worms, fireflies, bluebottles (watch out!)
Tides (different tides create different play opportunities)
Sand dunes that come and go, different heights
Driftwood after storms to play on, or create things with
Rocks to climb on or explore rock pools in, which are sometimes exposed and completely covered at other times
Rainy weather or hot weather (do you dig pools and play in the waves, or walk and dance and draw and cartwheel)
Different times of day (evening sunset colours and temperatures, or hot sunny mornings, or night time with the moon reflecting on the ocean)
Different seasons (rainy, wet, windy, hot, sunny, nice breeze to cool down)Whenever we have a big storm, people inevitably say “oh what a shame how the sand has been washed away”, or “all those rocks are so hard to walk on”, or “there’s too much seaweed”. They love to complain and see the negative in change. But we never know what the beach is going to look like or be like to interact with from week to week. And like a good relationship, you come to know different sides of a place’s personality – those things people complain about never last. The sand washes back and covers the rocks and refills the dunes. Seasons of life ebb and flow just like the tides, and each season brings fresh adventures.
What this all means is that if we get to know and embrace different seasons of the places we are in, then we can find fresh adventures just waiting for us.
Try some of these:
Go to your favourite spots at a different time of day, or even at night. Could you have an outdoor dinner, or go for sunrise? Where is the perfect spot to gaze at stars (or planes)?
Explore your region in weather you would normally avoid. When it is raining, go for a walk or ride in raincoats and gumboots, rather than hitting up the indoor play centre.
Take different play things for encouraging an adventurous spirit, for example magnifying glass, binoculars, shovel, pocket knife, bubbles, blanket/scarves, a bucket, a net, etc.
Print out a map and let the kids navigate to a street nearby.
Try walking or riding bikes/scooters/skates when you would normally drive. Or park a few blocks away from your destination and then walk there.
Play games to make it fun or different (e.g. Bingo, Eye Spy, Race, Scavenger Hunt, etc).
Go somewhere local you’ve never been before.
Find a tree to climb or put a swing on.
Go with different people to your normal spots (e.g. bring friends and family). Different people bring fresh eyes and energy, and your experience will be different as a result.
Just think, your home and your lifestyle would be an exciting adventure for someone else. How would a tourist from somewhere across the globe view your ‘normal’ landscape?
If all you can do is adventure close to home, that’s no reason to not adventure anyway. There are even ‘proper’ adventurous people who do a ‘one map’ challenge, where they just explore within a limited distance of their homes, or people who do ‘microadventures’ where they sleep under the stars or jazz up their usual commute to work by doing it differently.
“And so I have decided to explore a single map. To search closer to my front door than ever before for the things that matter to me: adventure, nature, weather, wildness, exercise, surprises, silence, new people, wanderlust, and curiosity.” – Alastair Humphreys
If adventuring close to home was your own family’s challenge or goal for the year, how would you approach life differently? Where would you begin?
Read next:
Mini-Adventure for a Monday Pick-Me-Up - This is an example of when my son and I explored a local tourist spot from a different angle, and turned it into a fun and memorable adventure.