Train Up Tuesday: More Fun in the Sun

Well, last week, depending on where you live, you may not have been able to get outside much due to massive amounts of rain! You may still have had fun in the rain, but if it’s dry where you are this week, try the activities we posted last week. :)

Here are a few activities this week for general fun in the sun and enjoying what the outdoors have to offer.

For my family, as soon as the first signs of spring began to appear, it was PICNIC time. You have to love picnics! Messes still get made, but you can often just shake out a blanket and “voila”, all clean! Picnic for lunch and even dinner (let the hubby do the grillin’).

We also love going on walks...especially nature walks. Even if you don’t have a lot of land, you can still go on a nature walk or nature hunt (even if it means visiting a neighbor or relative to use their yard). Collect interesting finds and sort them together into different groups. Make a collection board, basket, or box for your finds. Have fun observing nature....trees, flowers, creatures, and the like.

My oldest son (“Sunshine” as we call him) loves hunting for mushrooms....

and then squashing them!

Look for things that are out of the ordinary....like a spiderweb with "stuff" in it...


Or what we call “marshmallow farms”.... ;-)

Visit your local farmer's market. There are so many interesting colors and textures! Maybe you are fortunate enough to live on or near a stable or farm. We live near a stable, and our neighbors are kind enough to let us know when there is a new foal, colt or even ducklings :)


Grandparents love being involved in helping little ones enjoy the outdoors (and parents are appreciative of anything that gets kids out from in front of a television or video game!). Encourage them to involve your kids when planting a garden.


“Sunshine” has even coaxed his Grandpa into making a tire swing and is still working on him to build a treehouse.

Of course, there are the easy backyard fun things to do....like playing in a creek bed, blowing bubbles, and just climbing a tree.


A couple of projects that you could try:

Find stickers or nature objects and place them on a piece of construction paper. Leave it in the sun for several hours (or a whole day). You can either do this by mounting it on a window from the inside or by securing the paper outside on the sidewalk.

After the sun has bleached/lightened the paper, remove stickers or objects to reveal a fun print:


A friend shared another fun idea that I hope to try. It involves treasure hunts. Since her oldest son is “obsessed” with dinosaurs, they make paper mache eggs using balloons, newspaper, and paint. Then, after mom maps the clues the kids hunt for each clue, leading them to a “nest” of pine needles laden with the “eggs” (which she has also stuffed with surprises!). What a fun mom and a great idea! (Thanks Natalie)

I KNOW you ladies have some great ideas to share, too. Please feel free to post them in the comments section.

Enjoy your week!

-Ashlie