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Cheryl
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| Posted: June 21 2006 at 7:48pm | IP Logged
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When reading the indoor/outdoor mayhem posts, I wondered what your children do outside all day. My children haven't been wanting to go out too much since we moved. Maybe it's because they don't know the neighbors yet, or we don't have the playscape we used to have or we're not letting them play on the baby grass.....I don't know. What do your children do outside for fun?
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: June 21 2006 at 8:31pm | IP Logged
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My children play soccer in the backyard. They ride bikes and rollerblade on the small circle in front of our house. They play on our swingset and they splash in a baby pool. They like to pull the pool and the hose up to the swingset and play "water park." They draw with sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles. We used to pull the easel outside too, but we need a new easel. They WISH we had climbing trees. They fish in a small pond not too far from here. They are outside for the majority of the sunlit hours.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Rebecca
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| Posted: June 21 2006 at 9:30pm | IP Logged
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My kids have a wooden playhouse in our backyard. They use it as a fort, post office, house, etc. It has been the Alamo, the Bon Homme Richard, a castle, and a pirate ship as well as many other things.
The boys went through a stage where they rolled a few hours worth of "bullets" out of mud for their "Old Betsy" rifles. We were big into Davy Crockett for a couple years. They let the mud balls dry in the sun and then used them when they played pretend. Mud is a big thing around here, keeps them occupied for hours.  
We have about a dozen or so three/four story tall Pin Oaks that they play among as well, stringing swings, hammocks, etc. They are too tall for climbing though (no low branches).
In addition to pretend, they play a lot of baseball, run through the sprinkler, play in baby pool, chip golf balls around the yard, jumprope, kickball, etc. We take bike rides or walk around our block (1.4 miles) most evenings.
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Sarah
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| Posted: June 21 2006 at 9:32pm | IP Logged
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My kids ride bikes. Chase butterflies with a net. Play baseball. Kick the soccer ball. Play in the sprinkler. Ride on riding toys of different sorts (we have a monster trike with a trailer that can pull lots of stuff). Play in the sandbox. Play snake hunter (look down garter snake holes). Help me (sort of ) with the garden. Throw rocks. Try to kill wasps & hornets that are taking over our garage. Build in the outbuilding.
Mine are outside a lot, too. However, during the restful, sleepy part of the afternoon, they do come inside and read, nap, lay on the couch, etc. . . until I encourage them out again.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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Erica Sanchez
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| Posted: June 21 2006 at 10:56pm | IP Logged
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Jump on the trampoline.
Ride bikes.
Sidewalk chalk.
Run in the hose.
Play baseball (with wiffle balls), soccer, basketball.
But their very most favority thing is to dress up in clothes to suit the time period (i.e. pioneer) and use anything and everything (throw rugs, pots, jump ropes, play dishes) to make pretend houses all over the patio and yard! It is wonderful and they will do this for hours and hours. Clean up is usually a pain, though, but worth it.
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 12:13am | IP Logged
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Well - my crew is very creative -
They build castles in the mud (we have so much shade in our back yard that nothing grows), complete with mote and if I am not careful they have the hose going and everything a muddy mess. They can spend hours making it just right.
They are constructing a boat out of scrap lumber - don't know if it will float, but the last one did tolerably well. (covered it in scrap linoleum and filled with styrofoam). I'm not sure all the plans for this one.
Explore the woods behind us - find the creek, notice "cave" openings, etc.
Try to make canoes out of birch bark they gathered (off the ground on one of our travels - not the living tree). They have buckets everywhere soaking the stuff.
Scrape deer hides given to them by hunters (until the stench is more than any of us can bear - mostly during the winter in hunting season).
Collect skinks and make temporary shelters while they observe them and try to see what they eat.
Collect bees for the same pupose - these were stored in their bedrooms overnight before being released a few days later. They kept the containers moist and full of flowers (usually picked from the flower beds that they planted)
Observing the snakes that live under the corner of our garage - they are not poisonous or aggressive.
Catching, building a temporary home and observing a green tree frog. It escaped in the house and I let it outside much to their displeasure. I kind of regret it but didn't have the time to figure out a more secure, yet safe home for it and it was on my stove. They have not been able to recapture it.
Watching the birds, chipmunks, squirrels and racoons. Seperating out different kinds of birdseed to see what the different birds (and squirrels and chipmunks like).
Riding their bikes down the driveway (it is very, very steep and slanting) or down our front stairs - this is a bit of a scarey proposition but we only have rocks and hills around. Sometimes, with permission, they will ride on the sidewalk through the neighborhood.
Occassionally they'll do a bat and run game. We really don't have the space, the balls get lost in the woods and there is some danger of trees getting in the way.
Play dodge ball against the wall.
Water the latest growing project. This usually ends up in a major muddy mess.
Work on their tree house - hauling wood from our scrap pile, getting dad's tools and one boy (the 12 yo) has his own.
Playing various imaginary games - generally involving war in particular time periods or in imitation of books. We have Lord of the Rings regalia that they've made, they have medieval regalia beaten out of various metal scrap from the kitchen and if it is WWII, they make grenades out of mud, or sometimes use seeds and for guns, they have a toddler hockey stick, any sticks from the backyard and some stuff they've cut out of wood.
Play with the dog - she is usually included in all exploration of the woods and all war games.
They also do some tracking training (nothing official but they do like to hide food and make her sniff it out). They also play with her in general and sometimes get her to help them haul stuff in the wagon.
They use sidewalk chalk, blow bubbles (and experiment with different recipes for bubbles - one using sugar really works well).
Play dark tag at night with any friends that are over.
Compare notes with the neighbor girl about whatever animals - earthworms, snakes, etc. I think my boys get a fiendish delight in making the girl squirm some - but she is quite a trooper and joins in with some of her own discoveries. We're a bit more daring - but.
When the weather gets really hot (95 and very muggy today) - which is most of the time now, we do retreat indoors a bit more or run the sprinkler in the afternoon.
The 12 yo mows the little grass we have after we run all over everything. The older 2 boys also edge - sort of.
If we get a chance to go to my sis's farm - they help with farm chores (it is fun for them), swing into the creek, swim and chop wood in addition to observing cows, chickens, horses, etc.
They are currently on a rampage against Japanese beetles - using soapy water to bring about their early demise.
Also discovered that red pepper kills fire ants - so all the ant hills have moved from our house to elsewhere.
Practice sword fighting - unfortunately they have wooden swords that they made so it probably is a tad dangerous, but I let them as long as they are not getting out of control.
Going fishing with my dad on the boat - very early in the morning in the spring or earlier part of summer before the heat is too bad.
Slide down the firemans pole (made from PVC pipe).
I think that covers most of what they do - Oh they play hide and seek with each other and the dog.
Janet
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Molly Smith
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 7:20am | IP Logged
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We have a playhouse, too, which the girls usually use to play Little House on the Prairie. They sweep, hang curtains, make various concoctions of berries, corn kernals, mud, etc.
They set up a whole Redwall abbey with our neighbors out in the trees with some old slate and bricks. That never gets old.
My dh modified our old swingset by adding a huge playfort (next best thing to a treehouse) and a zipline. The fort has a simple plastic steering wheel and a couple of old slides taken from other playsets and it's hours of fun. Swings, monkey bars, see-saw, various odds and ends that have accumulated over there .
We only have tree lines, not woods, but still they have found climbing trees, fort trees, shady trees for chilling out.
They spy on delivery guys (dh has lots of deliveries w/his business, and we know the guys very well), pretend they're bad guys and stake them out.
Jump on the trampoline, play in the sprinkler, sidewalk chalk, bike riding, basketball, badminton, kickball. They've already had the sprinkler and hose out a lot and soon they'll be swimming.
Hide-and-seek, tag, follow the leader (we're still in the 10 and under crowd). Pull the littles in our wagon, teach 3 yo to ride her bike, chase toddler chasing the cats, chase toddler chasing butterflies, chase toddler in general .
Our dear neighbors are a little older (16 and under), so they've introduced us to some new things like making teepees out of corn stalks. Very fun!
On the quieter side:
Dh built a small pond, and we love to just hang out over there and watch the fish. The water lillies are beautiful. We'll watch from inside to see birds bathing, cats trying to catch fish (and birds). The kids will float various things out on the water (understand, it's only about 3-4 feet across and maybe a foot and a half deep). My 6yo ds loves to sit out there and sketch. And they all like to visit our St. Francis statue.
That reminds me of the Mary Garden. It's not fancy at all, but there is a statue of the Blessed Mother, a bench and various flowers. The kids will take a break and go say some prayers.
We have a few wild flower patches, so I'll send them out to gather flowers for the table or to bring to our neighbor if they're heading over there.
Sorry to run so long and disjointed. That's all I can think of for now...
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 7:57am | IP Logged
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I can't add anything new to the lists above. What great ideas these kids come up with! I think I'll compile all this into a grand list of "things to do when you're board". My kids are outside ALOT - doing a lot of the above, but every now and then we have a day when they are tired or crabby and I usually hear "I'm bored" or "there's nothing to do outside". Now I have a list to whip out! Great topic Cheryl!
Becky
P.S. I guess I do have one to add - playing dress up with the new baby kittens on our back deck. My dd can't get enough of it. (Funny how they start to run for cover when she goes outside!)
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Meredith
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 8:39am | IP Logged
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I'm with you Becky!! What great lists! We also do many of these same things and are adapting to our new very small yard But the kids are still able to rollerblade, bike, scooter & skateboard on the driveway and through the garage to the back patio and around again We have seen many Fairie houses sprinkled in amongst the bushes and small fruit trees and we use our extensive neighborhood walking trails daily!!
I'll be printing this out too for those rainy and boredom days that are bound to crop up without notice!!
Hope you're enjoying your new digs Cheryl!!
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Meredith
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 1:34pm | IP Logged
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Hmmmm....I hadn't really thought about it but from what I see (and hear) they:
* ride bikes
* jump rope
* build fairy houses
* play with tiny toys and people in the dirt patch left by a pecan tree fell by Hurricane Rita
* climb the big oak
* draw in the dirt
* play games with friends and cousins
* make mud pies and other yummy recipes: from Cookbook for Dolls
* play house in the little Acadian Cabin their father and brother built or in the plastic house Aunt Dawn gave them
* plant doll gardens
* feed on ripe dewberries and figs while climbing the trees
* roller skate on the cement
* pretend they're fishing in dad's boat
* play school on the back patio
* have picnics!!! (my favorite activity) 
* swim and run in sprinkler
* skip and play hopscotch
* play baseball, football, golf, soccer with friends
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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JSchaaf
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 3:38pm | IP Logged
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I am SO ENVIOUS! I'm going to complain for a moment,please bear with me.
It's hot here. HOT, HOT, HOT! 97 degrees today. We have a postage stamp size backyard with no shade that is primarily a toilet area for the dogs. (Dog,  ) We live almost in a cul-de-sac, but cars still come racing down the street to turn around. All the houses around here have 3 or 4 cars, but small driveways, so there's always cars parked on the street. And it's HOT!
We can't really do anything about the heat, but I guess I could have been a little more picky about the rental house/neighborhood. Or maybe not-we were homeless for 4 months and anything looked good!
Ok, vent over. We are headed north in 10 days. 7 1/2 weeks of small rural village life. Big yards, dead end street. Nice neighbors. Not hot. We can walk to the pool, the library, the park, the post office. The Catholic church is right behind my parent's house. Only two miles from the beach, and my parent's have a small cabin right on the lake for camp-outs. So, do you think I can cram a year's worth of playing outside into 7 weeks?
Jennifer
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 4:52pm | IP Logged
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JSchaaf wrote:
We are headed north in 10 days. 7 1/2 weeks of small rural village life. Big yards, dead end street. Nice neighbors. Not hot. We can walk to the pool, the library, the park, the post office. The Catholic church is right behind my parent's house. Only two miles from the beach, and my parent's have a small cabin right on the lake for camp-outs. So, do you think I can cram a year's worth of playing outside into 7 weeks?
Jennifer |
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Jennifer,
Seven and a half weeks with your mother? Should we start praying about that ?
Seriously, what a smart idea to leave the hot of the summer there and go north so that you can have a summer. Then, when you get back, you can settle into a school rhythm and wait for it to be alittle cooler. You can think of winter as your outdoor time like Angie does!
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JSchaaf
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 5:10pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
Jennifer,
Seven and a half weeks with your mother? Should we start praying about that ?
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Yes, yes you should. I think it's like childbirth-you forget the pain once it's all over! I have lots of side trips planned-long weekends in Dayton and Ann Arbor. Nick will be there for the last two weeks and we are going to Albany and NYC for a week with the in-laws. So I have hope about the stay with mom. Life in general has improved for both of us...but yes, I'm sure I'll be here in a matter of weeks wanting to know what I was thinking!!
Jennifer
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Cheryl
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 5:52pm | IP Logged
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This is a great list! Thanks everyone. Many of the things your kids do are things mine did in our old neighborhood. My dh is going to make a mulched play area like we had before, but for now their toys are sitting in the dirt. That doll cookbook is looking very interesting.  My ds 7 has spent time alone building a house with bricks and wood. He's digging a hole where he says the pool is going to be. It's really the younger ones who don't stay out long. Maybe they want to be with me. 
I have another question for you. What kind of sprinkler do you have?
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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folklaur
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| Posted: June 22 2006 at 10:45pm | IP Logged
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JSchaaf wrote:
I am SO ENVIOUS! I'm going to complain for a moment,please bear with me.
It's hot here. HOT, HOT, HOT! 97 degrees today. |
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Oh, this is how I feel too! It has been well over 100 degrees here now, and this weekend it is supposed to get to 112. Sheesh. It's too hot to walk to the mailbox, IMHO Our yard and house are teeny-tiny, and we are trying to lay a new floor, and landscape the backyard a little. And no kids in the neighborhood to play with The public pool isn't open in the mornings, and by noon, when it does open, my chick-a-dees would burn in minutes no matter how well sun-screened we were.
whew - sorry about that rant -- I'm just grumpy & hot. The heat just sucks all my energy out. I read about all the fun things you guys do outside and I am SO jealous!
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stacykay
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I have sympathy for those of you in the heat! I don't think I would be able to bear it, now... but I do have great memories of summers at Ft. Sill with my "almost sister", one which stands out was 110's. We spent almost all of our time at the pool. We also did some funny indoor things- we made up our own game shows! We did our own versions of the "$20,000 Pyramid," and "Family Feud." I remember researching questions and such and spending so much time working on the "boards." We all had a riot. And we read. We saw movies. We went to a cooking class and spent the rest of my visit making caramel corn every day! That was it for our hot weather activities, at least that I can recall.
My boys do most of what yours all do. Especially the mud! What is it with boys and mud? The first thing the 2yo does when he gets out the door is make a bee-line for the hose!
Our back yard is fairly small, but we do have a wooden play structure, with swings and a "fort" area. The boys play LOTR, cowboys, soldiers, Star Wars, or whatever we happen to be studying in history that catches their fancy. Bike riding around the block, and basketball are big too.
We have a beautiful park about half an hour away, which we go to twice a month. Pack the lunches, and walk, sketch, and play. Oh, and our local hs group has "Park day" every Weds. We have three different parks we rotate visiting.
And bowling! Our local alley has $1 Tuesdays. The boys love it.
We are also half an hour away from Ann Arbor, and spend days there at the museums, parks, campus, etc.
Jennifer, if you need any ideas there, let me know!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
mum to 6 dss (18, 15, 11, 8, 4, and 2!)
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Outside play
