The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

We kicked off our summer adventure season yesterday with a visit to one of our favorite local spots and beginning to compete a new adventure bingo card.

The day before, and even the morning of, we were unsure of whether or not we would or should go on the outing. There were several reasons not to go that would have made staying home perfectly justified. But, in the end, I knew that we all needed the time in nature to unplug, have fun, and connect with each other.

As I was looking for an Instagram post I created last summer after visiting the same spot, I read the caption I shared then and it was just as timely and perfect now: 

“…We checked all the boxes: leaving later than planned because there’s always so much to do, a long drive to decompress from the mild depature-angst, releasing a deep sigh of relief in spending the next five hours unplugged in the mountains with friends and critters and connection.

I never want to paint a picture that it’s easy to do all the things I share here. A lot of time it’s HARD. It’s hard to grow your own food. It is hard to choose whole ingredients more than packaged. It’s hard to spend a majority of your waking time raising children. It’s hard homeschooling. It’s hard to get out for adventures.

But on the other side of that effort and push and drive and commitment is reward. Reward that is more than worth the hard.

...(On adventures) We put aside all the things vying for our attention at home and have the chance to just BE. We can be who we are without the other stuff. Just people who deeply enjoy the natural world and deeply enjoy each other’s company.

For at least a little while, it’s as simple as that.”

This is what adventuring does for us and is why I’m so passionate about not only making it a priority in our home, but also sharing hacks and simple solutions to make it easier for others to get out and explore and adventure more as well. 

If you’re wanting a fun way to motivate yourself, your friends, or your family to take more adventures this summer (small or big), then let this Adventure Bingo game be a fun incentive!

Keep reading to see:

• How to print multiple versions of the bingo cards
• A handful of recommended books to inspire more adventures
• One of my MOST EFFECTIVE tips for getting out the door

SUMMER ADVENTURE BINGO

I rearranged the “adventures” in three different versions so participants can “compete” against each other. Or, simply print one bingo to use as a family and see how many boxes you can fill in!

• Print version #1
• Print version #2
• Print version #3

INSPIRE MORE ADVENTURES THROUGH BOOKS

Books are, of course, a great way to motivate and inspire everyone to take more adventures. As a mother, reading about the value and potential of spending more time outdoors, giving my kids more opportunities to challenge themselves, and how adventuring leads to more connection really pushes me to make this a priority in our family life. The tips and tricks from experienced adventuring families also help!

Books for parents: 

I prefer audiobooks for these, because I can listen while doing other things, on the drive to adventures, or even (true story) in the tent while waiting for my little kids to fall asleep.

• Adventuring Together, Greta Eskridge
• Let Them Be Kids, Jessica Smartt
• Barefoot & Balanced, Angela Hanscom
• Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv

Books for kids:

• 100 Days of Adventure, Greta Eskridge
• 1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time, Ginny Yulrich
• Wild & Free Nature, Ainsley Arment
• Outdoor School: Hiking and Camping
• Swallows & Amazons, Arthur Ransome
• Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
• The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall
• The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein

HOW TO GET OUT THE DOOR MORE EASILY!

This will be my third summer using these ready-to-go adventure bags! I think having curated bags for the different types of outings we go on is one of the most helpful things you can do to make it easier to leave the house with what you need. We keep these bags (one for water/sand days, one for hiking, and one for parks) right by the door in a storage ottoman.

You can read more about the system and see what is packed in each bag in my Adventure Day Bags post. Whether or not you pack them just like I do isn’t the point. The goal is to get things ready ahead of time so the process of getting out the door will be less overwhelming and time-consuming.

You can also find a “Get Out the Door Checklist” in the same post. I used it yesterday when we finally decided we were going and it was time to gather all the things we needed for the day!

If you enjoy adventuring, getting outdoors with your family, and tips to make those things easier, check out my Outdoors page! There are ideas for eating outdoors and when you get back from long days, mom hacks for staying comfortable, packing ideas for the car, and more. 

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The post Summer Adventure Bingo appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.

If “play is the work of the child” and “nature is one of our greatest teachers”, then OF COURSE, adventure days qualify as school days. The amount of learning that happens while kids play, explore, discover, experience new things, work together, test their limits, and so on truly can’t be quantified.

Getting outside and going on day trips with my kids isn’t just about having fun, (though we do have a LOT of fun). I also prioritize adventure days because I know that they are good for us all. And I definitely do count our adventure days as one of our school days.

That said, even though there is so much learning that occurs naturally without intervention, day 3 of our Adventure Week series is about how we can encourage more learning and create intentional opportunities to discover more about the world around us. 

Ideas & Resources for Encouraging More Learning Outdoors

BEFORE

Once the weather is nicer, we plan for one day a week (at least) to be an adventure day. We do an abbreviated amount of schoolwork in the morning, pack a lunch and plenty of snacks and water, and then head out to explore a mountain/river/museum/park/etc in our state.

I think it’s possible to have a misconception that adventure days have to be a wash for any other regular schoolwork. I have not found this to be the case, though. With the prospect of getting out ahead of them, my kids have no problem buckling down and doing a math lesson, reading assignment, and copywork or memory practice. I can oversee math lessons while I pack lunches and listen to narrations while getting ready to leave.

On adventure day mornings, what we don’t do is sit around the table for read-alouds or other morning time activities. I know we can easily accomplish this in the car or over a picnic lunch. We usually drive between 30-60 minutes for adventure day outings, which leaves plenty of time to listen to history books or chapter books we are going through. 

Two history books/cds we really enjoy are This Country of Ours (we have the paperback version for home and the Audible version for the car), and Your Story Hour Cds from Beautiful Feet Books.

Fun Review Activities in the Car :: 

I often save the listening to books for the drive home when the kids are a little more subdued (read: tired). On the way to our outings the kids are more alert and I will often “assign” them something to review or complete in the car before doing whatever other car activity they want.

I’ve put together a handful of learning activities that are perfect for the car because (1) there are no pieces to lose, (2) there’s no mess, and (3) they’re fun– especially if you keep them only for the car.

1. Learning Wrap Up Multiplication Keys
2. Brain Quest Cards
3. ABC Alphabet Cards or Numbers & Colors (picture shows up with water brush)
4. US States & Capitals Game or World Countries Game (so cool!!)
5. Magnetic Alphabet & Number Tracing Board

DURING

While we are out, I really don’t want to make it seem like a “school day”. And y’all, this is pretty easy to do because the kids are just so happy to be out exploring and having fun. They naturally enjoy discovering their world and climbing and catching things.

The BEST things you can do to foster learning while you are outside on adventure days is simply to PARTICIPATE in their enthusiasm, MODEL interest in the natural world, and DISCUSS your surroundings/findings. 

If kids see their parents enjoying nature, they will likewise value nature. (You’ve likely heard this principle about reading too).

As far as things to bring along with you, we tend to keep the books and papers limited while we are out. Occasionally if we want to be intentional about nature journaling ON LOCATION, then we will bring our notebooks and paints. But usually, we just observe, take pictures, and record notes to help us remember what we want to journal about later.

Again, I put together a small list of some of the most useful gear to bring along with you when you are exploring. I PROMISE that if you kids have tools to help them engage with nature, they will stay occupied longer and remember the experience better. A net to catch minnows in a creek, a bucket to place a crayfish in for observation, binoculars to spot birds, and so on. Well worth the small investments!

Learning/Exploring Gear :: 

1. magnifying glasses
2. nets
3. catch and release aquarium
4. critter keeper
5. binoculars for adults and kids
6. Stick-Lets (silicon fort building connectors)
7. Paracord bracelet with compass, fire-starter, and more
8. Pressed Flower Kit

A few more helpful tips :: 

• use an app like BirdNET to help identify bird sounds you hear or Merlin to identify birds you see
• allow kids to record voice memos of their nature observations to record in notebooks at a later time
• I will share more about the food aspect of adventure days tomorrow, but be sure to bring enough healthy snacks and water. Nothing will shut down the fun like hangry, dehydrated kids (and adults)

AFTER

Okay! You’ve had your adventure day, spent your time outdoors, and now you’re back home. Now what? CONTINUE THAT LEARNING!

You can use what you observed and experienced and turn it into more tangible learning once you’re back home. Consider starting a nature collection to display treasures (again, demonstrating their worth and value). A shelf, a bowl, a windowsill… work with what you have at home to find a special way to show off those feathers, shells, skulls (yes!), and such.

Nature journaling is another way to help kids record things they encountered. You can make your journals as simple or complicated as you like. If possible, participate and journal alongside your kids. It’s a worthwhile activity for kids and adults. Below, I linked some resources for learning more about nature journaling (Chickie and Roo also has an easy nature journal printable for younger kids). You don’t really need anything to get started though. Draw whatever you’re recording in your journal– be as precise as possible, be accurate about colors and details (no purple squirrels here, please). Then label your drawing and write down any special details.

Exploring your city/region/state is another natural way to discuss and learn about your home geography, topography, and biome. Print a map and label each place you visit. Start small and work up. Discuss map symbols. Learn the names of nearby rivers, mountains, cities, etc. Making the connection between a place they’ve really visited and a place on a map is a great, concrete way to learn.

Finally, another simple way to incorporate your time outdoors into your at-home school time is to learn about the animals, birds, insects, and plants living in your region. There’s no rush. Pick one and start discovering more about them. This knowledge is something that will be a gift for years to come.

Additional Resources :: 

• Scouting for Wild Ones, book by Brittany McGann || “Scouting for Wild Ones can be completed over the course of a year or more with family style groups. This scouting course offers scripted lessons and hands on activities to give an introduction to outdoor life. Scouts have the opportunity to earn badges thru skill tests (badge stickers sold separately).”
• How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention, John Muir Laws || if you feel stuck or lost when it comes to nature journaling (so many of us do!) this book is an EXCELLENT resource to walk you through (as an adult or child) on how to keep a nature journal
• Wild & Free Handicrafts, Ainsley Arment || 32 activities and crafts using natural objects

Favorite Curriculum & Printable Creators ::

We live in an incredible time, where there is so much available online just a couple of clicks away. I’ve picked out a handful of my favorites to share with you. Highly recommend each one. In addition to getting amazing hand-made resources, you’ll be supporting real families and small businesses.

Y’all these shops are a TREASURE TROVE of studies and printables and nature guides! Click on each shop to look through all the amazing resources they have available (many are free, and all the others are well-worth the small price).

One of the best things about homeschooling and learning together with your family is the ability to follow everyone’s interests. Fascinated by snakes? birds? bugs? mushrooms? clouds? THERE’S A NATURE STUDY FOR THAT!

• Silo & Sage
• Chickie & Roo
• Firefly Nature School 
• Treehouse Schoolhouse
• Brave Grown Home
• Stephanie Hathaway Designs

I feel like I only covered the tip of the iceberg with these ideas. We didn’t even talk about all the social skills, problem solving, risk-taking, physical education, or health benefits everyone gets from spending time outdoors! 

I hope that you are enjoying this series as much as I am. More than anything, I hope that it inspires and enables more and more families to enjoy heaps of adventures this spring and summer!!!

More in the Family Adventuring Series:

• Packing the Car for Spring and Summer Adventures
• NC Adventure Day Spots & Adventure Bingo Cards

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The post Adventure Days Are School Days Too: Learning Outdoors appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.