Did you know that June is Great Outdoors month? What better way to bond with your favorite kids than exploring the world around you! You’ve heard people of Generation “X” say: “When I was a kid, I left on my bike at 8:00 AM and didn’t come back until dinner!” Times have for sure changed. For a variety of reasons, kids don’t explore as much as they used to. But rather than go into why, lets look at how you can ignite the explorer in you while sharing this time with your nieces, nephews, or special children in your life!

Now more than ever it’s so important to show your nieces and nephews different ways of stimulating learning and fun outside of technology. The world is a great big place to explore. As school lets out, freedom abounds. Planning your outdoor day trip is the first place to start!

One little overall tip for all you Savvy Aunties: Involve kids in planning your outdoor adventure. Give them a sense of ownership and contribution to their fun day out. This is also a great way to incorporate relationship building and communication skills into your interactions. Children are learning and growing emotionally and socially all the time. Articulating our passions and our wants is so critical. By showing your favorite kids that they have a voice, you teach an invaluable lesson!

Give them a little structure to help them make good decisions. Say something along the lines of, “So I have a few cool outdoor ideas for our day out– maybe you’d like to hear about them and choose what you’d like to do?”

Start by seeing what is available locally. Are their outdoor festivals or fairs? Is there a petting zoo or nature reserve? Here are some other great ways to create your own adventure together!

1. Park it! Local parks are hidden gems in our towns and cities. Plan a day trip to a nearby park and create a picnic together! Ask your niece or nephew what outdoor activities they might like (Frisbee, catch, etc) and bring along your gear! It’s summer camp in a box. Feel the grass under your feet, skip rocks, drink lemonade, whatever it takes to make use of the gift of free outdoor space!

2. Give back. Another way to “get your hands dirty” is to look for local kid-friendly volunteer opportunities. There are usually local community volunteer organizations that advertise these options and should indicate any age limit there is (if any). You can clean up a local outdoor area or volunteer at a community garden. If you can’t find an organized project, create your own! Show your little ones the importance of doing things that make a difference!

3. Bloom. You don’t need a green thumb to garden. You can explore together! Check out what kinds of flowers bloom well this time of year in your climate and plan a fun trip to the home and garden section of your favorite store. Pick out some great flowers or plants and get digging!

4. Discover! Do you have a professional explorer on your hands? Have you heard of geocaching? This is a super cool  worldwide outdoor treasure hunt that gets rave reviews with kids. Your goal is to use GPS coordinates to discover geocaching containers where you exchange trinkets with other explorers! There are over 2 million active geocachers across the globe. Visit the geocaching website for more information to get started!

5. Backyard camping! If longer camping trips are not an option, there is always the good old backyard to get kids excited about the outdoors while still remaining close to home. Pitch a tent, tell ghost stories, roast marshmallows, and find the big dipper while stargazing.

Whatever you do, make sure to also help your favorite kids reflect on the day after. “So what was your favorite part of our day?” This helps kids learn to reflect and observe their own experiences and to discover what makes them happy! So go explore! It’s an adventure for you Savvy Aunties too!

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Licata
Published: June 3, 2014