Healthy Communities • Healthy Kids • Healthy Living
Keep your social distance AND get a breath of fresh air with this “one-step hike”
20 March 2020 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
There’s nothing like the longer and warmer days of spring to get out to your favourite parks, trails, playgrounds, or simply the back yard if you have one. This “one-step hike” is a big hit with our YMCA campers and we think it’ll be a big hit with your kids, helping them explore the great outdoors now that the days are longer.
What’s a one-step hike?
You don’t need a huge space to go for a hike. You can “hike” and explore anywhere — even in your backyard, or a low-traffic green space close to your home. All you need to do is pay attention to the little things.
Let’s get started!
Turn it into a game
If you’re “hiking” with more than one kid, branch out (See what we did there?) with a little friendly competition. Assign points to all the different things they might see inside their circle. This is a great way to pique the interest of kids who might be reluctant to examine their one-step hike area. For example, you might say:
Then, stimulate those math skills a little by asking the kids to add up their points. Talk about just how much there was to see inside a tiny string circle — and how much you might have missed if you were barreling along at full speed!
If your kids are a little older, or you want to kick things up a notch, try assigning points to very specific types of items. Saying things like, “Give yourself two points if you see any igneous rocks” will prompt your kids to ask “What’s an igneous rock?” And: Voila! A teachable moment. …And maybe an opportunity to learn something new yourself.
Most importantly, have fun in the outdoors!
What’s a one-step hike?
You don’t need a huge space to go for a hike. You can “hike” and explore anywhere — even in your backyard, or a low-traffic green space close to your home. All you need to do is pay attention to the little things.
Let’s get started!
- Grab a piece of string or twine for each of your kids — anything you can make a little circle out of.
- Head outside to a low-traffic area. If you have a backyard, that’s perfect, but you can also go to a field close to your home, or even just a nearby path of greenery.
- Ask your kids to place their string circles on the ground and take a look at what’s inside. It’s time to take a closer look at all of the neat, unusual things we usually walk right by!
- Spend a few minutes asking them “can you see” questions, like:
- Can you see any moss inside your circle?
- What about any bugs?
- Are there any leaves?
- Are there any pine cones?
- Can you see gravel inside your circle?
- How about stones?
- A bit of snow or ice?
Turn it into a game
If you’re “hiking” with more than one kid, branch out (See what we did there?) with a little friendly competition. Assign points to all the different things they might see inside their circle. This is a great way to pique the interest of kids who might be reluctant to examine their one-step hike area. For example, you might say:
- Give yourself one point for every leaf you see within your circle
- Two points for any seedlings
- Five points if you see a bug!
Then, stimulate those math skills a little by asking the kids to add up their points. Talk about just how much there was to see inside a tiny string circle — and how much you might have missed if you were barreling along at full speed!
If your kids are a little older, or you want to kick things up a notch, try assigning points to very specific types of items. Saying things like, “Give yourself two points if you see any igneous rocks” will prompt your kids to ask “What’s an igneous rock?” And: Voila! A teachable moment. …And maybe an opportunity to learn something new yourself.
Most importantly, have fun in the outdoors!
