Things To Do Out On The Trails
LOOK FOR WALKING STICKS
Almost every single time we go for a walk, my boys pick out a new walking stick. The back of my car is loaded with sticks that they have taken home. They are not loyal to just one stick that they bring to each hike; instead they prefer to hunt for a new one every…
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HUNT FOR OWL PELLETS
Dissecting owl pellets seems to be a part of third or fourth grade curriculums around the country. Owl pellets are the undigestible and regurgitated parts of small animals that owls have eaten.
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USE AN ALMANAC
Mass Audubon has a wonderful outdoor almanac that offers a month-by-month, play-by-play of outdoor activity. It offers ample suggestions of what to look for and explanations of what is happening in nature.https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/outdoor-almanac
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GO ON A SCAVENGER HUNT
A scavenger hunt is a great and easy way to combine outdoor exercise and learning. There are literally thousands of scavenger hunt worksheets out there on Pinterest and blogs. They are often based on seasons (i.e. fall scavenger hunt featuring acorns, leaves, etc), but really can be designed around any theme. Use the Google Machine…
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CLIMB BOULDERS
My boys love to climb and slide down boulders. If a trail has big rocks, they are all in. Their favorite spot is the big boulder near the dam at Ames Nowell State Park in Abington. They climb it over and over again and then slide down one side of it. As a parent, it’s…
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MAKE FORTS
It’s common to find forts along many hiking trails in the South Shore. If they are already started, you can venture into the woods and expand or modify the forts that are already there. Or, start your own! Find a spot with lots of downed trees and look for relatively long and skinny sticks that…
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FIND YOUR OWN LANDMARKS
One of the most daunting things for kids when hiking is having no sense of how long the trail is, what a “mile” even means, and how tired they will be when they are done. To give kids a sense of control over the trails, identify landmarks that are fun that will help them remember…
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DOCUMENT YOUR HIKE
It’s fun to take pictures or videos of your hikes. Let your kids carry the camera. Many of the pictures on this blog were taken by the kids. It keeps them entertained, gives them something helpful to do, and teaches them to hone their eye for a good photo and lighting.
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MAKE ART
If your kids like art, take a small light sketch book and some colored pencils and let them stop to draw cool stuff they find along the trail. They could sketch a wild mushroom, make a rubbing of a fern or a leaf, or perhaps even capture the water shining off a pond or a…
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LEAVE KINDNESS ROCKS
It’s common to find kindness rocks along trails these days. My kids love finding them. Paint your own and leave them for others to find as you hike the trails!
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COUNT SOMETHING
One of our best hikes was in May at prime lady slipper time. There were so many in the woods we actually lost count, but not before we got up to almost 100. It was so much fun to look for them, and we didn’t have one complaint from the boys that entire hike.
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THROW ROCKS
Kids always seem to love throwing rocks into water. Teach your kids to skip rocks. One of our favorite activities is throwing rocks across semi-frozen water and listening to the interesting sounds it makes. It’s fun and then you can go home and learn some science–Google why those sounds are made when you throw rocks…
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LEARN TO READ A MAP OR COMPASS
Map reading and compass skills are important for everyone to know. Relying on a GPS alone for navigation is not a great idea–for numerous reasons. You could also help your kids draw a map of the trail you hike. Include your landmarks and fun things you discovered and then use it the next time you…
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PLANT A GEOCACHE
There is a lot more information about how to do this on the Geocaching website. But essentially, get yourself a waterproof container, a small notebook to serve as a log, a few pens, and some small trinkets and you have yourself a Geocache. I’d recommend purchasing a travel bug to plant in it as well.…
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SEARCH FOR OUT-OF-PLACE ITEMS
While on our hikes we love to look for strange things in the woods. Some of our favorites are a flip-flop tree (flip flops have been nailed to the tree in various places), abandoned plastic school chairs, old car parts, hunting platforms, shovel parts (common in Easton, known as Shoveltown because of the shovel factory…
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LOOK FOR MARKING TREES
Marking trees were made long ago by Native Americans as trail markers. There are lots of trees out there that look like marking trees, but odds are very few of them are “real”. Still, they are fun to look for, and you’ll find lots of trees with cool shapes in the process.
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IDENTIFY ANIMAL PRINTS (OR SCAT!)
Scat and animal prints are everywhere, and they are especially easy to find in the snow! Print out an easy-to-cary sheet with pictures and bring it with you as you hike. We’ve easily found raccoon, opossum, and deer tracks. Look especially carefully around streams and water sources.
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HEAD UP–FOR A VIEW!
Climbing up hills and mountains is hard work–but the pay off is great. Around here, Blue Hills is a very rewarding and popular hike. Go early to avoid the crowds, but many small children (as young as 3 years old) can do the hike from the Trailside Museum to the Observatory at the top. The…
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DISCOVER LOCAL LEGEND
The Bridgewater Triangle and the Hockomock Swamp contain lots of local legend. There was even a documentary made about the supernatural activity that has supposedly happened in these parts. Freetown State Park also has a lot of scary stories associated with it, as do the towns of Rehoboth and Dighton. Google away–you’ll find some super…
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HAVE A PICNIC
Make a day of it! Pack snacks, but also a fun lunch for everyone. Find yourself a good picnic rock and declare it yours! Thirty years later, my brother and I still use “our” picnic rock at the top of Blue Hills, and now our kids enjoy the spot as well.
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BIRD WATCHING
Mass Audubon and other websites have great tools to help identify birds. Grab some binoculars, find a place with bird blinds (although not necessary), and start looking! This cool interactive chart will help kids identify what they hear/see.
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