This is a guest post from the folks at Play Outdoors. Check out their Campfire Blog for great articles about getting kids outside and having fun.

Whether it is a mid-winter blizzard, a full moon summer night, or a crisp spring morning, each day of the year offers a new opportunity for an outdoor family adventure.

Discover ideas for outdoor activities that can get you and your kids outside and learning about the natural world around us, whether away on a week long trip in the woods, or with a spare hour at home in the city. Incorporating nature-based activities every day can be easy, and will certainly be fun:

• Hiking & Camping
• Waterfront Activities
• Out & About
• Backyard Fun
• Snow

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from play outdoors

Hiking & Camping

You don’t need to be away from home to go hiking and camping to take in the outdoors, all you need is some creativity and curious kids.

Take a walk through your neighborhood, backyard, local park, or nature trail and try to find something that is one of every color of the rainbow. Look hard with kiddos to find something that matches every color: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo (a purple blue), and Violet.

Go for a family hike on a local trail, mountain or even in the neighborhood park. Play games, chant a song, pick up pretty leaves and point out all the different animals and insects you see along the way! (Be sure to bring plenty of water and healthy snacks, little tummies are sure to get hungry!)

Plan a family camping trip – whether it's one night spent in a tent in the backyard or a week-long excursion camping at the lake, kids love to camp! Spend the night lying under the stars together, roast s'mores and tell ghost stories.

Conduct a family shadow puppet show! Flashlights are a must when outdoors at night and can cast fun and unusual shadows. Try the oldie-but-goodie of creating shadow finger puppets on the ground or wall of your tent. Inspiration can come from the animals you spotted during the day. Complete the act by practicing different voices for each character or animal.

Waterfront Activities

The shore of a river, lake, or the ocean is the perfect place to have waterfront fun!

What is sand? Spread out a little on a piece of white (or black) paper and observe it through magnifying glass. What do you see? How many different colors and sizes can you find?

In the sand at the edge of the water, kids can build sand castles by packing a bucket full with wet sand. After turning the bucket upside down, tap the sides and leave, pile upon pile, the foundation of your castle. Complete with a moat to protect it from the ebb of the water, find different twigs, shells, rocks, leaves and seaweed to adorn it.

Play hopscotch or tic-tac-toe by finding a stick to draw lines in the sand till the sun goes down.

Go in search of tide pools and all the life within them. As the ocean tide is dropping, carefully make your way along a set of tide pools observing the sea snails, starfish, anemones, and seaweed left in the shallow pools. How many different sea animals can you find?

Out & About

Regardless of the weather or season, choosing to head outdoors allows the chance for kids to experience something new every day.

Puddle jumping! Grab your rain jacket, slip on rubber boots and splash around. Take the whole family, and a few friends too, out in the rain and see who can make the biggest splash!

Bug discovery: Let kids play in the dirt to find as many insects as they can. You'd be amazed how long a caterpillar, inchworm or lady bug can fascinate young children! Help by lifting up rocks, rolling over logs and looking under fallen tree branches.

Go for a family bike ride. Everyone put on tennis shoes, strap on helmets and go for a ride through the neighborhood. Pick a fun destination that everyone will enjoy riding to and won't make for too long of a trip home!

Cloud games! Look up at the sky and clouds. What do you see? Do you see an animal or a tree? Encourage creative thought in your kids, linking what you’ve observed outside to the imaginary shapes the clouds make.

Backyard Fun

The best outdoor adventures can take place right outside the back door.

Gardening: This is a great way to teach little ones about fruits, vegetables, plants and where they come from! Plant small seeds in pots to keep in the kitchen window and as they grow, transfer them to the backyard.

Set out seeds for birds in the winter and see who comes! Search for a pinecone in the backyard, paint it with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed. Hang the feeder outside and watch for birdies to come snack!

Make leaf rubbings! Set out on a backyard adventure to find your favorite leaves or piece of bark from a tree then take them inside to make fun crayon rubbings!

Go into the backyard for a scavenger hunt to fun! Hide and find toys like a soccer ball, Frisbee, or kite, and then play with them there on the spot!

Snow

Snow transforms the outdoors and can change everyday places and activities into magical new ones.

Snowshoeing: This is a great family activity! If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Many winter resorts, sporting good stores and equipment rental locations offer snowshoes to rent in all sizes. Find a beautiful trail freshly lined with snow and spend some great family time together!

Cross-country skiing is a great way to encourage winter sports in young children. Find an equipment rental location near by, dress in weather-proof gear and away you go!

Make snow angels! Kids love snow, especially when they wake up to a fresh blanket of white powder (not to mention if school is canceled!) Bundle the whole family up and head the backyard for snow angels.

About Play Outdoors: Our priority is to help families with children get outside and enjoy the world around them! We are heavily focused on being a resource to families seeking ways to connect their children and family with nature. As a grassroots endeavor, we publish resources and ideas, while continually updating our blog and making organic connections to spread the word and make getting outdoors as easy as possible for families.

Click on one of the topics in the categories bar to the right to find more posts about getting kids and families outside.