Play Today

“When you are a kid you get to ride bikes, scooters, play with toys and use your imagination. You don’t have to go to work or do all the things old people do.” These are wise words from Caine, the boy who became an Internet sensation for his cardboard arcade and who recently reflected on growing older for his 10th birthday.

While we hope that adults still find time to play, Caine is right that childhood is a particularly opportune time to explore, discover, and create. The good news is that at age 10, he still has a few years before officially making the transition from “child” to “adolescent,” and we hope he makes the most of them!

To help him out, we’ve created a bucket list of things every kid should do before turning 13. Of course, we could go on and on, but here (in no particular order) are 23 things we consider essential. What would you add?

1. Wallow in mud
2. Run down a dune, roll down a hill
3. Swim in an ocean, lake, or river
4. Touch the sky with your toes
5. Climb a tree, scale a boulder
6. Jump off a rope swing
7. Build a fort for a secret club
8. Dig a hole deeper than you are tall
9. Scrape a knee, bruise an elbow, or break an arm
10. Hang upside down
11. Eat dirt
12. Throw a snowball
13. Invent a recipe
14. Sell homemade lemonade from a homemade lemonade stand
15. Make something with a cardboard box
16. Take apart a piece of machinery and put it back together again
17. Crown yourself King or Queen of the forest
18. Catch a bug in your hands
19. Build a fire
20. Plant something
21. Jump in a pile of leaves
22. Bury a treasure and draw a treasure map
23. Wear a cape

Photos (top to bottom) by Rob (cc), Kerala Taylor, David (cc), and chascar (cc).

Do you have Olympic fever? We do. After all, the Olympics encapsulates many of the elements that make outdoor play so critical: teamwork, skill development, challenge, and fitness, to name just a few.

This Saturday, July 28, As First Lady Michelle Obama leads the U.S. Delegation to the 2012 Olympic Games, she’s calling on families around the country to support Team USA, not just by cheering on our athletes, but also by organizing their own Olympic Fun Days.

Since we can’t think of any more fitting place to hold your own Olympics than at the playground, here are five Olympic-inspired playground games:

1. Slide shotput: Place a bucket at the bottom of a slide. Competitors must each “put” five tennis balls down the slide. The one who gets the most in the bucket wins the gold.
    
2. Monkey relay: Divide into teams and hold relay races across the monkey bars. To discourage recklessness, competitors must balance something on their heads—may we suggest a stuffed monkey? If the monkey falls off, the contestant must start over.
    
3. Synchronized swinging: Teams swing together for 30 seconds each. A panel of judges determines which team is the most synchronized.
    
4. Long swing jump: This one is already a classic playground favorite—who can jump the farthest off the swing?
    
5. Playground ping-pong: Teams of two volley a ping-pong ball across various pieces of playground equipment, like slides, swingsets, monkey bars, and jungle gyms. The team who can keep the ball going the longest wins. Particularly recommended for teens and tweens!

Find an Olympic Fun Day near you, or organize your own at Meetup.com. What are your ideas for Olympic playground games? Please share in the Comments section below!

Photo by Wayne Silver (cc).
 

Are your kids getting enough outdoor play this summer? We wish we could tell you to open your front door and shoo them outside, but sadly, many will find only empty streets, void of other kids to play with.

We can help you fix that. Here are five ways you can save play in your community, by not only getting your kids outside, but also the whole neighborhood. Click on each photo below for instructions on how to get started. Then, go play!