My son was seconds away from a meltdown and I was seconds away from throwing his school-issued Chromebook out the window when I glanced down at my phone and realized what we both needed. I saw the 99 Walks app beaming up at me and suddenly it was crystal clear.
We needed a walk.
Things are hard right now. I think I sometimes forget how much and how easily my kids can sense my frustration and stress. We’ve all heard the expression, "if mama ain’t happy nobody’s happy."
There’s a lot of truth in that, even if we don’t want to admit it.
Often when I’m feeling my worst I take a short (or long) walk to clear my head. The health benefits of walking are amazing. And guess what? Those same benefits hold true for our kids. A walk can help them feel better too.
But getting my kids to walk with me isn’t always an easy task. While I’m content to listen to a podcast or even just enjoy the quiet on a walk, my kids get bored after about 32 seconds.
But you know what keeps kids from getting bored? Having something to look for. Solution: An outdoor scavenger hunt!
The outdoor scavenger hunt I created is meant to be done as a family on a walk. Perhaps it will take two or three walks to complete your sheet. That’s OK! Heck, the more walks the better!
My son and I decided to try out our scavenger hunt sheet on a one-mile walk, which took us about 20 minutes. In that short time we checked off seven things! But that wasn’t even the best part. The best part was that upon our return, his school work got completed and no Chromebooks were harmed. That walk cleared our heads and gave us time to breathe before we went to work again.
Tomorrow -- or maybe even later today -- we’ll take another walk. We’ll look for more things on the scavenger hunt. We'll come back home a little more content, happy, and healthy. And we'll have done it as a family.
We’d love for you and your family to participate in our outdoor scavenger hunt for the chance to win a prize! Here’s what you do:
- Download and print our FREE scavenger hunt sheet
- Take family walks and check off all those boxes
- Take a family selfie with your completed scavenger hunt sheet
- Post on social media with #99Walks
On April 21, 2020, we will pick one lucky family to win a Family Fun Prize Pack!
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So grab the fam and get walking and scavenger hunting today!
