The 7 things I take on our outdoor adventures
Spending time outside doesn’t require any additional supplies but I’ve found that when I bring along games/toys/snacks for our outdoor adventures it enhances our time. So I’ve compiled a short list of a few of my favorite things. These are things that I either keep in the car or make sure we take with us on our outdoor explorations. I don’t always uses all of these thing every time we go out but I usually select a few depending upon where we go. I also just keep most things in the car so I don’t have to plan ahead too much.
- Water bottles – This is pretty self explanatory but water is always a necessity when spending any amount of time outside. I make sure to bring a drink for everyone, including myself. The boys use cheap $1 bin water bottles from Target because they are prone to lose them. I have an awesome Tervis tumbler with lid that I use, it keeps my ice cold. And I really love the the Nuby 2 Handle Straw Flib n’ Sip Cup for Abel.
- Snacks – Again this is nothing new for moms but having a snack handy will greatly extend the amount of time your kids will want to stay outside. We love to pack apples, goldfish, cereal bars, raisins, grapes, crackers, etc…
- Sidewalk Chalk – Any sidewalk or paved surface is your canvas when you have sidewalk chalk. We also like to write encouraging words for other patrons that visit the park after we leave.
- Art Supplies – I have a small bag that I keep in the car with sidewalk chalk, a drawing pad and colored pencils. In case artistic inspiration strikes while we’re out or of the boys get tired of running around we have a calming activity the boys can do while sitting in the shade.
- Sand Toys – I keep a bag of sand toys in the back of our van so the kids have shovels, buckets and other sand toys whenever we happen upon a park with sand. I really love the Melissa and Doug Sand toys because they are very durable and fun.
- Scooters – When we go on walking trails scooters are great for the bigger boys. The Razor scooters fold up small and store easily in the back of the van next to the stroller.
- Picnic Blanket – We often eat lunch while we’re out so having a picnic blanket in the van is ideal. Sometimes we just pick a nice spot in the grass and color, read books or play with toys while we’re visiting a park.
Well, that is most of what you’ll find in my van on any given day. During the winter I usually keep some extra jackets/warm clothes in the car so we can play outside anytime. During the summer I usually bring an extra change of clothes for each boy because they tend to find water features when it’s hot outside.
Some other things we occasionally bring are bubbles, books, toy cars or super heroes, lightsabers or other random toys from home.
What kind of toys/accessories do you pack when you go outside to play?
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