It’s almost officially spring, and we’re certainly looking forward to it! Kallista has even been making our calendar as spring because it’s close enough for her. The recent lion days of March haven’t stopped us from getting out and having a few minutes of play here and there. The children’s most recent outdoor game is a simplified version of croquet. Or as Tristan now calls it, “Rainbow Gates”.
I remember playing croquet as a young girl with the older kids across the street. They didn’t bring it out often, but when they did I’d gather up the courage to go over and ask if I could join in their fun.
The weather has been unusually vicious this year, and so far March has had more lion days than lamb days according to the chart on our wall.
But we’d had an idea brewing so when the sun peeked out between rain, sleet, and even snow, the kids and I ran outside to try it out.
We took with us the croquet gates the kids had painted. They were simply disposable chopsticks tied together with bits of string. They couldn’t have been easier to make.
The lengths of the strings vary so that some gates will be easier for the younger folk, and the narrower gates will be more challenging for older folk.
Here you can see one of the ‘wide’ gates. Instead of a ball, the children used a pine cone they had collected during a walk sometime last year.
We have a bag of them in the craft cupboard. You never know when one might come in handy!
We went outside and stuck the gates into the ground around the yard.
Then we let the kids have fun!
They were using some plastic sticks, but ideally a branch was what we had wanted to use but even with all the wild wind we’ve been having lately we couldn’t find one laying about and we didn’t want to take one from the trees that are trying so hard to come alive for spring.
The children used their sticks to try to fling the pine cone through the gates.
Kallista was clearly very happy when she was successful!
And once they were done playing ‘Rainbow Gates’ the children came up with their own way to use the gates.
As hurdles!
I love that they are so inventive with the simplest of materials.
So we now have 2 activities the children can do outdoors, excellent! We do know that our way of playing croquet isn’t the ‘proper’ way to do so, but we simply used what we had easy access to. Next month when the summer toys come down from the attic, they can practice using a ball and bat instead of a pine cone and stick.
It doesn’t matter what you use, or the rules you play by, the important thing is to get out for some fresh air and fun!
These activities have been a part of the Outdoor Play Challenge hosted by Building Blocks and Acorns. 30 bloggers from around the world are coming together this month to share great outdoor activities for kids. A new idea for each day in March. You can get all the details, as well as a free printable calendar with the schedule by clicking on the graphic below.
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