quality time
moments that matter
Each day, as part of my Work Journal, I think about one thing I might do with my kids in the evening to slow down the rush of daycare pickup, dinner, bedtime: I call this item "Quality Time." Given that my whole evening with my kids--including meals and bedtime routines--is about two and a half hours, this thing, whatever it is, can't be too involved or too time consuming. It also has to be simple enough that I can think it up in the last few minutes of my day, and if it's something I also enjoy, more's the better. (I often do my Work Journal while I'm commuting home; for the post I wrote on that, see "Commuterrific Part 4: The Work Journal" on Nov. 25th).
With a busy schedule, it's always challenging to fit in exercise, but a walk is something I can do with my kids that also allows me to get outside and get some exercise. A scavenger hunt turns a walk into an adventure, a treasure hunt, a learning opportunity, and an exercise in mindfulness.
Scavenger hunt!
turn a walk into an adventure
Since my kids are little, I thought it was important to have pictures, as well as words, on our scavenger hunt list. It took a few minutes at home to "google" pictures and print them out. I then used clear contact paper (miraculous, miraculous contact paper) to laminate it.
Creating a scavenger hunt is easy, and the activity can be modified for any season and kids of any age. Kids can also practice drawing the scavenger hunt items or writing the names of the things for which they're looking. If you don't have the time or the creative impulse to make your own scavenger hunt, there are also many to be found on Pinterest.
Happy Hunting!