Get Outside this Season

Get Outside this Season
By Laura Churchill Duke

The weather is going to start making it great to be outside, and there is no reason you shouldn’t get out to enjoy it. Research shows that kids do better academically when they spend time outside, and they start developing a love for nature, rather than a fear of it.

There are so many ways to get outside this season with your family. Here are our top 10 things to do together.

1. Go for a hike. There is a huge list of hikes and reviews about almost all of them on Valley Family Fun under Get Moving, Hiking. There are some for all abilities, with stroller and toddler-friendly hikes too!
2. Play disc golf. Head to New Minas Lockhart Ryan Park and sign out the frisbees for free from the rec department. If they aren’t busy, they will come out and give you some pointers, too!
3. Try a TrailQuest. These are adventure scavenger hunts that take you through a town following clues and learning history along the way. Eight games to choose from! Download a copy at ValleyFamilyFun.ca/TrailQuest.
4. Explore a nature park with an adventure guide. There are a series of FREE adventure guides to take with you to a park in Kings County. Try these games and activities and solve clues while having fun in nature! Search the Valley Family Fun website for “Nature adventure guides.”
5. Dip your toes. There are so many outdoor places to go swimming this summer. From Lumsden Dam to the Wolfville Reservoir and Silver Lake and Kingsport beach. Try them all this summer.
6. Have a bonfire. Our favourite place is Huntington Point near Halls Harbour.
7. Bike. Whether you bike along the Harvest Moon trail or are more adventurous and try the course at Burgher Hill and the Gorge in Kentville, or the Reservoir Park in Wolfville, just get those wheels moving!
8. Play mini golf. When was the last time you played? There is a list of courses under Get Moving Mini Golf on the Valley Family Fun website.
9. Go horse back riding. We love Evangeline Trails outside of Windsor. There is a list under Get Moving Equestrian on the website.
10. Go bird watching. Pick up a guide book at your library or download an app, and head to Miner’s Marsh, Hutt’s Marsh, or the French Basin Marsh trails! Details are all on the Valley Family Fun website!

Whatever you do, get outside and get moving. Try something new whether with your partner, kids, friends or by yourself. There is no shortage of ideas!

valleyfamilyfun.ca