*Guest Post* 4 Ways to Turn an Everyday Walk Into a Grand Adventure

I am so pleased to welcome Debi to the blog today.  She is a wonderful example of the fact that nature-lovers don't JUST live in the mountains.  Her blog is chock-full of inspiration, stories and pictures and is definitely a worthwhile read!  As always, please feel free to leave her comments on this post (and answer the question she poses!) and check out the link to her blog and a little bio at the end!

I live in Los Angeles, where the nearest neighborhood park is about a mile away. The closest trails, rivers, creeks, city or state parks are at least 20 minutes away – by car. So when we’re short on time but hankering for some outdoor exploring, we head out the front door and take a walk around the neighborhood.

You’d think after about the 100^th walk, our kids – ages 7 and 3.5 – would hate it. But we don’t often get complaints. 

So what’s the secret to our success? Turning our everyday walks into grand adventures. Here are a few ways my hubby and I do just that.

Create your own scavenger hunt.

Even in our very urban neighborhood, there’s nature all around us. Sometimes, you just need to slow down and look for it. Scavenger hunts are a good way to help kids focus the senses on certain items. 

We’ve taken color walks, flower walks, leaf walks – we’ve even looked for letters in nature. We’ve created scavenger hunts for each of the four seasons, a bird watching scavenger hunt and more. Sometimes we create a list ahead of time; on other occasions we just make it up as we go. You’re limited only by your own imagination.

Try animal tracking.

Animal tracks are much easier to see in snow and mud than at other times of the year, making tracking a great winter and spring activity. Do a little homework to discover what local animal tracks look like before you head outside.

Since we don’t often encounter wild animals in our neck of the woods (well, we have spotted some opossums and raccoons …), we focus on birds and bugs. We look for nests, search for spider webs and pay close attention to anything small on the ground or on a plant. My 3.5-year old and I just recently spotted no less than five separate types of bugs on a single flower stem – a stem we only glanced at because we were searching for the color white! 

Head out at night.

Our kids don’t usually spend too much time outside after nightfall. So just being outside is exciting, let along going for a walk. 

Before heading out, be sure to dress for the weather – everyone will be happier if no one is cold. When the warmer spring and summer days arrive, it’s fun to turn nighttime walks into “pajama walks.” In good weather or bad, we tend to keep nighttime walks shorter.

Once you’re outside, there’s a lot to discover in the darkness. We like to play the listening game, staying quiet for a few minutes, then sharing with each other the things we heard – sounds much different than what we hear during the day. We also look for the moon and count the stars. If we can find a light post, we’ll even try to cast night shadows. 

Use technology to your advantage.

I’m not talking about anything too high-tech here. Think: flashlights and glow sticks, a camera and a compass. A GPS if you want to be really fancy.

Flashlights and glow sticks are a perfect addition to nighttime walks. They add yet another layer of excitement to heading outdoors in the dark.

I take a camera with me on all of our adventures, so by now my kids want to do the same. And they love taking pictures, which I encourage both of them to do – especially when we’re outside. It’s not about taking fantastic photographs. It’s about encouraging a love of the natural world. And it’s a lot of fun to see what that world looks like from a child’s perspective.

Compass walks can be as simple as changing direction when you reach the end of every block. Or go high-tech with a GPS that can pinpoint your exact location. Ever heard of geocaching? This high-tech treasure hunt is a huge hit in our family, and can be done very close to home – or almost anywhere on the go. 

Now it’s your turn! How do you turn routine walks with kids into something more fun?

Debi Huang is a Los Angeles-based wife, mom and adventure guide for two young boys. Her blog at Go Explore Nature is all about getting kids and families outdoors and connected to nature.