Dara is the mom who wakes up at 3am with a great idea for the blog. She called saying, "I came up an idea, but I'll have to deliver it in person." How much fun is that? The suspense killed me! A play surprise. For me? Turns out it was a surprise Play Challenge. It came in a brown paper bag. Here are the rules:
- All items must be used. (2 cones, 4 bean bags, 1 piece of chalk, 1 ball, 1 small hourglass timer)
- Game must be played outdoors.
- You need to create a name for your game.
- Have fun family time!
These are the items:
We came up with 4 games. Each family member ended up running a game. I'm not going to tell you how we designed our games - so we don't influence your creativity. However, I will tell you the names of our games so you may get a taste of the fun we had:
- Le Obstacle Course (8 year old)
- The Bean Sprout (5 year old)
- Le Challenge (Dad)
- Bullseye Bowling (Mom)
Do It Yourself
Anyone can do this challenge. Allow for creativity and resist putting an adult stamp on the kids ideas.
- Put ANY items in a bag and see what your kids will do with it!
- Have them create play challenges for each other.
- Make bags for your friend's families and pass the challenge on.
- Use it at a birthday party and follow the theme.
- Issue the challenge at a picnic or camping using nature items for nature play.
Take advantage of items you already have. Play needn't be complicated or expensive.
