Going on a Treasure Walk

When my daughter was little she rode in a stroller, I could walk as slowly or as quickly as I wanted - it was great!  And then........I had a boy, or maybe it was the second child factor, either way, as soon as he could walk he wanted none of that stroller.  If you've ever walked more than 20 feet with a toddler you know what I'm talking about.  I could have literally laid down on the sidewalk and taken a nap and still beaten him to the corner!  He had to look at every bug crawling on the sidewalk and touch every flower or plant growing in his path, he had to walk in circles at least every 5 feet and that was just for one block!  By block number two we were into, "I'm tired, no more walking."  You know that scene with Russell from the movie UP - that's my kid!  "I'm tired, my knee hurts.....my elbow hurts and I have to go to the bathroom."  Get a move on child!  I just want to walk around the block!

I REALLY wanted to take a walk that was fun, didn't require me to carry a frustrated, hot, crying toddler AND took less than 3 hours.  So, I combined my desire for fresh air and sunshine and my need to make every day a learning experience for my kids and I came up with Treasure Walks.  At first, I would get online and search images that you might see on a daily walk:  a red car, a brown dog, a yellow sign, etc.  Since my daughter is 3 years older than my son I would print the word next to the picture.  Now that they're older I always add something that they are sure they won't be able to find (but I've noticed on a previous walk): an eagle (its a wooden statue on someone's fence), an elephant (a fountain in a neighbors yard), a butterfly bigger than my hand (a plastic ornament stuck in a planter).....you get the drift.

So, here are a few Treasure Walk ideas to get you started:

Treasure Walks with Toddlers (include images and words)

a red car

a triangle shaped sign

the letter S (usually on a street sign or license plate)

a cat

pink flowers

a white house

a fire hydrant 

water (this one is good for morning walks because you can point out dew and what it does)

someone else talking a walk

Treasure Walks with Problem Solvers (no more pictures on this list)

something that flies (a bird, a plane, a bee, etc)

a house on wheels 

a tree with no leaves (this can work in autumn or as a trick question - an evergreen has needles not leaves)

a cloud shaped like an animal

two motorcycles

a yield sign

a specific type of vehicle (this is great for teaching them to recognize cars in an emergency - a 4 door, a Chevy, a Dodge, a king cab truck, etc)

Always make it on their level with just a few that let them dig a little deeper.  Make it fun and silly and help them when they need it - it's not a test, Mom.  Let them carry the list and check off the stuff they find with a crayon (less mess than a pen!).  Everyone's different so you'll know what works for you - like we add in Spanish words for animals and colors to give the kids a little extra challenge (this is great for toddlers - just ask Dora!).  Ask the kids what they want to see too - even for little ones - they can come up with some good ones!

Now that the kids are older (6 and 9), we take the camera sometimes and take pictures of the stuff we find.  This is a great summer activity for problem solving aged kids.  You can just do it for the fun of it or they can keep a binder with sleeves that you insert the list into and on the next page print out a collage of the pictures they took.  For older kids you could go on hikes and make it more difficult with specific types of flowers or plants.  Set up Summer Treasure Walks where they have a list of things they'd like to see and do that entire summer.  The possibilities only depend on your own ingenuity! 

Have fun and good walking!