7 Outdoor Activities for a Summer of Kindness
Ah, Summer. The days get longer and the opportunities for practicing kindness are heating up!
Below you will find 7 adventures that all center around getting outdoors in nature and finding ways to stay active, all while spreading kindness this Summer!
1) Take our Home Sweet Home Pledge to Protect the Earth
Unfortunately, the earth is experiencing the effects of global warming faster than ever in history, which means it is all of our jobs to protect and care for Mother Earth. Join us at Adventures in Kindness to take the Home Sweet Home pledge and start doing at least one of these activities this week. Challenge you and your kind kid to keep up this adventure for the rest of this year! Download the pledge in the resources section of our website.
See Adventure #24 in the book for more info on this adventure & for the report from the field!
2) Run, Walk, Bike, or Scoot for a Cause
If your kid loves being kind and loves to run or bike, this adventure is for your family.
Make your next run or bike ride more meaningful by signing up for a road race that raises awareness and funds for a cause that is important to you.
Bonus: Your kid may find some lifelong friends in the process.
Use Adventure #16 in the book for more info on this adventure & for the report from the field!
3) Host a Community Dog Wash
Who doesn’t love a squeaky clean pup? Work with your kind kid to gather your friends or family members to host a one-day community dog wash, where four-legged friends can get a bath in exchange for a donation such as a toy or towel for a local shelter or humane society. You can set up stations for dog owners to wash their own dogs or you can offer to wash the dogs. Just make sure the dog’s owner is present to keep the animal on a leash and under control.
Find Adventure #5 in the book for more info on what you will need for this adventure.
4) Offer to Walk or Visit with the Pet of an Older Friend or Relative
Spending time with animals will not only bring your kind kid joy, comfort and companionship, but will help our kids learn how to better care for each other, too.
Use Adventure #4 in the book for more info on this adventure & for the report from the field!
5) Learn at Least One New Active Sport
One job our kids have —and it’s a fun one—is that you get to figure out which activities they like best. And the good news is, there’s no shortage of sports to learn, so why not take up a new one this year?
See Adventure #20 in the book for the full list of sports for this adventure.
6) Dig into the Soil + Start a Garden
Has your kid ever examined the types of bushes or flowers that grow in your yard? They’re very likely “native” to your neck of the woods, meaning that they have adapted to your local climate and soil conditions. This is an opportunity for your kid to learn that native plants and flowers are important because they provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds, and other animals. When non-native plants are introduced to an area, they have a lower likelihood of survival, and they will often require pest control to survive.
Start this adventure by supporting your kid with creating a list of ten plants that are local to your area. Then, plant one of them around your house or apartment. We love butterflies, so we planted one of the many species of milkweed plant that is native to our home state of Maryland. We loved seeing caterpillars crawl along the leaves and lay their eggs, and we were able to watch the entire transformation process, from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, right from our kitchen window!
Find Adventure #23 in the book for more info about native plants!
7) Walk or Bike to All Nearby Locations
Just like conserving energy in your home is an important part in caring for our planet, so too is thinking about your personal carbon footprint. How much is your family driving each week, and can you replace any of those drives with different forms of transportation, such as walking or biking? This one’s not always possible, depending on where you live, but if you find that your family relies on the car for daily trips to the local grocery store or market, consider suggesting that you condense those four or five trips a week into two, or that you walk or bike to the market one day instead of driving.
Use Adventure #25 in the book for more info on this adventure & for the report from the field!
Looking for more adventures like these? Our Adventures in Kindness book contains 52+ impactful adventures for kids, to make kindness and compassion a daily practice and check our Everyday Kindness Kit even more inspiration for Summer activities! Use code KINDSUMMER22 for free shipping and receive a free gift with your purchase!