If you have been following Say-n-Play Columbus for awhile you know how much we love a good scavenger hunt. With the weekly challenges, this summer has felt like one giant scavenger hunt. We have been on the hunt for new foods, to finding a new playground, to a weeklong photography challenge with prompts. This final week of the #saynplaythesummeraway weekly challenges, we are challenging you to participate in our weeklong scavenger hunt. I am excited to have had the opportunity to partner with local businesses to provide a grand prize at the end of the week. The prize includes a bucket filled with a bubble want, sidewalk chalk, a Columbus…

This week the summer challenge is to locate and experience a living history museum. This is a place where buildings, objects, and a way of life have been preserved for you to experience. You will see first hand what people wore, ate, and did for fun in another time. “These special attractions typically feature costumed historians who bring the past to present in old-fashioned settings, examining how people lived in various stages of history. The museums are interactive and allow children to try their hand at crafts, take part in historic reenactments and tour homesteads and farms with animals.” So much to see, explore, and discuss and we just so happen…

1. Take A Walk! We often make the mistake of thinking of nature as being synonymous with wilderness, and forget that even city sidewalks and public parks offer fertile ground for fostering a nature connection. The puddles in the gutter, the dandelion growing through a crack in the sidewalk, and the pigeon cooing on a ledge are all part of nature! But if we never take time to step outside, slow down, and look around, we miss them altogether. Challenge yourself to go for weekly exploration walks in your neighborhood, and keep track of how many signs of nature you can spot along the way. This practice will sharpen your kiddo’s…