Trailblazing Tuesday
Trailblazing Tuesday Activity
Trailblazers are leaders and so many of them cut their teeth by being observant, trying new things and following clues. They also have mentors that teach them to lead. To instill these ideas I wanted to model a trail or path to follow.
In order to do that, we took a walk to see what we could observe out in nature on our path.
I reused an old scavenger hunt, as the youngest of the boys had been a baby and the other two pretty young. The hunt comes from one of my favorite bloggers for printables, Britni over at Play, Party, Plan. She created this awesome Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt that is both visual and with words so the boys wouldn’t need someone to read everything to them if they couldn’t read.
Thanks to Britni, I printed these off for each of the boys and we went walking around the backyard. I trimmed our excursion back from walking to the local park that day because we were under a heat advisory and I didn’t want to spoil the fun with heat exhaustion.
She also has other options as well. You could edit this Picnic Scavenger Hunt.
Or you could use this idea and have kids look for something from each letter of the alphabet like the game Scattergories.
There are a million ways that you can tailor this activity to your location and what you would be able to see as the kids blaze their trail.
Another way you could do this, if you wanted to make it a rewarding activity would be to make it a scavenger hunt with clues. You could create clues similar to these from letsroam. It actually contains riddles that the kids have to solve like:
- Dog
Woof, woof, woof is what I say.
I’ll love you every day.
I wag my tail when I’m happy,
Sometimes I’m a lab, sometimes I’m a corgi!
- Cloud
Some people think I’m made of cotton candy,
Because I’m fluffy, light, fine, and dandy.
I’m up in the sky, next to the sun,
I also bring you rain, isn’t that fun?
You could prehide them on cases they have to walk to, or bring them in a backpack along with small treats for each solved clue. Maybe a cheap pair of sunglasses like these from Amazon
which are only $7.99 for eight pairs, or these little plastic magnify glasses on Amazon that you can get for $7.99 for a pack of 20 so the kids can see some of the smaller items on the list.
Either way, it is a great way to get kids moving and out in nature.
Trailblazing Tuesday Craft
Follow your heart …or your newly made paving stones through the yard. I wanted the boys to leave their mark on their yard to demonstrate their importance in this stage of their life, so I found steppingstones for them to make! My sister was trying to spiff up her yard that summer, so it was their contribution to the endeavor.
When I was choosing the kit that I was going to use with the boys I had to think about the disparity in ages, but also the fact that the youngest always wanted to be a part of the excitement!
There were several kits that I searched and looked at online. For the two oldest I chose a mix and mold kit. A warning with this kit; it is a multi-day project as the mold takes eight hours to set. I bought two kits, one for each so there wouldn’t be any hurt feelings. It was overkill on the cement, but a life saver to have two molds to use at the same time. They were able to put their handprints and some gems in the stones before they set – and they do set quickly!
For the younger nephew I picked one they could decorate with paint, and it was perfect for a three-year-old. As he painted, he experimented with mixing colors of paint – a great introduction to the color wheel. He did really like “helping” mix and mold part of our project and putting some jewels into them as well. The younger two then painted the premade steppingstone kit in lieu of the mix-and-mold stones. I chose the one below since it was inexpensive and gave him the freedom to mix his colors.
There are several other kits you can choose from other sites as well if you are looking for other options for your crew!
Trailblazing Tuesday Game
Instead of planning a game for the group, it was their turn to make an obstacle course, since every good trailblazer knows that the path does not come easily. I decided to bring in a few supplies to help them create their course. Because it was hot, we did do it inside instead of outside as we had planned.
Hula hoops are always a great idea…unless you are inside with three little boys. They can be used to as “hot spots” around the yard. We used cushions off the couch that day instead.
Pool noodles are also cheap toys that can be used as mini hurdles, to create narrow walkways or use to bat at a hanging pinata or use as a bat on some sort of ball to push across an expanse.
Another great use of a whiffle bat I picked up at a golfing birthday party. It was goofy golf to get more people to play, and at one hole we had to spin around a whiffle bat with our head on the grip a few times before trying. You could inspire kids to try this at a basketball hoop and then make a shot. Or even take an attempt at a soccer ball into a net. We started with this task and then had to go through the course.
Another simple item to have on hand is a jump rope that they have to use a few times before moving on – or whatever else they come up with. We used the mini trampoline inside!
Have a swimming inner tube or two hanging around? They can throw them at each other to play ring around the brother or if you have enough for all, there is always bumper brothers! Again, we didn’t attempt this inside. I think my sister will thank me!
I love the concept of giving the kids the tools and letting them run with their imagination! The boys used a ribbon I had given them for the 4th of July to do twirls because it was there.
Of course, if you are more structured you can always set up a couple of courses and have them choose their path to the goal!
Trailblazing Tuesday Snack
What else can you do on a trail blazing day for a snack then trail mix? The great part about the ages that my nephews were at was that they could mix their own version…of course like many, they particularly liked the chocolate chips and the M&M’s. A surprise hit were the raisins. They also added their own twist: Froot loops. Not going to lie at Cousin Camp by Auntie B rules – anything goes.
In addition to these delicacies, I had almonds, cashews, and peanuts…although I had to coax them into trying at least one type of nut. They liked the salt the nuts added to the mix, but not the actual nut.
Relatable at that age. I didn’t like them either.
Trailblazing Tuesday Book
It’s a classic, but I chose The Berenstein Bears Blaze a Trail. I remember reading it when I was a kid and I figured it would be a fun end to the day. There are several different options that talk about hiking, including this beautiful picture journey Hike by Peter Oswald.
I ultimately chose The Berenstein Bears Blaze a Trail because of the varied ages of the boys and the ability of the oldest to be able to read it out loud for the younger two. However, in the end he wanted me to read it out loud. If I have learned anything from my high school students, even big kids like to be read to.
These trailblazers asked the next day if we were going to do cousin camp again.
And of course we would!
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