Beginners' guide to fossil hunting
Most children love dinosaurs - but few will realise that you can find them outside a museum
If you have a garden, now is the time to make the most of it and enjoy being outside responsibly. Rain or shine, round up your household and challenge them to a garden game. Prizes for the winners? We like that idea!
Here at OS we love being outside, and our selection of family-friendly OS Traditional Garden Games helps you do just that. From garden skittles to a giant parachute, there’s something for all the family.
We challenged GetOutside Champions David Mellor (Potty Adventures) and Ross Toole (Dad Adventure Diaries) to try out two of our traditional garden games, plus share the how they're having fun with their families outside.
The Potty Adventures crew were our trusted testers of the OS Jumbo Garden Tennis set. Containing oversized rackets, a soft form ball and a portable net and poles; this set is suitable for all abilities. New to tennis? No problem! The soft ball and low net make for slower speeds, which gave David’s whole family an advantage.
The gang at Dad Adventure Diaries tried out the OS Junior Croquet set and had great fun in their back garden.
It was a new game for us but everyone enjoyed the challenge. Playing at times got very competitive!
You can easily adapt the OS Junior Croquet set to make it more achievable for little ones or more challenging for older kids and adults. What’s more, it’s perfect for small gardens if your outside space is limited.
There's loads of weird and wonderful games to keep you entertained in your garden. Why not use your imagination and make up your own? GetOutside Champions David and Ross share their family favourites!
Crazy Golf is great fun but, unfortunately, not many of us have a family set of putters in the garage. As such, why not play Crazy Bowls and inject a bit of fun and adventure into the sedate game of crown green bowls. Simply create a nine-hole adventure course in your garden using things you have lying around the house but, rather than needing putters, you aim to roll a ball towards each object in as few moves as possible.
Game credit: Potty Adventures
The Floor is Lava is one of our favourite garden games. Create a ninja warrior style course around your garden using boxes, chairs, garden slides and swings, and aim to get around it without placing any of your body on the ground. If you have a paddling pool or sprinkler handy, you can even create a lake and water jet to navigate safely through too. If you're a family of four or more, you could even do a blindfolded version in pairs. While you're blindfolded and trying to slowly make your way over the course, your partner is shouting directions to you. Fastest team to finish without touching the floor is the winner.
Game credit: Potty Adventures
One #GetOutsideInside activity to build hand-eye coordination is ‘Hot Chocolate’. All you need is a bat/tennis racquet/frying pan and something to balance on it such as a ball. One person turns their back and the challenger must creep up and try to reach them. Any time the person turns around the challenger must stop and stay still. If caught moving or if the object falls off the bat/racquet the challenger must return to the start and try again. As soon as the challenger reaches the person, they need to shout "Hot Chocolate". This is a great simple game that the kids love because they do not want to get caught.
Game credit: Dad Adventure Diaries
Another activity we have been doing a lot lately is inventing obstacle courses. We get the whole family involved in the building and designing of our courses. We love timing how long it takes to complete the course and then try to beat our own scores, Mum and Dad included! Again, you can make these as easy or as challenging as you want with anything you have lying around.
Game credit: Dad Adventure Diaries
If you want entertaining over a longer period than just a few hours, why not consider getting your tent out and holding your very own garden festival, complete with music, games and entertainment? We did this over the Easter weekend, and it was a huge hit with the kids.
We created a line-up using playlists and streamed acts from real festival websites. The kids got tattoos, had their faces painted, played games and activities that you'd usually find in the kids' area at major festivals, such as circus skills like juggling, hula hooping and tightrope (slackline) walking. It kept us entertained all weekend!
Game credit: Potty Adventures
Den Building is a family favourite. During lockdown we have built dens both inside and outside the house. We've built them for sleepovers, to have picnic lunches and watch movies. Under the dining table with a blanket over the top will make a basic den. You can make them as simple or as elaborate as you like. My six-year-old likes to draw and design them first and then we try to re-create them.
In our back garden we use any materials that we can get our hands on, like old bits of wood, the slide, old painting sheets and tyres. This encourages lots of imaginative play. Often, we pretend we are on a pirate ship or a lookout tower!
Game credit: Dad Adventure Diaries
Head over to our online shop to get your hands on one of the many great OS Traditional Garden Games to enjoy with your family this Spring.
Published 15/04/2020
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