How We Turn Ordinary Places Into Adventures With Our Kids

We tend to think of adventure as something that requires a plan. Something that requires a reservation, packed bags, a car, and a destination on a "must-see" list. And, don't get me wrong, I love the idea of big trips. That's quite literally the whole lifestyle we are working toward, with an ever-growing list of places we want to explore.

But I also don't want my kids growing up only seeing the excitement and adventure in big trips. I think part of keeping wonderment alive in a child is helping them to see and explore the things around us every day. And truly, some of the best exploring happens somewhere completely ordinary — somewhere you've driven past a hundred times.

You just have to look at something a little closer and wonder...

Kids are especially good at this. They don't need a website review or some expert on travel to tell them where the "good" spots are. They stop and check out a cool rock. Or the hole in the tree that must be a fairy house. Or a puddle that needs some good, up-close, puddle-splashing personal review.

Meanwhile, we adults are standing there looking to get to the "exciting" thing to do.

But they're already there.

And that's kind of the point.

WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO SLOW DOWN

I think adults have a tendency to treat outings like something we need to complete — like a checklist. Pack the bag, get to the place, walk the trail, take the pictures, see the thing, and then go home.

Kids don't work like that.

They immediately notice the things that we walk straight past... They will wander, stop and look closer, and ask questions... as long as we let them. So we've been trying to do more of that.

Instead of waking up and deciding exactly what the day will look like, we leave room for it to become what it will. Maybe that means we pull over somewhere on the way to "the adventure" and explore, taking a walk without a plan and letting our daughter decide what deserves our attention.

A trip to the local state park was supposed to be the adventure one weekend. And on a quick stop, 10 minutes from the house, for ice cream, we ended up at a local river for hours — skipping rocks, looking at the fish, throwing sticks for Alfie, checking out snake sheds, and getting our feet and hands wet while looking closer at what was right in our own backyard.

We ended up completely forgetting that the whole trip to the state park was actually supposed to be the adventure that day.

That's the cool part of it all.

Despite never making it to the “destination” or completing the intended trip, we still spent a really great afternoon together.

That counts as an adventure too.

ADVENTURE... SCHOOL?

This is probably where the way we explore and the way we homeschool start blending together.

Overcomplicating things takes the joy out of adventure. I don't feel the need to turn every outing into a lesson, but every outing really is a lesson. An experience, a memory, a path leading us to new questions and wonder about the world.

And while that doesn't have to turn into bookwork, learning starts the moment we start asking questions. If they find a shell, maybe they wonder what lived inside it. If we see tracks in the mud, we wonder what made them. If they're fascinated by anything they see, then we will find an answer.

And my favorite part: If I don't know the answer to a question, what's my response...?

"I don't know. Let's find out."

That sentence can take you pretty far, because it leads us down a rabbit hole of new knowledge and discovery — new things we can learn together.

WE DON'T NEED MUCH

The best part about exploring close to home is how little it requires. Grab a snack, a couple of waters, the diaper bag, shoes that can get dirty, and you're basically out the door, ready for your adventure.

We don't need an elaborate itinerary or a Pinterest-worthy experience. Take your snacks and water and head out to the backyard. Sit down in the dirt, eat the watermelon, and feel the grass. Watch the worms crawl out, the clouds move through the air, and the birds fly above you.

Or just... go somewhere. Go to the place you always drive past — the road you wonder where it ends. Look around. And the kids will almost always manage to find something worth seeing.

ORDINARY PLACES START FEELING DIFFERENT

The more we started exploring this way, the more I've realized how much we normally miss.

There are places close to home that I had barely paid attention to because they weren't destinations.

They were just there.

But once you start looking at the world through the eyes of a kid who wants to know what's under every rock, where every path leads, and why absolutely anything and everything exists, ordinary places stop feeling so ordinary.

And that's something I'd like to carry with us when we eventually hit the road. Of course, I want our kids to see national parks, and oceans, and all the big things we're dreaming about. But I also want them to know that exploration doesn't start when we pull out of the driveway.

It can happen right now, right where we are. Right in our own backyard.

You don't always have to go far to find something new.