Walk a Mile in Their Little Shoes

by Jeff Bogle | More from this Blogger

13 Jul 2007 07:49 AM

For most youngsters, and in all likelihood a fair number of adults, taking a walk may not be the most pleasing of activities. A proclamation such as "Hey kids, forgo those cartoons this morning and lets go for a walk in the park!" made after breakfast on a Saturday is not usually met with a enthusiastic response nor is the suggestion to put away the Nintendo DS after dinner for a stroll around the neighborhood. But as my family's recent 2 ½ hour saunter along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia proves - a walk can indeed be a fun time for kids and grown-ups alike. Sure, it helps to have a picturesque locale to stroll past or alongside, as we did on Kelly Drive, but I contend that just about any stretch of walkway, sidewalk or pathway can be a fantastic adventure and help to promote outdoor play, family conversation and good old fashion fun.

While strolling our community or the big city, we like to partake in a number of fun activities to break up any monotony along the way. In addition to enjoying a variety of quality juices and snacks along the way, we hold mini-races - seeing who can reach a stop sign, big rock, or some other landmark the fastest. These short sprints are a great way to innocuously speed up the pace of your journey and have a blast at the same time.

My daughter will almost always find herself a big stick or twig early in our journey and use it as a walking stick and sometimes, if her imagination is in full swing, she will pretend to be on safari, exploring a rainforest or the jungle. Along the way she collects interesting-looking rocks, colorful leaves and the occasional bug in a Ziploc bag or small plastic container.

The most typical walk for us is the 20-30 minute sojourn around our modest fifty-year old community. We are fortunate to have no through traffic on our streets, so it is not uncommon to see numerous families out during nice non-winter evenings. Walking the neighborhood is a great way to recapture that sense of community that is far too often missing from modern suburban living. And on top of that, taking a walk is great way to sneak in some exercise and will be a load of fun for you and your little ones!

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Learn more about Jeff Bogle

Jeff is married to a lovely redhead and is fortunate to have in his life an amazing young lady, age three.

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