Years ago when I was just starting college, one of the staff members at the college hosted the strangest and most memorable adventures for students. Without any details, he’d announce the day and time for his epic adventure, and we would clamour to be first in line. Over the next few hours we would be somewhere across the city or countryside seeing and doing the most unexpected things. I remember every detail because adventures create memories.
Your neighbourhood is a place where adventures can happen, and where you can make them happen. One group called ‘Pop-Up Adventure Play’ is helping neighbourhoods become places where kids create their own playgrounds together. Using cardboard boxes, string, fabric, and other simple materials, this group has been hosting events in parks aimed at bringing kids together to play in creative ways. This may not be new. Parents discover early that kids love boxes and use their imaginations to create all kinds of experiences. What is inspiring is that more neighbourhood groups are gathering kids and finding ways for them to play together right where they live.
Similarly, ‘Rewilding’ is a movement that aims to help people, adults and kids alike, reconnect with the world around them. They believe that we live with a nature deficit disorder which is a lack of unpredictable and rustic experiences out in the wild world. Our neighbourhoods might be the farthest thing from a forest or river, but we can find creative ways to get our kids outside and on a grand adventure together.
Water balloon fights, scavenger hunts, urban hikes, or castles built from cardboard are the stuff of legends for children in your neighbourhood. This summer, with a little planning, you can create experiences that allow our children’s imaginations to run freely.
Creating adventures is not as hard as we think. As adults, we think bigger is better and we think highly planned and costly events are the only ones worth making. However pop-up adventures are often memorable because of the people who make them. When we create events with the aim to make a special moment for the people we love, it makes all the difference. I was so inspired when I heard that one of my neighbours created her own ‘locked room’ experience for her daughter and friends. Using a guide she found online, she built a whole experience that her family and friends won’t soon forget.
Creating adventures and inviting others to join in does not have to be expensive, but it might cost you some time and energy. When we consider that our life is a collection of meaningful moments shared with others, then we begin to see silly little pop-up adventures in new ways.
What kind of adventures could you create in your neighbourhood this summer? What do you have that you could share with others? How could kids, families, and adults enjoy the experience you host? Your next adventure might just be in your own back yard.
