Cheree Larson, Author at Fun Family Next Door

Neighborhood Mini Triathlon

We have organized two mini-triathlons for the kids in our neighborhood. It was part of a celebration of the end of summer. The kids in the neighborhood were invited to bike one mile, swim two lengths of the pool, then run half a mile. We had kids from age 5 – 14 participate. You should have seen all those proud faces when they crossed the finish line!

Make sure to recruit at least 8 adults to help. You’ll need to place them along the route to keep everyone safe. Map out your course and give your volunteers specific assignments, making sure there is an adult at any road crossings or wear a kids could stray from the route. You’ll also need timers with stopwatches and clipboards recording start and finish times. And, you will need a volunteer lifeguard at the pool.

We like this order, bike – swim – run, but you could also put your swim at the end. Kids don’t want to get out of the pool once they’re in, so we like sandwiching it in the middle so the pool stays clear for the next athlete.

The Starting Line

We wrote numbers on the kids’ shoulders with eye liner pen. The pens are waxy so they don’t rub off in the water.

We sent the kids one at a time, every thirty seconds. They raced against the clock, not each other. Otherwise, there would be way too many kids in the pool at once and the bike route would be too crowded as well.

Biking

Swimming

Running

The Finish Line

I really love this event. I think it’s a great opportunity for kids to feel the glory of hard work and determination. We all feel better about ourselves when we finish something difficult. Everyone feels like a winner if they complete the course– and they all did!

End of Summer Neighborhood Block Party

It’s time to bring back the neighborhood block party to celebrate the end of summer! Invite everyone in your neighborhood by taping flyers to the doors of every house.

You can keep your party simple: outdoor BBQ and yard games. That’s really all you need for a good block party. However, if you want to spice it up even more, try adding activities like a neighborhood triathlon, road relay, and an outdoor movie.

The trick to throwing a block party is recruiting lots of help. You’ll need to ask lots of people to share their yards for the evening games and movie. In our case, there are three houses along the street that don’t have fences, so they share a giant combined backyard. This is a great location for our block party

Potluck Dinner

We set up grills and tables in the driveway for the potluck dinner. Families are invited to bring their own meat/veggies to grill and something to share. Our family provides the paper plates, utensils, cups, and water. Everyone brings chairs and blankets.

Yard Games

We use the large backyard for yard games like soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, flag football, kickball and dodge ball. Set up games like Kubb, lawn darts, and volleyball in other yards. We have some lazer tag guns that have also been used at block parties. Use them if you have them!

Road Relay

We sent one of our “take charge” moms around the party to recruit people to compete in our Road Relay. She successfully recruited seven teams. Each team had 5-6 people. The teams had to compete in a relay down the entire street and then back, completing all kinds of challenges. They started at House #1 with the first challenge. One member of the team jump roped from the first house to the second house. Then another teammate took over and completed the next challenge. There was a challenge at each house. We used chalk to mark start and finish lines on the sidewalk for certain challenges. We set up chairs and equipment as needed. Some challenges were individual tasks but others used multiple people or the whole team. People just had to take turns. Our course took about 20 minutes for one team to complete.

Challenges

Jump Rope
Hula Hoop 10 consecutive rotations
2-man carry
Eat a bowl of cereal
Shoot right & left lay ups and a free throw (make 3 baskets)
Walk with a cotton ball on a spoon (If you drop it, you must return to start.)
Knock down a kubb (8”block) with a wooden dowel from 20’
Tricycle ride
Walk with a tennis ball between knees
Long division problem on whiteboard
Sled Ride- Carry one teammate on a sled (Don’t drag them!)
Scooter ride
Human wheelbarrow race
10 push-ups
Steamroller the whole team
Potato sack race to the finish line

Mini Triathlon

If you’d like to add a mini triathlon to your neighborhood block party, you could hold it earlier in the day. Here’s the link for instructions to organize your own neighborhood kids triathlon: Neighborhood Mini Triathlon

Outdoor Movie

Another family offered their backyard for an outdoor movie after sunset. This was nice because they had the projector and screen all set up when we arrived. There was no conflict with games, dinner, or relays to prevent them from setting up early. People could bring their own chairs, pillows, popcorn, and Junior Mints.

Find more ideas to make you neighborhood a great place to live HERE.

Our Favorite Board Books for Little Ones

Whenever I am lucky enough to attend a baby shower, I know exactly what gift I will bring. Board books!

Baby with Books

Read to your little ones from the time they join your life. Get a big stack of board books that they can chew and drool on. Read, read, read and they will love books all their lives.

I have a little girl with dyslexia. Learning to read has been a great challenge for her… but she has never given up. We have read to her all her life and her desire to read on her own trumped every difficulty that has come her way. When she was tiny, I would often find her sitting on big piles of books, transfixed by the pictures as she turned the pages. I’m pretty sure that love of books was exactly what she needed to get through her learning disability. So, give those babies books they can hold, study, and lick!