The loud outside hour: dirt, sticks and yelling
Kids hear "inside voice" all day. Give them one hour outdoors where loud and dirty are the rules, and get in the dirt with them.
- Time
- 1 hour
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Where
- Backyard or park
What you need
- Old clothes and shoes that can get muddy
- Old spoons, cups and a bucket of water
- Hats and sunscreen
- Soap, a towel and an outside tap or hose
Before you start
- Stick rules. Sticks shorter than your arm, held below the shoulder, never swung at people or faces. Throws go into the open part of the yard, only when nobody's out there.
- Sun. AAP advises hats, broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or more put on 15 to 30 minutes before you go out, reapplied every 2 hours, and less sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Soap, not sanitizer. CDC says hand sanitizer doesn't work well on visibly dirty hands, like after playing outdoors. Wash with soap and water before snacks and when you come in.
- Yell at the sky, not at ears. No yelling right beside someone's face, and no dirt thrown at anyone.
Steps
- Pick the time and the spot. Pick a daytime hour, not early or late, set a timer and announce the loud hour.
- Build dirt hills. Pile dirt into hills, add water until it holds, and build. You dig too.
- Play stick make-believe. Each person picks one stick. Your kid runs the story and gives you a part.
- Hold a yelling contest. Face the open yard: loudest roar, longest "Ahhh," silliest animal. Dad goes too.
- Let them choose the rest. Their choice for the last 15 minutes. Give a five-minute warning.
- Wash up and wind down. Brush off, shoes off, wash with soap. "Loud hour's done. Inside voices now."
If it stalls
- If they don't want to get dirty, start with a stick and a dry patch of sand. Clean fingers are fine.
- If stick play gets rough, call "freeze" and replay the scene in slow motion, or swap sticks for pool noodles.
Loudest roar · longest "Ahhh" in seconds
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date