STEM & Engineering Challenges
- Design and launch a water rocket
- (with soda bottles, water, and a bike pump).
- Build a working Rube Goldberg machine outdoors
- using ramps, balls, and garden tools.
- Build a DIY zip line or pulley system
- for a stuffed animal “rescue mission.”
- Try slacklining or backyard tightrope walking
- (use strong rope between trees).
Creative & Artistic Activities
- Film a 1-minute outdoor action movie:
- stunts, fake chase scenes, or nature-based fantasy.
- Make a stop-motion animation using nature items
- (leaves, sticks, rocks).
- Design an epic chalk mural or message trail
- on the sidewalk.
- Paint a “kindness rock” trail
- and leave inspiring messages along a local path.
- Hold a backyard concert or open mic night
- —music, spoken word, or stand-up for friends/family.
Games & Physical Challenges
- Create your own backyard escape room
- with physical challenges and hidden clues.
- Host a backyard Olympics
- : create challenges like frisbee accuracy, sprint relays, and balance tests.
- Make a giant outdoor board game:
- human-scale Twister, checkers, or capture the flag with rules.
- Organize a “Nailed It” nature edition:
- recreate a fancy stick or leaf structure you saw online.
- Create a mini-golf course around your yard or park
- using recyclables and outdoor gear.
Nature & Outdoor Exploration
- Build a tree ID journal:
- identify and draw different trees in your area, collect leaves to press.
- Create a bug safari challenge:
- photograph and identify 10 insects around your house or park.
- Do a “shadow photo shoot”:
- take creative photos playing with shadows at different times of day.
- Set a 3-day wilderness challenge:
- sleep outside, cook outdoors, build a shelter (with supervision).
- Plan and cook a full meal outdoors
- (solar cooker, campfire, or camping stove—adult supervision needed).
- Design and bury a time capsule with objects, letters, and predictions
- —dig it up next summer.
Feel free to share your photos, creations, or memories with us at this address schooloffice@marymount.fr we’d love to see them!
