For Jonathan's sixth birthday, we went to Tilikum and had a creation 'treasure hunt' with six different clues hid all around the trails (and one clue was floating on the lake). Each clue was related to one of the six days of creation, and each time we found something, there was a set of prizes related to that day, along with the next clue. For example the fourth clue read, "God made me and the moon on the fourth day. Just ask me for the clue and I'll show you the way." At this point they eventually figured out it was the sun.
I then had them all face the sun and ask for the next clue. I had attached it to a rock and, while standing behind them, I threw it high into the air, and it fell in front of them as if from the sky. Not all of them believed that the clue actually fell from the sun (because it would have been burned up), but they were all delighted, nonetheless.
I had a great time seeing these kids wander around Tilikum, figuring out how to retrieve clues from a tree and exploring the area. A great book about the importance of getting kids outside is called, The Last Child in the Woods: Saving your Child from Nature-Deficit Disorder. It's a great book that shows the importance of kids being in nature and how that is becoming an exception rather than a norm. It also gives motivation and ideas for how to get kids outside.
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