Winter Outdoor Fun Passport Available To Rye Kids

RYE, N.Y. – Rye kids can pick up a “Winter Outdoor Fun Passport” and find more than 100 reasons to get outside and play this winter thanks to a community collaboration between the Rye Nature Center and Rye YMCA.

Outdoor fun doesn't end with cold weather. The Rye YMCA and the Rye Nature Center have created a "Winter Outdoor Fun Passport" to help kids find reasons to get outside and play this season.
Photo Credit: *Contributed*

by Anna Helhoski

01/18/2013 1:30 p.m.

During the winter when the days are short and cold, children’s outdoor play time tends to dramatically decrease.

“The benefits of outdoor play are not weather dependent,” noted Christine Siller, executive director of the Rye Nature Center, in a release. “The passport is a great tool to give your kids to make sure they are getting the exercise, sunlight, and free play time that their bodies and brains need during these colder months.”

The “passport” lists ideas for outdoor activities ranging from “walk the dog” to “have a snowball race” to “pretend you are a cartographer and need to make a map of your backyard.”

The suggestions are grouped into five categories: Get Active, Play, Pretend, Search and Get Creative. Children who complete ten activities in each category before the first full day of spring on March 21 will receive a prize.

The passport is available at the Rye YMCA, 21 Locust Ave.; the Rye Nature Center, 873 Boston Post Road; and The Rye Arts Center, 51 Milton Road. It is also available online at www.ryenaturecenter.org.

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