Alien Invasion

Adapted from a Chicago City Parks & Rec activity recommendation (used with permission)

See a familiar outdoor setting with new eyes as you and your child pretend to be aliens on a mission to explore our planet and report back to your leader. Feel free to dress up or define your own rules for how you sense things (do you see with your hands? smell with your feet?) move (do you fly? hop? walk on hands AND legs?) or speak (do they speak pig latin or another made up language on your planet? or just english?).

Start out discovering new things together and dreaming up new perspectives (e.g. is a tree an earthling? is a shell a telephone?)…then split up and explore the space before reuniting a few minutes later to talk about everything you “discovered” on your mission.

If your child really enjoys this activity, try it again in other environments (e.g. grocery store, around the house).