Bike Safari

Spring is around the corner and the weather has been warming up (at least here in the southern California desert). Family bike rides are a great way to spend time outdoors together. Now is the time to plan a bike safari with your child(ren) as an afternoon activity.

Here’s how:

• Before you go, you must plan your route. Make sure all members of your family can finish the route comfortably.
• Do a practice run, writing down clues for things to find along the route.
• Print out the clue list for each family member to take with them during the ride.
• During the ride, help the little ones by telling them one clue at a time so they can concentrate on riding safely while searching for their clue (not carrying a list).

Clues can be ambiguous to encourage individual interpretations and might include things like, “something that can spray water” (interpretations might include a hose, fire hydrant, sprinklers, etc.), or something specific, “a blue gate.”

Include things that guide thinking beyond just the human presence in the neighborhood like, “material for a bird’s nest,” “food for a bee,” “purple blossoms,” or “something just beginning to grow.”

Take pictures of your finds or simply point them out to each other as you go. Below is a list of ideas for clues.

Clue ideas:

• A plant you can eat
• A found face
• A pollinator
• Dripping water
• Something sparkly
• Something you can hear but can’t see
• A bird’s nest
• Food for a hummingbird
• A (color) door
• A flag
• The silliest mailbox
• A fragrant flower
• Something you can see through
• A rainbow bouquet (a red flower, orange flower, yellow flower, green, blue, (indigo), purple flowers—found throughout the ride)
• The smallest tree

Enjoy your adventure!