Take It Outside Challenge fosters family bonding time and a sense of wonder
Steph James of Homer Glen said she found it difficult to include walks in nature as part of her family’s routine in the past.
But that changed when she and her husband, Glyn, their sons, Glyn, 6, Ewan, 4, and their dog, an Anatolian shepherd named Hilde, 2, took to the Forest Preserve’s trails as part of the Summer Soiree portion of the 2024 Take It Outside Challenge, which runs through Sept. 21.
The Jameses are among the hundreds of people having a blast competing in the challenge, which features nature-themed missions, including GPS check-ins in the preserves; photos of creatures, plants or terrain; and trivia questions.
“When I saw the Take It Outside Challenge on Facebook, I got excited,” Steph wrote in an email. “The kids love the scavenger hunt aspect and finding critters: deer, praying mantises, turtles, snakes.”
The missions presented the family with achievable goals, she added.
“Knowing a check-in is just around the bend or maybe the next bench is the one we are looking for, puts more enthusiasm in my kids and motivates them to go further than anything else I’ve found,” she said.
Tired and happy
The summer portion of the Take It Outside Challenge runs through Saturday, Sept. 21. So, there’s still plenty of time to join. Simply download the free Goosechase app on your smartphone and search for the challenge by name or use the join code BD13J5.
Participating in the challenge has provided a different kind of bonding time than the ones you can get from playing games or reading books, Steph said.
“We have a shared experience of being enchanted by the same lily pad paradise or sunset," she said. "We go home tired and happy, and sometimes with bigger questions. Seeing northern water snakes and some amazing spider webs has directly influenced my boys in wanting to know more.”
To get answers to questions about what the creatures eat and how they sleep or have babies, Steph said she headed to her local library to the children’s nonfiction section where they checked out books on snakes, spiders and insects.
“We’re also learning to identify different croaks and bird calls,” she said. “It’s empowering for my kids. They have a family experience that fills them with wonder, and then get to find answers to their burning questions. My soon to be first-grader is also using his reading skills trying to decipher signs, and his math skills when we add up miles on the maps.”
Overall, taking part in the challenge has been extremely worthwhile and has given the James family a greater sense of “all the treasures in Will County,” Steph said. And it’s a great way to model healthy habits while exploring habitats.
“I like getting my daily steps in the fresh air,” she said. “It’s much more invigorating than just walking around our subdivision. And Hilde is proving to be a great pointer and is very friendly with other trail-goers.”
Points and prizes
Each week during the challenges, 10 missions will be released, and participants will complete challenges to earn points and prizes. Mastercard gift cards in the amounts of $500, $250 and $150 will be awarded for first, second and third places, respectively. You can only win a seasonal cash prize once. Other prizes that will be awarded at random for those who complete specified missions or simply take part in the challenge include:
- Three Summer Fun Monee Reservoir prize packs consisting of four 1-hour kayak rentals, four meal deals (sandwich, chips, pop and ice cream) and four Monee Reservoir can koozies.
- Three half-day kayak rentals at Monee Reservoir with two can koozies.
- Bird-themed prize packs furnished by Wild Birds Unlimited Joliet.
- Six 6-pack cookie cards provided by Crumbl in Mokena.
- Gift cards for the Forest Preserve District, Outsider Threads merchandise, Dairy Queen and Dunkin'.
- Take It Outside prize packs consisting of a Take It Outside shirt, hat, mug and bandana.
This is the third seasonal challenge in 2024 after the Winter Workout and Spring Fling contests concluded. Take It Outside has transitioned from a yearlong competition in 2023 to four seasonal challenges.
The final challenge of the year will be the Fall Frolic, which runs from Oct. 6 through Dec. 14. The join code for this challenge is ED7MGP. Be sure to read the online rules before you begin competing.
The 2024 Take It Outside Challenge is sponsored by The Nature Foundation of Will County.