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SUP Activities for all the family
Although Spring has already been here for a few weeks, for lots of us, the Easter holidays really signify the banishing of winter and the welcoming of warmer days and lots of daffodils! We’ve come up with some ways you can encourage your kids into the great outdoors this Easter, to catch up with some family time and engage with nature.
Easter Egg Paddle Hunt!
Lots of us probably have some great memories of the excitement of an Easter egg hunt when we were kids! Why not make this already fun experience into a team game, with the added excitement of getting on your paddle boards? We’ve devised a few different ways this can work, to keep you and the environment safe, and create fantastic memories for everyone.
Make sure you don’t lose any eggs!
There are a few ways to hide and retrieve eggs to ensure we aren’t accidentally leaving lots of chocolate (and its wrapping) around our rivers.
- Use an egg substitute
Instead of hiding real chocolate, you can use painted rocks (get the kids on board and use this as another special activity leading up to Easter) or blown-out eggshells (don’t waste the eggs though - omelettes for breakfast!). These can then be exchanged for treats when you return to the house.
- Strap a basket to the boards!
Make sure they don’t lose any treasure to the deep by using a dry bag attached to the board. It’s always advisable to use a clip or carabiner to make sure no over-enthusiastic paddle strokes cause eggs to go flying!
- Make it a treasure map/scavenger hunt with clues instead.
As well as not losing track of your hidden treasures, you can work together to follow a trail and find an easter basket. This may be easier as you might be sharing a board with a child, or have two children sharing the same board - the key to success is getting them working together to beat the hunt rather than competing with each other.
Be sure to be safe!
Of course, even if all involved have experience paddle boarding, it is always important to go over safety considerations before heading out.
Check out the location in advance.
Presumably, you’ll be heading out early to create your egg hunt regardless, but this is also a good opportunity to take note of areas where things could pose a danger, such as fallen trees in the water or other debris.
Limit your area.
If you’re in a lake, explain the boundaries of your hunt to the participants before you get on the water. In the excitement of the moment it might be easy to lose track of parents and fellow chocolate foragers, so make sure they know what is out of bounds, and what (if any) areas they are not allowed to go near (any obstructions or hazards in the water which you have spotted on your rec).
Make sure to hide any physical objects which are being collected within easy reach or hanging over the water from trees.
Wear proper safety equipment.
Be sure that each paddler is equipped with a buoyancy aid, and quick-release belt in addition to the ankle leash if you’re on a river or other moving water. Also, make sure that everyone is familiar with how and when to release the safety belt if needed!
