Outdoor Summer Activities

Doris Anderson
Professor Nowak
Writing 95/ T /R
2 April 2013
Assignment 2 Outdoor Summer Activities

During the warm summer months, many people like to be outside. The sun draws us outside after a cold winter to enjoy the sun. One fun way to do this is by organizing outdoor activities with family or friends. There can be variety of leisure activities that people can do; these activities can take from one person to several people. A few of these pastimes can range from lawn games, to fun and games at a park, or to recreation in the forest. Lawn games are one way to be out of doors. A family does not have to leave their yard to play some of these types of games; some of these can include croquet, people play this game by knocking a ball through a set of hoops that are set in the grass using a mallet. When setting up for a game of croquet, a person needs to create an area to place the hoops, which are typically called wickets. The most commonly played game is nine-wicket and uses a double diamond set up. Lawn darts can be another engaging family game. This is commonly played with two teams usually of two to four players. The object of the game is to take turns tossing four darts toward a round target at the opposite side of the yard. The team that gets the most darts in the round target wins. Horseshoes is also an enjoyable yard game. Horseshoes is played by placing two stakes forty feet apart, and then two teams take turns pitching a horseshoe toward the opposite stake. The first team to reach twenty-one wins the game. Many people like to spend recreational time in a park setting playing games that involve a person either with their pet dog or with other people. Several of these games could be Frisbee. This game the participant takes their dog to play with, or with other teammates being on one side throwing to another team with several people. Someone would toss a Frisbee in the air; another player catches it and throws it back. The rules of Disc golf are similar to those as club golf. Each hole starts with a tee-off, followed by throwing a disc until the player reaches the basket. Scoring is the same as it would be for club golf. Baseball is a game played between two teams with nine players each. There are three bases and home plate in a diamond style arraigned field. Each team takes turns hitting a ball into the field with a bat, the other team needs to try to catch the ball, and if they do not catch the ball, the batter then runs the bases until he is tagged with the ball. Other people want to use their summer days and weekends out in the wilderness. I especially like camping, hiking and mountain biking. Individuals can go camping using either a tent or a camper, it is really about comfort, or where one chooses to go for the adventure. Those who like camping also like to get out and see the natural habitat that surrounds them. Hiking on trails into mountains, or along streams, a person may see many types of animals ranging from birds, squirrels, or possibly a deer or two. Observing animals in the wild can be enjoyable and thrilling. Some people like to bring mountain bikes with them while they camp in order to see more of the natural surroundings the forest has to offer. Biking can take an individual further than hiking in a shorter amount of time. Mountain biking might take some training and some time to get used to though. I believe both can be fun while camping. All outdoor activities can be fun to do and anything that keeps us active is good for our bodies, minds and soul, so no matter what an individual chooses to do it can be a good experience.