Go Wild: Exercise Like Wild Animals
Sometimes you just have to go wild – and exercise like a wild animal! Kids seem full of energy, and even when you think they’re ready to slow down, they seem to tap into another fuel reserve and can keep going wild for another hour! Releasing the inner animal and visiting the jungle, the beach, or the mountain top in your imagination is lots of fun. Safe fun where you can go crazy is a great way to pass the time and, if possible, use the workout as a chance to learn about animals. There are lots of ways to exercise that evoke, or are named after, different kinds of creatures. In order to burn energy in a way that is both fun and can be a learning experience, channeling hours of play into pretending to be your favorite kind of animal.
Here are 5 ways to Go Wild and Exercise Like Wild Animals:
- Bear Crawl: The bear crawl would be a great way to visit a forest. To do the exercise, start on your hands and knees, then lift your knees a couple of inches. See how far you can go! It is harder than it looks. See if you can get around obstacles. After you’ve worked up a bear-sized appetite, snack on some fish and blueberries, look up where in the world different kinds of bears live. Do you live near a bear habitat? Fun animal fact: There are eight species of bear!
- Alligator Crawl: Sneaking through the swamps, the alligators often can only be spotted in the water because their eyes are above the water. To do the alligator crawl, get on your belly and move your arms and legs one side at a time, left then right, left then right. Try to keep your knees and elbows bent. Take the opportunity to research the difference between alligators and their reptilian cousins, the crocodile, and the caiman. Fun animal fact: Alligators only live in freshwater.
- Crab Walk: One of the fun things to look for at the beach are the little sand crabs dipping in and out of their holes. Start on your bottom with your hands behind your back and legs bent at the knees. Lift your bottom off the ground. Move forward, backward, and sideways, like a crab. Find a small snack that you can eat quickly with your fingers, like a crab, and crack open an encyclopedia to learn about crustaceans! Fun animal fact: Crabs are decapods- they have 10 legs!
- Dinosaur Walk: Go back in time to the Jurassic period for an adventure so fun you’ll roar! The dinosaur walk is easy. Just curl your arms like a t-rex and lift your knees as high as you can! Stomp around and see who can get the furthest the fastest running like one of the world’s biggest carnivores. Sit down for a sandwich to look up what other types of dinosaurs would have been running around with t-rex. Fun animal fact: Dinosaur bones have been found on every continent.
- Bunny Hop: Sometimes you just need to shake your fluffy tail and hop to the beat of your own drum. To bunny hop, bring your hands up to your chest, bend your knees and hop with both feet going up at the same time. Set out pillows to get over. Turn on your favorite tune, eat some carrots, and look up all the different patterns that bunnies have on their fur. Fun animal fact: Rabbits are very clean, as they groom themselves, just like a cat.
If you have enough room, you can go wild and exercise like wild animals in an obstacle course! If it’s a rainy day, look up crafts that match the animals’ habitat. Make a rain stick to study rainforest creatures, or build a birdhouse and flap your arms like wings. See how much fun it can be to go wild! Comment and let us know what other ways you can exercise like a wild animal!
