Warm Weather Adventures to try at our Pittsburgh Memory Care

Fun and unique activities to try with loved ones this spring

With winter behind us and longer warm and sunny days ahead, many of us are looking forward to spending more time outdoors with friends and family. And while it can be nice to take a little stroll around the neighborhood or sit in a comfy chair and take in the warmth of the sun, sometimes we need a new and unique activity to try. From scavenger hunts to bird and cloud watching, there’s so many creative adventures and activities you can try with your loved ones this spring!

Our Whitetail Springs Memory Care Community in Pittsburgh has compiled a list of fun warm weather activities you and your loved ones can do together this spring. We hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Scavenger Hunt

There’s something really satisfying about a game of I Spy, and a scavenger hunt is essentially a more active version of the game! Spend an hour or two brainstorming what kind of spring things you might see on a walk around the neighborhood or in a park with your loved one. You can start with common items like maple trees or squirrels, but you can also get creative with it and include things like balloons, tandem bicycles, or specific types of flowers. Use your imagination and encourage your loved one to do the same! There’s never any need to complete the list–you can always save items from your list for another day. The best parts about a scavenger hunt or game of I Spy are the low stakes and have a major fun factor!

Gardening Day

While not quite a traveling adventure, one of the best things about spring is gardening. From flowers and herbs to fruits and veggies, there’s nothing like getting your hands in some dirt, sowing seeds, and watching the literal fruits of your labor grow. Talk with your loved one about their favorite flowers and plants and surprise them one day with a journey outside to plant those favorites. Bring along some individual pots or larger window box sized planters, plenty of fertilized soil, and a couple of small trowels, and spend the afternoon in the sun creating the garden of their dreams. You can then either bring these plants home to live with you and send your loved one weekly garden updates via photo and video, or leave a small pot or terrarium in their room for their own growth monitoring!

Bird or Cloud Watching

For many of us, the last couple of years have built a deep sense of love for quieter solo outdoor activities like bird watching. In Pittsburgh, we have quite the variety of backyard songbirds like robins, song sparrows, and Carolina wrens, but also more vibrant looking birds like red winged blackbirds, Northern cardinals, cedar waxwings, and our favorites, tufted titmouses. Take a pen and paper on a nature walk, and mark down the types of birds you see. Consider listening to their calls beforehand and see if you can identify the birds from their sound alone.

Not a bird fan? We love spending an hour or two looking up at the sky at clouds. For those more scientifically inclined, identifying a cumulonimbus cloud or a stratus cloud can be a fun afternoon activity. For those who are more creative, why not play the classic game of finding shapes, figures, or even animals in the clouds? See if you can get your loved one to see what you see before the clouds shift their shape – slightly easier on a day with little to no wind!

No matter what your level of outdoor activity, even these simple activities can provide an afternoon or morning of adventure and bonding for you and your loved one. And for our residents who want to stay in our community but be entertained all the same, we offer plenty of daily activities–there’s something for everyone!

If you are interested in learning more about Whitetail Springs, our memory care community in Pittsburgh, please give us a call to schedule a virtual or in-person tour!