Free grass stains
Tag & Capture the flag
on some Saturday mornings
in gorgeous Rochester, Minnesota
(see our sister projects for adults, “Across the Divide” and “Fourth and Toast”)
Intense fun your kids can look forward to ALL WEEK
When?
10:33–11:33 a.m.
About every-other-Saturday in Spring & Summer 2023. See below for dates — we’re still planning the dates for Spring & Summer 2024.
Where?
Some of Rochester, Minnesota’s greatest parks (see below for locations).
What ages?
We regularly have kids from 6 to 16, but don’t draw a hard line anywhere.
Can parents join in?
PLEASE! Some of our most active players are parents who’ve come with kids. (Most intense workout of our weeks!)
What should I expect?
At 10:33am (sharp!), everyone introduces themselves, and we start with a few rounds of tag — infection tag, freeze tag, that sort of thing.
Then we move to capture the flag… and finish at 11:33!
But which park this week?
September 23: Cook Park
September 29 & 30: Autism conference (both Brandon and Katie will be speaking)
October 7: MLK Park
October 21: Cascade Lake Park
November 11: Nighttime flashlight tag! See below
What if my kids don’t want to play?
Nurture in Nature Therapy — our first official sponsor! — holds free Story Times during our events. Also, your kids are welcome to run around the park!
How much does it cost?
Free free free free FREE free.
It does not cost money.
This is what “free” means.
Watch your pent-up kid enjoy the heck outta life
November Flashlight tag!
November 11
7:03–8:33pm
Essex Park
Wear dark clothes… or a Halloween costume! Bring a flashlight if you can! (Feel free to bring a friend!)
We’ll play a couple rounds of regular tag while it gets dark… then switch to good ol’-fashioned kick the can (with flashlights)!
Note that there are multiple “Essex Parks” in Rochester. We’ll be at the really cool one — address right here.
For parents and kids.
Tag — you’re it!
Questions, answered
Do you play in bad weather?
Good golly it’s Minnesota, if we didn’t play in bad weather, we’d hardly ever play! We cancel the games in sub-zero temperatures, ferocious lightning storms, and tornados. Otherwise, we’re on!
Eh, I’m on the fence.
Give it a try! Maybe it won’t be for you. Maybe you’ll win the ten-thousand-dollar prize have a fun time!
Who’s even organizing this? a cult? Some multi-level marketing scheme?
Both, actually! Nope! Just some random parents who want to give our kids a chance for intense play.
Why “intense play”?
When we were kids, we had wonderful experiences playing outside. Getting dirty. Scraping a knee on occasion! Somehow, that seems important for kids to grow up well. We’re a little angsty that rough-and-tumble play seems to be discouraged these days.
Who started this?
This was started (and is still mostly run) by Brandon Hendrickson, a local science teacher and homeschooling dad.
How can I help?
We can always use some other parents who can volunteer on the occasional Saturdays that Brandon’s out of town! Let us know on the “stay in the loop” form.
Are you on Facebook?
We are — feel free to join our group, if that’s a thing you do!