How to Build a Backyard Obstacle Course

Turn your yard into an exciting challenge course using common household items and your own imagination. HowTo: Family Edition: family how-tos that actually help.

1. Plan your path. Walk around your yard and decide where you want your course to go. Use chalk or tape to mark a start line and a finish line, and map out the spots where each challenge will live.
2. Set up your obstacles. Place your hula hoops on the ground for a jumping station, line up your boxes to crawl through, and set up your bottles as a zigzag sprint path. Ask a grown-up to help you make sure everything is stable and won't tip over easily.
3. Test the course. Walk through your course slowly to make sure it flows well. Try every station to see if it is too hard or too easy, and adjust the spacing of your obstacles until it feels just right.
4. Start your timer. Ask a grown-up to be the official timekeeper. When they say 'Go!', run through the course as fast as you can. Remember to follow the rules you made for each station, like jumping in every hoop or crawling through every box.