Free grass stains
Tag & Capture the flag
on most Saturday mornings
in gorgeous Rochester, Minnesota
(see our 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.
Just about every Saturday in Spring & Summer 2024
Where?
Some of Rochester, Minnesota’s greatest parks
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 often move to capture the flag… and finish at 11:33!
But which park this week?
May 18: Field of Fun (aka Castle Park)
May 25: MLK Park
June 1: [doing flashlight tag t’night — see below]
June 8: Cook Park
June 15: Cascade Lake Park
June 22: Roy Sutherland Playground (@ Soldiers Field)
June 29: [out of town]
July 6: [out of town]
July 13: Cook Park
July 20: Cascade Lake Park
July 27: Three Links
August 3: MLK Park
August 10: [out of town]
August 17: Special! Flashlight tag at Essex Park, starting at sunset
August 24: Special! will be held at the same park as the Autism Resource Guide’s Family Fun Day, location TBA
August 31: [out of town]
What if my kids don’t want to play?
Nurture in Nature Therapy — our 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
Flashlight tag!
August 17, 2024
8:30–9:50pm
Essex Park
Wear dark clothes! 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!