Every third Monday in January, my company gives me the day off to remember and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. I have a fun day hanging with the short people (Billy doesn't have the day off), and we've created our own little tradition. For the past three years we have made our own photo "scavenger hunt." In short, the goal is to complete a list of challenges and take a picture doing each one. Some are silly; some require a keen eye to find; and some just require that we hustle to a specific place to get the shot. By making it a photo shoot, we have all of the fun of a scavenger hunt without the hassle of actually having to take stuff home! But aside from that, here's why I love this activity:

it gets us out of the house
it keeps me from treating the day like just another errand-running, chore-tackling day
the hunt is free
we create fun memories
we have fantastic photos
we work together toward a goal

I've shared this activity with local friends of mine who want to do something different with their expanded weekend. At the end of the day, we put our pictures up on Facebook and compare notes. Here's the MLK Jr Day Scavenger Hunt 2012 list the kids have written. Feel free to use it or come up with one on your own. The kids have also talked about just doing half of the list this year and then going geocaching. I like the idea of mixing it up and will let them make a "game-day" call. Feel free to join in by using our list (link above) or making one of your own. If you want to see examples of our antics throughout the years, check out the pictures below. The challenges were to get a photo:

- Running across a bridge:

- Riding on an escalator

- Doing a silly dance (in a public place)

- With a snowman

- Learning about the story of MLK, Jr.

- Hanging upside down

- In front of a clock. To make it more fun, let your kids use the camera (we were using our "big" SLS camera so there wasn't a "preview" image!) even if they don't have the greatest "centering' techniques.

- With a train (yes, there's one in the background!)

- Reenacting a Civil Rights March

So charge your phone/camera, bundle up, and enjoy your day together!

The Annual MLK Jr. Adventure