For our family, Spring means baseball, and we are definitely missing that these days. Whether it be watching our son on the field on the multiple teams he usually plays for or rooting for our favorite team on TV, there is a giant hole in our baseball-loving hearts right now. How do we fix that? With one of our family’s favorite themed experiences – Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
Since this is our first at-home experience post, we’ll explain how this should work. Basically, think of this Family Standard Time Adventure Guide as a road map. You can pick and choose from the food, the games, the playlist, and the movies to create an adventure that fits your family best. In the end, whatever path you choose, the road should lead everyone to the same place, and that’s making memories with your family! You may choose to spend only a few hours on one or two activities, select more to do over a few days, or pick even more to do over the course of a full week.
When you’re finished, use the Family Standard Time Adventure Scrapbook template pages below to help everyone remember your time together. Over time, you’ll be able to put all of the completed pages together to create a Family Standard Time Adventure Scrapbook of your own!
Gather the family and let’s play ball!
The Food
Let’s be honest – sitting in the ballpark watching our favorite team is nice, but half of the fun of going to a live game is all of the food options! Every city has the standard options, but some offer super unique foods as well! Here are a few fan favorites around the country.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Chesapeake Fries (waffle fries covered in crab dip)
Fenway Park – Lobster Roll
Minute Maid Park – Chorizo Loaded Fries
Angel Stadium – Short-rib Grilled Cheese
Oakland Coliseum – Ahi Poke Tacos
In our opinion, there are some classics that are simply synonymous when you think of baseball that are easy enough to replicate at home. If you cook these up with your family and close your eyes, you can just about picture yourself sitting in your favorite ballpark. Pick your favorite or try them all!
Hot Dogs or Homemade Corn Dogs – We followed this Corn Dogs recipe and they turned out fantastic! We would absolutely make them again. Instead of making 12 Corn Dogs, we used a full package of 8 hot dogs and then dropped the remaining batter in the fryer for some hush puppies!
Homemade Cracker Jack® Popcorn – This recipe is a spot on Cracker Jack® clone. We popped plain microwave popcorn (because that’s what we happened to have) and were able to get approximately 10 cups of popcorn into the disposable aluminum roasting pan that we used. It made for the perfect amount of coating for us, but if you prefer a thicker coating with more coverage on the kernels, you could use even less popcorn.
Garlic Fries – Garlic fries are a ballpark staple food across the country and a favorite for the adults in our house. Homemade fries rarely disappoint, and they are so easy to make at home. We followed this recipe, but you could very easily roast the fries in the oven instead of frying them if you prefer a healthier option or use sweet potatoes as a fun alternative. In the end, it’s all about the garlicky goodness on top!
Cinnamon Roasted Almonds – There is no snack quite like fresh, hot, roasted almonds. We’ve been roasting our own candied nuts for a couple of years now and this recipe turns out delicious every time.
Soft Pretzels – For some fans, this is the #1 ballpark snack. In our opinion, this recipe results in a more bread-like pretzel, closer to a pretzel bun (we used a few for hamburgers – yum!), but they were still fun to make. It’s yeast dough, so it does take some time to let the dough rise, but even small hands can help roll out the dough to create the ropes you’ll need to twist into the classic soft pretzel shape. Then whether you dip them in mustard or melted cheese sauce, envision yourself transported to your field of dreams. A perfect snack after some of the outdoor games.
Frozen Lemonade Slushie – This is more of a slushie lemon drink than one of those containers of frozen lemonade that you eat with a wooden spoon sitting in the ballpark, but on a warm Spring or Summer day it is cool and refreshing, and definitely reminiscent of watching a ball game.
Ice Cream Sundaes – There’s no recipe needed for an ice cream sundae. Use your family’s favorite ice cream flavors and toppings for the quintessential ballpark treat. Serve them up in mini baseball helmets if you’ve got them to make them extra special.
The Music
Any professional athlete will likely attest to the impact that crowd and stadium noise can have on the game. For fans, the same can be said for the overall experience – the cheers, the clapping, and the music all heighten the fun of a live game.
There are many songs that can’t be played without thinking about baseball or a favorite player because of their chosen walk-up song. We asked for some of your favorites and put together a playlist that you can listen to while your family is together for this adventure. Turn up the volume and just try not to sing along!
Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
Cheap Seats – Alabama
The Greatest – Kenny Rogers
Centerfield – John Fogerty
Thunder – Imagine Dragons
Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
Hip Hop Hooray – Naughty By Nature
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Enter Sandman – Metallica
The Champion – Carrie Underwood
New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
Take Me Out to the Ball Game – There are too many artists and versions to list, so pick your favorite!
The Games
Baseball Trivia – Baseball trivia might be more geared towards the adults and older kids, but younger baseball super fans may surprise you with some answers, too. There are some great pre-made trivia questions available online or you can even create your own if your family is so inclined. Major League Baseball has a trivia section on their website if you want to use questions from their daily email newsletter. The NY Times has an annual baseball quiz – their 2019 quiz is available online, so the whole family can gather around the computer together as a team or answer individually and see who gets the most correct. Finally, Jeter Children’s Publishing has a printable trivia sheet on their website that’s a lot of fun for the whole family.
Naturally, one of the most baseball-themed activities is to have a catch, so gather your gloves and some balls, and head to an open field or your backyard. If your family is large enough, you can even play a modified friendly scrimmage. But there are some other fun baseball activities that can be enjoyed as well. All of the physical activities can easily be modified to suit multiple age groups. It’s game time!
Hit the Target – This game is pretty simple. Set a disposable cup or plastic cone on top of a bucket, on an upside down plastic pot, on the rung of a ladder, etc. Start by having each participant stand 5 feet back from the target and see who can knock it down with one throw. Every participant that makes it then steps another 5 feet back and throws again. See who can knock the target down from the furthest distance in one throw. There are lots of modifications of this that can be played, whether by changing the distances, seeing who can knock the target down with the highest number of successive throws, etc. See what kind of creative variations your family can come up with!
Dizzy Bat – This game is sure to provide some laughs for all. You’ll need at least one whiffle ball, baseball, or softball bat, but two is preferred for some head-to-head competition. (If you don’t have a bat, any approximately 28-32″ long piece of plastic or cardboard tube should work.) Create a starting line on one side of your back yard with the finish line on the other side. Place one end of the bat on the ground. Each participant then bends over and places their forehead on the other end of the bat. When a non-participant says “Go!”, each participant spins around 10 times, keeping their forehead on the bat and the other end of the bat on the ground. After 10 full spins, they’ll have to make their way to the finish line as quickly (and safely) as possible. For younger players, you can decrease the number of spins or shorten the length of yard they have to travel to the finish line. Make sure that the path to the finish line is clear and safe – it is called Dizzy Bat after all!
Baseball Obstacle Course – This game allows for a lot of creativity. Every member of the family can create one or more obstacles for the course for each participant to complete. Weave around cones. Run around bases. Throw a ball into the bucket. Hit a ball off a tee. Run from one point to another while someone throws water balloons and the runner has to try to avoid getting “tagged.” Use your imaginations and have fun with it!
Pin the Baseball in the Glove – A take on the old “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” game, this one is fun for all ages! Whether you choose to draw a baseball glove on a large piece of paper or print one out, it’s up to you. Then cut out circles from a white sheet of paper for your baseballs and draw on the stitching if you’d like. Find a spot inside or outside where you can hang up your baseball glove poster – make sure there is a clear path leading up to it. Hang the poster at an appropriate height based on who is playing – you can choose to move it for your tallest and smallest players or find a height in between. Attach a piece of folded or double-sided tape to the back of each baseball. The “pinner” can either wear a bandana or mask to cover their eyes, or you can use the honor system to keep your eyes closed. The pinner should stand 10 steps back, facing the poster. Help them spin around 5 times and then they’ll carefully walk towards the poster, trying to “pin” their baseball as close to the webbing of the glove as possible. The player who gets their baseball closest to the webbing wins! If you have older kids, you may decide to start further away from the poster and/or spin more times. No matter how you choose to play, this take on a classic party game is always sure to be nostalgic and fun!
The Movies
In our family, a family movie night is a cherished weekly event and family standard. Adding a baseball-themed movie into the mix for this experience is like putting the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. And there are some really fantastic movies about baseball (or softball) that the whole family can enjoy.
The following is a great list of movies, including their rating, the year they were released, and the movie summary from the IMDb® website. Watch one or more of these to enhance your family’s time together on this adventure, celebrating America’s favorite pastime.
How to Play Baseball (animated short) – G – 1942 – “Goofy demonstrates how to play baseball. He plays all positions for both teams, and demonstrates many different types of pitches.”
The Rookie – G – 2002 – “A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.”
Twelve – G – 2019 – “A young boy, with help from his family, lets nothing stand between him and his dream to play in the twelve-year-old world series.”
The Bad News Bears – PG – 1976 – “An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.”
The Natural – PG – 1984 – “An unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost divine talent.”
Field of Dreams – PG – 1989 – “An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the 1919 Chicago White Sox come.”
A League of Their Own – PG – 1992 – “Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amidst their own growing rivalry.”
Rookie of the Year – PG – 1993 – “When an accident miraculously gives a boy an incredibly powerful pitching arm, he becomes a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.”
The Sandlot – PG – 1993 – “In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.”
Angels in the Outfield – PG – 1994 – “When a boy prays for a chance to have a family if the California Angels win the pennant, angels are assigned to make that possible.”
The Perfect Game – PG – 2009 – “Based on a true story, a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who became the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.”
Moneyball – PG-13 – 2011 – “Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.”
