It’s Friday the 13th, y’all! I’ve never been a big believer in things like bad luck or superstitions, but as a stay-at-home mama I’m always searching for ways to fill hours and turn ordinary days into mini-holidays! If you’re like me and also looking for a fun ways to foster some good luck with your family this Friday the 13th, check out these ten fun activities you can do with your kids in and around Knoxville today! Carrying out these age-old superstitions and hunting for lucky tokens with your family might be just what you need to turn this very unlucky day into an annual tradition!
1. Four-Leaf Clovers
Four leaf clovers have always been considered lucky. Why not head to the Knoxville Botanical Gardens for a four-leaf clover hunt with the kids! Pack a magnifying glass and have some fun hunting for these little good luck charms! Make it a competition if your family likes that sort of motivation!
2. Find A Penny
We’ve all heard the the saying: ‘Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck.’ Grab some change from your drawers and hide pennies inside of playdough, slime or a sensory bin. Provide them a few spoons and have fun! Only rule: you can’t use your hands (and no swallowing the pennies).
3. Lucky Bamboo
According to Feng Shui, the hollow structure of the bamboo plant helps in the movement of Chi energy, bringing luck to your home. Load the kids in the car and head to Stanley’s Greenhouse in South Knoxville to pick out a lucky plant for your home. Bonus: Caring for plants is a great way to incorporate responsibilities and routines into your child’s day.
4. Acorns In Your Pocket
Acorns are said to protect your health. Carrying acorns in your pocket is said protect from illness and/or speed up an existing illness. Why not go on an acorn hunt? Take your kids for a nature hike at Seven Islands State Birding Park. You can bet the fresh air will contribute to your well-being and family’s overall health as well!
5. Elephants
Elephants represent protection, wisdom, strength…AND good luck! Get your elephant fix at Zoo Knoxville, home to the Stokely African Elephant Reserve. Spend the day getting lucky watching their caretakers tend to them behind-the-scenes in the viewing barn, or watch them splash and play outside in their habitat. 
6. Make A Dream Catcher
Dream catchers are said to reflect positive energy, while neutralizing negative energy. (I’m not going to lie, I can use all the help I can get in that arena.) There’s no right or wrong way to make a dream catcher with your kids at home. It can involve a wire hanger shaped into a circle, some yarn, stickers, feathers and beads. It’s all about the experience of crafting together with intention!
7. Lucky Peacock Feathers
Peacock feathers can inspire good luck, but only if it was borrowed from the bird in a non-violent manner (aka, the bird’s seasonal loss of feathers and then finding them on the ground). Did you know that The Museum of Appalachia is the home of countless peacocks? Head over to the museum for a feather hunt today! (Just be sure to wash your hands before snack time.)
8. Rub/Knock On Wood
In many cultures, knocking on wood is considered a way to ward off bad luck or to avoid “tempting fate.” The new Ijams Nature Playscape has all the wood you can ask for! Unlike traditional playgrounds, this playscape is comprised completely of natural elements, shallow creeks, boulders, trees and natural play areas.
9. Black Cats
Traditionally, black cats are a sign of bad luck and to be avoided at all costs on this most unlucky of days. However, I’m taking the opportunity to turn this superstition on its head. If you’re in the market, head over to Young Williams Animal Center and adopt a sweet black cat. I did that very thing 10 years ago when I moved to Knoxville. It was then that I learned these poor sweet animals are the most looked-over adoptee in the center due to this silly superstition (and the caretaker even thanked me for taking her to my surprise). Save a life today for luck — adopt a black cat. I can say my sweet black cat, ‘Knoxy’ has brought us plenty of luck over the years!
10. Don’t Step on a Crack
…Or you’ll break your mamas back! Let’s not, shall we? Avoid the backaches and the cracks while walking along one of Knox County Public Library’s Storybook Trails! Tell your kids they have to ‘hop like a bunny’ over all the sidewalk cracks along the trail for luck as you read and walk as a family. A silly and fun way to get outside today and avoid bad luck this holiday.
