More Time in Nature
This year, the kids and I have a goal of spending 1000 hours outside! We printed off a gorgeous free tracker from 1000 Hours Outside and have it hanging proudly on our wall and easily accessible to the kids when they come inside. I hope you will consider downloading it too! It can be catered to what works best for your family and is a beautiful way to encourage time outdoors together in nature.
Nature walks are easy since moving to our new property because we have beautiful walking trails all around us. The image below was taken after a recent nature walk where we collected some pieces to for pumpkin decorating later that day. I found the clipboards, twine and clothes pins at Michael's Craft Store. I simply wrapped the twine around the clipboards and stapled them into place on the backside. I attached a couple clips and they were ready to go in under 10 minutes. I also gave each child a wooden magnifying glass which they loved using on our walk.
Need help getting started with how to introduce more outdoor time to your day? Here are some of the ways my family enjoys time together outdoors.
Outdoor Activities
- Morning nature walks and evening sunset chases.
- pick up litter in the park.
- If you have a farm, spend time with the animals, feed and care for them, and chase chickens (or visit a neighborhood farm and ask if the kids can help feed and care for the animals.)
- Teach kids how to build a fire and then roast marshmallows to celebrate their new life skill.
- Sow seeds, plant bulbs, weed beds, cultivate a garden.
- Celebrate new blooms together. Harvest flowers, herbs and vegetables together. Dig for potatoes together.
- Go for a bike ride.
- Create an outdoor scavender hunt.
- Forage for pretty flowers and other botanicals to press.
- Play in the rain and splash in the puddles.
- Make a fort in the backyard for hours of imaginary play.
- Night biking with headlamps.
- Star gaze on clear nights.
- Impromptu photo sessions with mom.
- Day trips to your favorite local lake.
- Mountain biking down your favorite bike trails.
- Swing in the hammock and read a book.
- Forage for mushrooms.
- Play in the blowup pool and play tag with the hose.
- Pull out the sprinkler!
- Throw a football around, play basketball, soccer, or lacrosse.
- Pull out the sidewalk chalk and make a hopscotch from one end of the driveway to the next. Then draw murals of your favorite things.
- Hang clothes and sheets to dry on the line and then run through said sheets for hours.
- Search for heart-shaped rocks to paint.
- Entire days spent exploring along the coast.
- Run out to celebrate the first snowfall of the season.
- Sled, shovel snow, and make snow angels and snowmen.
I recommend the book, Play The Forest School Way: Woodland Games And Crafts For Adventurous Kids by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll for more ideas. Just imagine all the memories you can make this year. I can’t wait to see what blessings your new year outdoors brings you.
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