Change Inside Life into Outside Living

April 25, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Hey Sweet Friends,

About a year ago, I began feeling a different kind of exhaustion. It was the kind that made me feel like life was passing me by while I was stuck in the same indoor routine from Monday through Sunday. I didn’t feel like I was truly taking care of myself.

As we grow older, we may find ourselves experiencing life primarily indoors. Working, raising babies and keeping the house clean are three full time jobs themselves. We come home, eat dinner, maybe watch something on TV, and then go to bed.

One evening, as I was browsing Facebook, I stumbled across this group and website called 1000hoursoutside. As I began to read about the countless families spending so much time outside around the world, it inspired me to see how the effects of being outside could change our family.

Tracking helps us keep accountable.

As we began this new journey on December 31st 2022, the first thing I did was download the 1000 hours outside app. It helps with keeping track of the time spent outside, has a calendar that displays how much time you have spent each day as well as gives you the opportunity to earn digital badges when you complete each different allotments of hours.

Being outside with family gave us an appreciation for each season.

The first 2 months were challenging yet rewarding. Those 2 months consisted of very cold, icy and snowy days. It is normal to find ourselves inside on those types of days, however I knew that if we wanted to fully embrace this journey, we needed to venture outside. I am so glad we did!!!! From creations of their own snow sleds to finding ways to keep warm, my kids grew so much in creativity and awareness. We even met a neighbor we hadn’t known before, who joined us in sledding down the driveway. Because we were outside, we had time to slow down and really talk about what was happening in the season of winter. Discussing the snow, the footprints we saw, how refreshing it felt and taking new risks helped us grow more in those two months than we had in the whole previous year.

The kids started initiating being outside more.

We are currently in our 4th month of 1000 hours outside. Life outdoors is just our thing now. When you implement a new routine, it just becomes the norm. Changes I’ve seen thus far? I’ve witnessed my kids getting along so much better outside, they have made so many new friends in the neighborhood only because they were outside, time slows down, a new appreciation for nature has been found, better sleep for everyone and most importantly time together. The best part for me, I no longer feel like everyday is the same predictable day! I am excited to see what the next day will bring. And as a bonus, because we are doing life outdoors more, the house is less messy, so I don’t feel like I have to spend hours cleaning up after we’ve been outside all day.

1000 Hours Outside

This website is phenomenal at getting started with getting outside. There are some great trackers, posts and even curriculum. There are also Facebook Groups (search 1000 hours outside) that are wonderful about sharing ideas from all over the world, getting outside with your family and even group meetups specific to your area if you want to get together with other families participating.

Key Takeaways:

Sincerely,

Outside lover

Other Outside resources:

Tinkergarten/Forest School

Tinkergarten is an “outside educational program where being out in nature is the classroom.” Designed for ages 2-8, Tinkergarten instills a love for curiosity, learning through play, and develop important life skills.

Forest School is also designed with educating while in nature. Through being in the woods, kids build on their self esteem, independence, curiosity, and social emotional skills. Designed with any age in mind, the curriculum is based on the learner’s interest.

Outsideologist Project

A couple of years ago, Claritin introduced the “Outsideologist Project” designed to get kids outdoors. Their mission is to get kids outdoors one more hour a week. You can find activity ideas and a super cute video you could show your kiddos encouraging them to get outside. My favorite activity is the cloud catching! I remember looking up at the clouds when I was little and trying to imagine them as dragons, rabbits, etc.

As you go about your day, your week, your month, your year, remember that you were created on purpose for a purpose and so was your child.