5 Ways to Accomplish the #1000hoursoutside Challenge in 2020

Have you heard about the #1000hoursoutside Challenge for 2020?

Have you heard about the #1000hoursoutside challenge for 2020? This challenge is hosted by Ginny and Josh over at the 1000hoursoutside.com blog.  Ginny and Josh noticed that all nature destinations, from city parks to campsites are mostly devoid of children.  They started looking at their own family habits and did some research, ultimately deciding to spend 4-6 hours outside every day as a family.  The goal was far-fetched and scary for them but they accomplished it and never looked back.  Now they are encouraging families around the world to join in. 

As an Outdoor Educator, I am all for the wonderful challenge! I, myself, spend most of my time outdoors at work but I am challenging myself as well as the students I teach to be outside even more in 2020. To accomplish this goal you actually do not need to spend 4-6 hours outside rather you should aim to spend around 2.5-3 hours outside EVERY DAY. You can always skip a day as long as you commit to a long time outside on another day. 

So far, I’ve intentionally tried to get outside every single day. Even if some are only for a few minutes. I started off the New Year with lots of hiking. I traveled north to spend the first week of 2020 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. While there I hiked three 4,000 footers, one 3,000+ footer, and went on two glorious nature walks. You can experience these hikes for yourself by watching our Youtube Channel. 

So you might be thinking, well sure it’s easy to get yourself outside but how do you drag kids outside? Let’s jump right into the list!

#1 Start off small!

Being outside can be really daunting for you as a parent and for children. The world is so large and there is so much to explore, how can we see it all? Start off small. Maybe go on an exploration in the backyard, bring a Scavenger Hunt with you so your kids know what to look for. Another option, before you even venture out that door, teach them about an animal you’ve seen in your backyard. It could be as simple as a chickadee or a squirrel. After you’ve taught them a bit about these animals, bring them outside and look for signs of that animal.

#2 Ease their fears

For some kids, the outdoors can be scary. In movies and tv shows the forest is almost always portrayed as this dark and dangerous place. Your child might be afraid of spiders, bears, or snakes! These fears are totally normal and it’s actually part of our genetics to fear these creatures because long ago they were our biggest threats to survival.

Similar to tip #1, take the time to educate your children about different creatures they may encounter. For example, if your child is afraid of spiders, show them how amazing spiders can be! The more a child knows about the scary things in the forest, the less scary they become!

#3 Make it a game!

Sometimes kids struggle to stay outside or stay engaged on nature walks because they are bored. They don’t know what they should look for, sometimes they may even get overwhelmed.

Games like scavenger hunts and bingo can make going outside so much more fun. When kids are given a list of tasks, they can be more focused and observant. Although, you may find that they are too focused on the scavenger hunt and less on the rest of nature.

If you don’t want to bring paper on your trip or need a new idea, playing “I spy” is a great thing to do on a nature walk. It’s a creative way to point out something interesting you want your kids to discover as well.

#4 Make it an adventure

Sure, if you are following the top three ideas, your time spent outside is bound to be an adventure. However, you can make it more of an expedition by tracking animals, foraging for wild edible plants, or adding survival skills.

Tracking animals is a great activity to do on your nature walk. Even if you don’t know anything about tracking animals, it can still be a great activity. In fact, you don’t need to know much about it at all you can learn about it with your children. There are great guides to help you identify and learn more about animal tracks. My resources for animal tracks are actually the best selling item in the Wild and Growing shop!

Other activities you can include are shelter building, water purification, and fire building!

#5 Dress for the weather

Unfavorable weather such as rain or snow doesn’t mean it totally ruins your plans for the outdoors. Rainy weather renews life in the forest and certain species are more active in the rain. For example, salamanders live most of their lives under rocks and logs but come out when it rains. Also, a few days of rain can cause new fungi to sprout out of the ground.

So how can you enjoy this weather despite it being miserable? Make sure you have the proper gear and that your kids have even more proper gear. A good rule is if you are cold, the kids have been cold for a long time. Kids get colder much faster than adults so you need to make sure they are overdressed for the weather.

It’s also important to know when to call it quits. If you needed to have 3 hours outside and everyone is miserable after 1 hour, go inside. There will be another day to enjoy the outdoors. You do not want your children associating nature walks with that one day you forced them to stay out for 3 hours.