No.105: Getting into Nature // 1000 Hours Outside Challenge

As they huddle together putting on sneakers and sweatshirts, I overhear one of them exclaim, “Let’s try for THREE hours today!”  We’re less than two weeks in, but I think this is our new normal.  And it all started with a family meeting and a challenge.

I credit Tabitha for introducing me to Ginny and her 1000 Hours Outside Challenge.  The idea comes from research finding that an average American child spends more than 1200 hours on a screen each year.  So the goal of 1000 hours outdoors, not attached to a screen, seems like a reasonable way to add a little balance.  This challenge has been nagging me since my Seven Changes post and with the arrival of spring, it seemed like the perfect time to jump right in!

We officially started tracking our hours on March 23.  Our one rule is: the hours count if most of us are outside.  A second personal goal for me: I decided that my cell phone would stay in the house.  (Exception being, I can use it if I want to take a photograph, but then back into the house it goes.)

This extended time outdoors is new for us.  It’s a bit uncomfortable and intimidating.  And yet, just twelve days in, I can already see the fruit of positive change.  A few observations:

• There is a difference between the random pleas to “please go play outside” (which could last anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours) and intentionally deciding to spend hours outdoors.  When they know we’ll be outside for an hour, they find something specific to do vs. wandering aimlessly.
• There is less bickering and fighting.  Maybe because there’s room to spread out?
• Toys are totally over-rated.  We have bikes and plasma cars and sports gear, but the items they use the most?  Sticks.
• We all sleep better.  Fresh air and extra exercise have us knocked out at the end of the day.
• I am the one who had the most trouble at first.  I was the one who kept peeking at the clock.  I was the one who felt the urge to grab my phone and just check one thing (can you say, addict?).  I was one who struggled with the idea that I should be doing something “productive,” whatever that means.  I started this challenge for my kids, but it’s probably been most beneficial for me.

1000 hours can seem like a huge goal, so I decided to bring it down to a more manageable level – 100 hours at a time!  I created a printable tracker to keep in our kitchen and we’re coloring in the tree leaves as we go.  As of this writing, we have 24 hours completed.  A solid start!  Feel free to download the tracker for your family as well.

Some other ideas:

• Trying to combat weekend laziness?  Set the goal of completing 5 hours outside (if you count Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday, it averages to about an hour and 40 minutes a day) and you’d reach 100 hours in around five months!
• Fill a tracker during summer vacation!  Most breaks are around 10 weeks, which means a daily habit of around 1.5 hours outdoors would have you finished by the first day of school.
• Do you have a handful of outdoor places you like to explore?  Color code your experiences (ie. green for the backyard, blue for the beach, yellow for hikes, etc.).  At the end, you’ll be able to see at a quick glance where you’ve been.