When our oldest was one and a half years old, I stumbled upon the “1,000 Hours Outside” (1KH) challenge. It encourages families to replace the typical screen time hours of 1,200 hrs a year with outdoor time instead. This nation wide movement has gained a vast amount of support and continues to gain traction especially as studies reveal the benefits of spending time outdoors. Ginny Yulrich, the founder, has written several books explaining in detail how outside time benefits children’s development. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading 1000 Hours Outside and Until the Streetlights Come On. (Stay tuned for a book review). Her most recent book, Homeschooling: You’re Doing it Right Just by Doing It, is currently on my list of “Books to Read.”
I have enjoyed keeping tacking of our hours these past 4 years, even though we barely pass 500 hours. Each year we try to beat the previous year's total. The beautiful thing is even if you fall short of the goal, you inevitably win by providing your children with more outside time which greatly benefits them physically and mentally. In the end we all win.
Outside Trackers Over the Past 3 Years
With our home sandwiched between two other homes, our outdoor space is a simple patio, large enough for a BBQ and couches, with extra space for a playhouse and a water table. I always felt our space was lacking to engage our kids for a long amount of time. Everyday I would load up our kids into a stroller or the car to spend our morning at a park. With differing nap times, we often only completed 2 hours of outside time a day (an average of 3hrs a day assures you to reach the goal of 1,000hrs for the year).
The Patio
Having a high-achiever mind set, I am constantly battling the impulse to push, strive, and force outdoor time, often feeling validation (or defeat) by the numbers of hours I color in each day. During the hotter parts of the day this summer, I had to remind myself that “play” is just as beneficial if it is inside. Our neighbor friend would come over and spend 2 hours playing inside with the girls creating elaborate doll houses out of books and blocks. A piece of me wished these hours were outside, however this time spent inside was very beneficial as they navigated playing with each other.
Over the past 4 years, I’ve learned a few things (Not in any particular order):
- • Change up the park
- • Set a rhythm for a typical outside time that works best (whether daily or weekly)
- • Bring snacks… lots of snacks
- • Bring other fun items to the park: chalk, bubbles, balls, buckets, shovels…
- • Don’t forget the toilet and wipes
- • Water bottles are key too
- • Go with friends - this is a BIG one!
- • Find friends in the neighborhood - after 3pm most kids are home from school.
- • Let them get messy: mud, water, “chalk paint” (ie chalk and water).
- • Set a time limit for how long you’ll push them on the swings (this a personal pet-peeve)
- • Point out trees, watch a bug crawl, pick flowers
- • Set up your outdoor space with fun items: chairs and table, playhouse, water table, a garden
- • Take what you like doing outside: books, blocks, cars, drawing etc.
- • There’s no such thing as bad weather
- • Eat meals outside
- • While the mornings are the best time to venture out, any time is a good time.
- • As a parent, try to stand-off and not hover, unless they want to play a game with you.
I found that we are able to spend 1-2 hours outside in the morning on our little patio simply by drawing them outside with snacks (and sometimes a tea party), and reading to them while they eat. Add in some coloring and stickers and they were engaged even longer. In addition, I like to have a craft ready to do outside after their quiet time/nap time. Again, I draw them out with popsicles and snacks. We also enjoy eating lunch outside. At this point we haven’t been able to smoothly make dinner work outside.
Tea Parties and Coloring on the Patio
The girls seem to be in a constant flux of either loving to ride their bikes or forget about them completely and just simply want to walk places. Either way, we have some space behind our garage (aka the cul-de-sac where all the neighbor’s garages face each other) where they can run and ride close to the house. Walks to the mailbox are fun too, since ours is located down the street. During this process of spending time outside with neighbors, the girls have gained the important lessons of how to appropriately knock on friend’s doors to ask them out to play. It’s fun to talk with the parents too if they venture out.
Nature walks are great ways to point out things that you’re either learning about or your children are interested in. Right now my kids like ants. They call them their “little friends” and watch them crawl on their arms. This is a dramatic shift, as just a few months before they would scream and then kill them.
Our daily rhythm includes time to venture outside. I give myself the flexibility to let them play happily in the house depending on the day and mood of everyone. Often outside time will help with tantrums and “the grumpies.”
Our Current Routine
8:00am Wake up and breakfast
9:00am Play inside while I clean up
10:00am Snacks outside & read-aloud book
10:30am Walk to our neighborhood park (or stay put)
11:30am Walk back to make lunch
12:00pm Eat lunch outside
12:30pm Quiet time
2:30pm Snacks and Tea Party outside. Read-aloud book. Attempt an art project
3:00pm Play time: ie ask a neighborhood friend to play outside
5:30pm Inside to set the table and watch a show while I prep dinner. (unless Dad is available to watch them longer outside)
6:00pm Dinner
While we are on a great trajectory to complete nearly 1,000 hours outside this year, I must continue to remind myself that every minute outside is a win, greatly benefiting not only my children, but also myself. Get outside, even if it's just for a minute. You'll be amazed at the impact it makes. And then you'll be hooked.
