In early 2022, I stumbled upon a Facebook group that both intrigued me and bewildered me. The 1000 hours outside group literally spends 1000 hours (and then some) outside a year… in all weather… Don’t get me wrong, I love to be outside in the sunshine. And as a Pisces, the beach is my favorite place to be. But in the colder months, I tend to limit my outdoor exposure to walking to and from my car. I prefer to be warm and cozy inside my safe little bubble of home. And going out in the rain?? Have you seen my hair? Do you know what rain does to this mop? Also, I’m not into bugs and getting dirty is really not for me. And forget camping. Nope. No way. Not doing it. I guess you could say that I’m an outdoorsy person when it’s convenient.
But when I’m stuck in a rut (and I was at that moment), the ADHD in me tends to go down rabbit holes only to resurface with a whole new lifestyle philosophy. And so the intrigued part of me kept reading.
The groups premise is based on the notion that children benefit from as much outdoor time as possible, especially in a world where screen time is the norm. According to the group, 1000 hours is the typical amount of time a child spends looking at screens in a year. In order to counteract that, they challenge caregivers to get their kids (and themselves) outside for as many hours as possible, regardless of the weather, temperature, or time of year. In our home, we do limit screen time quite a bit so that wasn’t the issue for us. But I have to admit, we weren’t outside as much as we could have been.
Now, if you’re like I was, you’re probably shaking your head like there’s no way I’m going out in the rain/snow/cold/heat/etc. But stay with me here. Once I started reading about all of the benefits of being outside, I was hooked. Not only was it good for the kids, but I started reading about all of the ways an outdoor lifestyle helps anxiety and depression.
We started our 1000 hours outside tracker on January first of this year (2023) and we are doing really well! For someone who never went out in the rain/snow/cold, this has been a huge change for me. While I was super dedicated to the challenge, I was a bit leery about the change (I’m really not big into change if you couldn’t tell). But seeing the difference in the kids was all I needed to continue. I began to realize that I, too, love being outside in (mostly) all weather. And we have learned so much along the way about nature and all of its beauty, bugs included. When we are inside, it seems like the kids are still thinking about the outdoors and gravitate to books that center around being outside (see some of our favorites here).
The days of staying indoors all day are long gone. There are many days that the kids are already playing in the backyard even before breakfast is served, no matter the weather! And to be honest, I think the rain might just be their favorite. They love jumping in puddles and making mud creations. We’ve done nature walks in the freezing cold and actually enjoyed it! We’ve found new places to explore along the way and have gotten into geocaching, which I never even knew existed.
And in the warmer months? We are outside ALL THE TIME. We have dedicated one night a week to the beach and stay for 3 hours, which has been so good for all of us. The kids love watching the sunset and making sandcastles and I love sitting by the water and breathing in the salty air. It’s good for my soul.
I am grateful for falling down the rabbit hole of the outdoor challenge. Our family has benefitted greatly from it as has my mental health. And overall, we are on track to reaching out 1000 hours outside.
See some of our favorite outdoor toys here.