If you’re like me, you want to get your kids outside more. And if you’re also parent on Facebook or Instagram, you might have come across the account 1000 Hours Outside- if not, definitely look it up. It’s a mom of 5, Ginny, who encourages playing outside every day, no matter the weather. She encourages other parents to get their kiddos outside as much as possible by tracking the hours in a fun way and calling it “1000 Hours Outside”. That’s 1000 hours for a one calendar year. She also has a free printout to track this by paper and pen. I have printed this one out too.
But I follow the most beautiful and sweet account on Instagram called “Ark and Luna” who describe themselves as a “Conscious Kids Store.” It’s a mama in Australia (love that social media allows us to connect to small businesses all over the world!) that is also a big advocate for outdoor play and also has an online shop of stunning natural, wooden toys. On her shop site, Hannah also has a section for free printouts she offers. One of them is a collection of three sheets titled, “Outside Every Day.” The concept of both printouts is the same- get your kiddos outside every.day. Or as many days as possible.
Of course it’s also fun to have a cozy, rainy day inside once in a while. But as this pandemic has raged on for almost a year now, I have felt a deep, deep sense of urgency to get Charlie and Tessa outside as much as possible to counteract and step away from more screen time during this pandemic than I’d like to admit.
Tessa is almost 16 months and has less than zero time in movies or shows so it makes me happy that she has never watched anything other than a movie Charlie is watching being on in the background while she plays. We have a TON of beautiful, child-led play in our house. Hours and hours. Charlie does yoga with me. We dance a LOT. It’s been important to me to cultivate a home of open-ended toys that leave a lot of room for creativity. Both of my girls love playing at home.
But I would be lying if I said a lot of movies and Disney junior haven’t happened in our house on the long days during lockdown with nowhere to go. Normally we venture to the library, play dates, the park, lunch, art classes, open gym time. But with those things gone as options (except the park) during this last year, Charlie doesn’t want to play for 12 straight hours a day. I don’t blame her- I don’t either. So she wants to decompress with a movie. And I’ve let her. I don’t find anything wrong with this but my mom guilt (ugh, it’s real huh) has said, “It’s okay. Let it be what it is. But now try to get outside more.” So that’s what we’re doing.
I have also been incredibly inspired by some of my mama friends who do a beautiful, beautiful job at creating a sense of normalcy in their household about playing outside all the time. It’s raining? Put all your rain gear on and go outside. It’s freezing? Bundle up and go outside. Outdoor adventures are their norm.
Charlie loves playing outside but I will admit that it hasn’t exactly been our norm to play outside when it’s freezing or rainy or muddy. But the more we have played outside every day during all conditions, the more she loves it. Just to make it a little more of a tangible goal, I love these printouts. And Charlie LOVES the treasure hunt page. For walks and just for the backyard. She is already a super collector of leaves, shells, sticks, acorns and rocks. We keep her collections in jars so for her these printouts are a fun extension of her collections.
I went one step further and had them laminated at Staples so we could use them over and over again with a dry erase marker. And I love the list on the back of one of the pages of some fun outdoor inspiration! So go play outside, go let nature heal you and your kiddos. Print these out for your kiddos and let them get cold, let them get muddy and let them get dirty. I bet they’ll love filling these pages out as much as Charlie has. And I bet they’ll love playing in the cold, the snow and even the rain: )
Oh and if you need some good outdoor gear, try these! My friend Natalie shared them with me and they have been game changers to make outdoor play in all weather possible. Have fun!
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