Why We’re Taking the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge in 2021

I have big goals for 2021, and one of them I am so excited about because it will impact our entire family in the best way: taking the 1000 Hours Outside challenge.

In case you haven’t heard of it, it’s a rather intimidating goal of spending at least 1000 hours outside over the course of a year. Statistics show that kids these days spend somewhere in the ballpark of 1200 hours per year in front of screens. Yikes! The goal, then, is to get them away from screens and into nature.

We aren’t really a big screen time family – our kids aren’t really allowed on devices and we definitely put limits on how much tv time they get. And we already love going outside to play in the yard, going for hikes, and going camping.

But the bulk of our outdoor adventuring happens in the warmer months, because I honestly quite dislike the cold. However, Charlotte Mason said that children should be out of doors in all but the very worst weather. She also advocated for children being outside for 4-6 hours per day (Home Education, p. 44). And truthfully, my kids would be outside all day every day if they could.

So really, this challenge is as much for me as it is for them.

5 REASONS WHY WE’RE EMBARKING ON THE 1000 HOURS OUTSIDE CHALLENGE

First, I don’t want us to miss out on the beauty of the colder months.

Like I said above, I really don’t like the cold and I struggle to get us all outdoors when the temperatures start to fall. But in order for us to stay on track, we’re going to have to spend a lot of hours outside during the chilly months (because in the Midwest, that’s half the year).

And the thing is, I know there’s so much beauty in the winter, too. We’ve done enough winter hikes and days outside in the snow for me to appreciate nature when the trees are bare and the woods are quiet. Winter is the best time of the year to do some bird watching (chickadees, cardinals, and bluejays, anyone?), hunt for animal tracks, study lichens and mosses, and study trees, bark, and buds.

So part of the reason I’ve decided to jump on this challenge is simply to get over myself and my dread of feeling cold, and get outside in the winter, too!

(And as I’m writing this I’m also realizing how badly I’m going to need a serious organization system for our cold weather gear, because we’ll never get outside if we spend 30 minutes each day trying to chase down missing gloves!)

Second, I hope that spending 1000 hours outside will help me to be more focused on the present.

We are Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, which means that so much of what we do and what we aim for is embedded in nature. In CM’s first volume, Home Education, Miss Mason gives some fantastic guidance on how to help your kids discover, explore, and hypothesize while out in nature without preparing any kind of formal lesson plan. She suggests simple games that mothers can play with their children that help their children truly see what’s around them.

But all too often, our homeschool nature walks are jammed in between Little Miss’s nap time and supper time, so I feel like I don’t give the boys space and time enough to play some of those fun little nature seeing games.

But I want to.

I feel like planning on spending several hours a day outside will force me to be more creative about how and where Little Miss naps and maybe even force me to look up a few more Crockpot recipes for those long, outdoor days so I don’t have to worry about supper.

And honestly, I need that. I can be kind of rigid about our schedule sometimes. While structure is totally good and kids need that, I think being so intentional with our outdoor time as the goal will help me to take a deep breath and focus more on being present and less on what comes next on the to do list.

Third, working toward the goal of spending 1000 hours outside will help me be intentional with our time and how we spend it.

Even though we practically live outside in the summer, we’re often just playing in the back yard. And that’s great and amazing and I’m not downplaying the importance of free, unstructured play time out back.

However, I want to be more intentional about going for hikes and nature walks. We are so fortunate to live within a few miles of a few really great parks and preserves, and while we do utilize them frequently for our nature walks, I’d love to spend way more time there. And I would really love to be more intentional about exploring the amazing state parks we have in our state, too. There are waterfalls and caves, amazing trails, and some breathtaking views.

I want our family to have the opportunity to soak in every last bit of God’s creation.

And I genuinely believe that we will never ever regret the time we spend outdoors together, whether it’s playing in the yard, hiking in nature parks, camping at our favorite state parks, or walking the beach.

So my hope is that this challenge gets us exploring outside of our little home bubble to see so much more of God’s amazing creation!

Fourth, I need the physical activity just as much as my kids do.

I don’t love to admit it, but I’ve gotten…fluffy since having my kids. I’ve slowly started running again (YAY!) and now that we aren’t having any more babies, I hope to actually be able to maintain that. But I need the regular exercise I get when we go for extended hikes. I need to climb hills and walk for the better part of an afternoon.

Yes, part of this challenge is for the enjoyment and many benefits of being outside in nature, but part of it is for simply changing some habits to create a more active lifestyle all around. Spending 1000 hours outside means I’m going to be much more active than I would be sitting on the couch watching my kids play in front of me, you know?

So I’m definitely eager to be more intentional about creating an active lifestyle.

Finally, I want my kids to have unplugged childhoods and develop a deep connection with nature.

My kids will have their whole lives to use technology, but I want to give them a childhood that more closely resembles the one I had. I have no doubt that I spent at least 1000 hours outside each year when I was a kid, and my childhood was flipping ah-MAZ-ing! Thankfully, my children don’t need to be convinced that playing outside is fun, but I still want to immerse them in outdoor life as much as possible.

My boys are already nature lovers. They delight in all kinds of mini beasts and wildlife, in plants and in clouds. They are happiest when they’re outside exploring. But I want to continue to cultivate a life-long love of nature in my children.

I want them to see God’s glory reflected in creation and feel closest to Him when they are amongst the trees of the forests or the flowers of the fields.
I want them to see our earth not as a resource to be exploited, but as a gift to be stewarded.
And I want them to have the opportunity to develop healthy imaginations and run as wild and free as they can.

Our journey of 1000 Hours Outside begins January 1, 2021 & I’m so excited (and a bit intimidated)!

Honestly, none of this is earth-shattering or ground-breaking, and in a lot of ways it’s merely an extension of the life we’re already trying to lead. Except it means being a lot more intentional about spending hours out of doors.

But I feel like it’s really important to officially set this as a goal and put it out there, not only to encourage you to take up the 1000 Hours Outside challenge with me, but also for accountability’s sake. With it written and published for the world to see, I’m more likely to really stick with it!

And because I’m a total Type A planner person (and former special education teacher), I’ve set a few benchmarks to help my family meet this goal. I’m assuming that even with these benchmarks in mind, we still won’t spend as much time as I hope outside during these cold winter months. So, with that in mind, here are each month’s benchmarks we’re shooting for:

Do you want to join me in the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge?? I’d love to hear from you if you decide to do it, too! Drop me a comment below or tag me on Instagram @abeautifullywreckedlife.