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The Benefits of 1000 Hours Outside

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Benefits of 1000 Hours Outside

I have heard of the 1000 Hours Outside movement for the last few years, but I never tried it because we lived in Arizona, where it was too hot most of the year to spend much time outdoors. Now, we’ve moved to a more temperate climate, so in 2023, we’re joining the movement. There are many benefits of the 1000 hours outside challenge that I’ve already seen for our family and expect to increase as we get further into the year.

The Benefits of 1000 Hours Outside

These are some of the benefits I’ve seen so far:

More Family Time

My husband works a lot, but he enjoys spending time outdoors. So, he joins us whenever we head out for an outdoor adventure. Likewise, the girls are teens and don’t like to do as much together, but they, too, join in for outdoor activities.

More Frugal Entertainment

We’ve found immersing ourselves in nature is a frugal endeavor. Recently, we took a road trip to a location 70 miles from our home. First, we walked around some college campuses that our kids wanted to see. Then, we went to a nearby cemetery where we found the graves of Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony. We spent several hours outdoors exploring; the only cost was the gas to get to the city.

Better Physical Fitness

Since we started this challenge, we’ve been more active. The girls will take two-mile walks with me to rack up more outdoor time. In addition, we’ve resumed hiking as a family, something we haven’t done for years.

Better Behavior

When our kids were younger, I noticed a direct correlation between their time on devices and challenging behavior. They were grumpier and more aggressive as they spent more time on electronics. They’re older now, so the behavior challenges are more nuanced. However, I notice that they seem more peaceful and relaxed when they spend time outdoors.

Less Reliance on Technology

Benefits of 1000 hours outside

When kids get bored, they turn to electronics. If they’re outdoors doing activities, they don’t have electronics to turn to. Most kids today (and adults!) rely too heavily on electronics. Stopping this behavior cold turkey is difficult, if not impossible in our society. However, you can diminish the time you and your kids spend on electronics by replacing that time with something better, like time outdoors.

I wish we had started the 1000 Hours Outside challenge when my kids were toddlers. They would have grown up knowing so much more about nature. They would have found being outdoors a natural way to live. However, it’s never too late, which is why we’re embarking on the challenge now, while we still have time.

Final Thoughts

The earlier you start immersing your kids in the outdoors, the better. However, your kids are never too old to reap the benefits of 1000 Hours Outside challenge. Our kids are 12 and 14, and they’re still benefiting. So, what are you waiting for? Put on your jacket or sunscreen, depending on the weather, and enjoy the great outdoors.

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6 Frugal Activities for Kids During Winter Break

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Frugal Activities for Kids During Winter Break

Kids around the country are enjoying winter break. While the early days of winter break are likely busy with holiday activities and preparations, the last week can be quiet and a bit boring. If you want to find frugal activities for kids during winter break, look no further than our list. These activities can help your kids relax, have fun, and spend time building memories with family.

Frugal Activities for Kids During Winter Break

Have a Movie Marathon

If your kids don’t get a lot of screen time during the school year, take one day this break and have a movie marathon. Pick two or three movies the family wants to watch, and then camp out on the couch with yummy snacks and the blinds closed. Have a great time watching and then discussing the movies.

Have a Chopped Challenge

Have your kids watched the cooking show, Chopped? If so, why not have a kids’ Chopped challenge at your house. Give the kids three or four items with which to create a meal. Then, you decide which of the kids wins the competition. (As a bonus with this activity, you have one less meal you have to cook this week!) If your kitchen is small, you may want to have one child cook one night with the ingredients and another child cook the next night.

Decorate Cookies

Who says Christmas cookies have to stop when Christmas is over? Have a fun afternoon making and decorating cookies. Make it extra fun by turning traditional cookie cutters into other objects. For instance, instead of making a gingerbread man with that cookie cutter shape, turn it into something else like a unicorn.

Go Sledding

Some of the best fun I’ve had with my kids is sledding with them. Bundle the family up, head out to the nearest large hill in the neighborhood, and go sledding. Stay out for an hour or two, and then come home and enjoy a nice mug of hot chocolate while you warm up.

Build a Snow Fort

Likewise, don’t send the kids out alone to play in the snow. Instead, go out with them and build a snow fort. You can even take a break for a snowball fight. The kids will love you spending time with them and being a kid again with them.

Play a Board Game

Frugal Activities for Kids

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

During the busy school week, you may not have time to play games with your kids. During winter break, set aside some time to play board games with your kids. Some of our favorites include 10 Days in the USA, Battleship, Yahtzee, and The 5-Second Rule.

Final Thoughts

While taking a family vacation during break is nice, don’t feel bad if you don’t have the money to do so. Your kids will appreciate you spending time with them and enjoying any of these frugal activities for kids during winter break.

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Rock Painting Ideas for Kids

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In our area, we’ve had the pleasure of stumbling upon a painted rock more than once, to the delight of whichever one of my kids finds it.  In fact, our city has its own Facebook page where people can share the rocks they’ve found around town as well as the rocks they have painted and placed around town.  There are over 13,000 members in the Facebook group!  If your family would like to get in on this fun hobby for kids, there are many easy rock painting ideas for kids.

Painted Rock Ideas for Kids

Rock Painting Ideas for Kids

If you’re looking at rock painting ideas, I’d encourage you to first see if your town has a Facebook group.  You can simply search the name of your town and rock painting; if there’s a group, you’ll find it that way.

However, Facebook rock painting groups can be a bit intimidating because there tend to be so many fabulous artists there.  If you or your kids’ skills are a bit more elementary, I’ve found YouTube to be a good place to search.

Ideas for Those 10 and Younger

To get kids excited about rock painting, try to pick designs that are easy enough for young kids.  The best ones seem to be designs that involve painting the entire rock as something like a ladybug or a strawberry, for instance.

There are so many tutorials on YouTube that will spark your children’s creativity!

For younger kids, Missy Maker has a tutorial showing kids how to make rock ladybugs, and giving examples of rock painting bees, minions, Shrek, and Nemo.

Ideas for Tweens and Teens

For older kids, rock painting can be an even more engrossing hobby.  Once kids’ artistic talents are a bit more developed, there are so many designs to pursue.

Tweens and teen can start using more advanced supplies like acrylic paint markers for more fine-detailed work like outlining and writing phrases on the rocks.

If your teen is a beginner, this video explains the whole rock painting process as well as designs for tweens and teens.

Rock Painting Ideas for the Whole Family

If you have children of varying ages and abilities, you can use a YouTube video like this one.

This video doesn’t show specifically how to paint the rocks, but it gives ideas for many different designs for all types of abilities.  I also enjoy tutorials with painting ideas for every season and holiday!  My kids who are 10 and under love painting simple flowers.

Final Thoughts

Rock painting can be a fun, low-cost hobby for everyone in the family, especially when you take the time to hide the rocks around your city.  It’s even more fun when you join a Facebook group and look to see if anyone has found your hidden rocks.  This hobby is also easy to start using some of these fun rock painting ideas for kids.

Fit Families: Being Active Doesn’t Have to Cost Money

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fit familiesGrowing up, activity was second nature to me. I’d wake up, go outside and play until the sun went down and repeat the next day. I was involved in some organized sports, but for the most part, unless it was pouring rain there was an expectation on me to be active.

The level of inactivity in today’s general population, especially children is alarming. I live on a street full of children and I can count on one hand the amount of times I have seen them actually playing outside. While this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not involved in organized activity outside of the home, it still concerns me. Unless it is pouring rain, I make sure my daughter gets outside and explores everyday. I want activity to be ingrained in her little brain.

A friend of mine recently started complaining about how her overweight son (who is 11) was never going to lose weight because she couldn’t afford to enroll him in an organized sport. Overweight herself, she claims to be determined to not have him lead the life she has as an overweight adult. When I told her I thought ”not being able to afford organized sport” was a poor excuse, she was taken aback.  And don’t even get me started on a junk food tax.

Though organized sports and activity hold many benefits in many aspects, they are not the only ways to get active and fit.

 

Free or Inexpensive Activities for Families

Families who are active together are generally much happier as a whole and individual parts. I can tell you I always feel much better mentally and physically when my whole family gets out together rather than being alone or even me and the little one. Having my husband present is encouraging and fun. Activity is an amazing bonding time for everyone.

Some free or inexpensive activity ideas for the whole family include:

  • Walking or hiking, exploring your neighborhood or local parks,
  • Biking
  • Playing in the snow, snowshoes, skiing, building snowmen are always fun.
  • Family sport game (baseball, tennis, soccer)
  • Play on the beach, running in the sand, building sand castles.
  • Swimming
  • Walk the family dog together
  • Rake leaves, clean the yard, garden together (for more fun jump in the leave piles!)
  • Play electronic games. Electronic games (Wii, xBox, Playstation) can be fun when played as a family, there are many games that encourage activity.
  • Run, there are many family friendly races that you could train and run together.

When activity is a component of your life, you feel better in all aspects of your life. You have more focus and are generally more organized and in a better mood. Nothing bad ever comes from being active together. Being active as a family means you are setting your children up for a healthier life than leading an inactive childhood. When children see their parents active they are also more apt to partake in activity.

Being fit a fit family doesn’t have to include fancy gym memberships or organized sports. There’s nothing stopping you from exploring the world around you and having fun while doing it!

Do you consider yourself to be active? How about your family?