The 1000 Hour Outside challenge, started by Ginny Yurich 10 years ago, is a challenge for children and adults to spend 1000 hours outside in 365 days. Sounds nearly impossible, right? That’s what I thought too when I first stumbled upon this blog. One thing in her About Us page that sparked my interest in trying this challenge for myself was the following:
Did you know the average American child spends 1,200 hours a year in front of screens? Now THAT seems insane to us, but hey, we get it – parenting is hard and sometimes those screens ‘seem’ like such a welcome reprieve from the chaos.
This quote truly got me thinking- although I have a 8 month old who can’t walk yet, I’m going to try. In one of her podcast episodes, Ginny Yurich points out that even if you do not meet 1000 hours outside, you will have gained something out of it. 200 hours outside is better than 0!
I have been known to turn on The Happy Song to get my son to stop screaming in the car, or put Ms. Rachel on the TV while I grab a snack for myself. Sometimes (most of the time) my husband and I eat dinner in front of the TV. We can do better. As a family, we can combat the screen time and spend more time outdoors.
January is a tough time to start this challenge. In Greenville, South Carolina, it’s not freezing, but it sure is chilly. I am a Florida girl at heart, and I did not come to the Upstate with proper winter attire. Additionally, I’m a first time mom, so I have no idea what is appropriate winter gear for an infant. Excuses, excuses! We can move forward and crush this challenge!
Total Hours Outside: 27
My Rules
Since my son is only 8 months old, I have modified this challenge to fit our lifestyle and to make it more reasonable to achieve this goal.
- Sleeping outside counts – with the exception of sleeping in a tent for the night while camping, if he falls asleep in his stroller or in his carrier while outside, I’m going to count it
- Eating outside at a restaurant – although this does not come up often, choosing to sit outside while at a restaurant counts towards our goal
- The only hours we are counting are the hours my son is outside. We count the hours even when my husband isn’t there
Where did we go this month?
Devils Fork State Park
This is the first of 47 state parks that we visited. We took our dog, Raven, and hiked the 1.5 mile Oconee Bell Nature Trail. Although we went in the off season and didn’t spot the famous Oconee Bell flower, it was still breathtaking. The view of Lake Jocasse is like no other, and it reminded me of why we moved to the Upstate.
Note to self: Wear hiking boots next time and don’t wear your worn out sneakers!
Table Rock State Park
We earned our second state park stamp at Table Rock State Park. We walked the 1.9 mile Lakeside Trail Loop, and caught some beautiful views of Table Rock. We did not attempt the 3.6 mile one way Table Rock Trail, as it is listed as “very strenuous” and ascends 2,000 feet. Maybe we will revisit this one when we don’t have our baby with us!
Unity Park
We have lived in Greenville for 2 years, and we have never been to Unity Park before now. Devin swung on a swing for the first time and loved it. The new turf was great sensory play for him, and we walked the mile and a half to Downtown Greenville.
January Challenge: Cook & Eat A Meal Outside
We waited until the last day of January to complete this challenge. I am a little disappointed in us, but we had way more fun than I could have imagined. We cooked tacos on a cast iron skillet on the grill, and brought our collapsable love seat (which we have yet to use for camping) out to sit on. It was abnormally warm, and the mosquitoes were out to bite, but we stuck it out and had fun!
January Wrap Up
We didn’t fail by any means. We averaged a little less than 1 hour each day, which is less than I wanted, but a good start to the year. We experienced things we wouldn’t have otherwise, and that’s a win to me. There were a few stretches of rainy, stormy weather where we weren’t able to spend much time outside. We tried to make up time on the weekends, but it was hard to figure out how to fill our time while outdoors.
We saw friends and made friends, we went to 2 state parks, and walked a total of 23 miles.
Goals for February
While I don’t consider January a complete fail, we need to do better in February. The shortest month of the year deserves some love! Here are my February goals:
- Average 2 hours a day – a total of 56 hours for the month should keep us on track for our slow increase in outside time
- Visit 2 more state parks – I’m not sure which ones yet, but I’ll figure it out
- Complete the 1000 Hours Outside February Challenge – for the entire month, pick one evening each week to go screen-free
- Try setting up my work-from-home office outside
- Eat more meals outside – a quick snack or lunch outside picnic-style
Things To Remember Next Month
In February, I need to remember that finding leisurely outdoor activities is important. It’s hard to be on a strenuous walk only to realize we’ve only been outside for an hour and a half! We’ve discussed getting yard games such as Cornhole, and having friends over for game night or a bonfire.
Additionally, we need weather appropriate attire. None of us have clothing that makes it easier to brave the colder or rainy days, so we relied too much this month on nice weather.
No hour outside is a waste of time!