By Marie Caballero Uhtoff

When my kids were younger I was able to plan full days of hiking and playing outside. I would put my youngest in a baby carrier, where he’d take long naps while the rest of us meandered or just played in the woods.  We’d have lengthy snack breaks and as long as I brought enough changes of clothes and plenty of snacks we would be happy.   Now that my kids are older, ages 10, 13 and 15, they have ideas of their own about how they want to spend their days and they are often reluctant to go outside.  My 15 year old would rather sleep in than get an early morning start on the trail.  My 13 year old wants to play video games with his friends who he no longer sees at school.  My 10 year old sees the lack of enthusiasm from his older siblings and joins in with the resistance.  I’ve always placed an importance on spending time in nature but now because of the pandemic I see outdoor time as crucial for my family’s health and mental well-being. The kids are being required to spend many hours on screens so I see it as my job to counteract that with even more hours outside. I’m not alone. Millions of parents worldwide are making a conscious choice to spend more time outdoors now than before the pandemic. The CDC states that there is a decreased risk of Covid-19 transmission outdoors (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/participate-in-activities.html) . Although not impossible, being infected with Covid-19 outside in a socially distant situation is rare according to a review of 25,000 Covid-19 cases led by Professor Mike Weed and Dr Abby Foad at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK.  The research concluded, ‘There are very few examples of outdoor transmission of Covid-19 found in everyday life outdoors’ (https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news/docs/exec-summary-to-covid-spear.pdf).  Spurred by the knowledge that being outside is safer than inside, outdoor activities have risen considerably since last March when the pandemic restrictions began. Despite the struggle from my kids, I still manage to plan outdoor time that engages the kids and makes fun, lasting family memories.

Identify what you see.  Use field guides specific to your area to identify the trees, birds, mushrooms, flowers and wildlife you see when outside. Identifying local wildlife engages children in the natural world. Knowing and looking for specific things in nature can act as a natural treasure hunt.

Vary the activities Doing the same outside activity gets monotonous.   Mix it up.  For older kids, go mountain biking, paddleboarding, snowboarding, fly fishing, skateboarding or snow shoeing.  Time outside doesn’t have to be active- have a picnic, find a quiet place to draw, read outside or play music.  Let your kids decide the activity.

Dress for the weather.  Embrace layering.  Bring extra socks.  Follow the Swedish believe of “there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.”

Set an outdoor activity goal.  1000 Hours Outside is a challenge to match nature time with average kid screen time (approx. 1000 hours each year).  1000hoursoutside.com offers free downloadable tracking sheets to post in your home and track your progress.  The visual acts as both a reminder and also gives a sense of accomplishment when you fill in your hours.

Snacks My backpack is usually weighted down with what some would think appears to be an excessive quantity of snacks. I’ve never regretted carrying the extra weight because snacks – especially treats they don’t usually get when we’re at home, can sometimes be the sole motivation for an outdoor excursion. Don’t skimp on snacks!!

Take a hot cocoa break In the winter, hot drinks are a necessity when spending extended time outdoors.  Fill a Thermos with hot cocoa or tea. Not only does it keep kids hydrated but it helps kids feel warmer.  Bring a blanket that is water resistant on the bottom to make an event of it.

Skip Stones. My Dad used to awe me by his ability to skip flat round pebbles along the surface of water like a frog gliding effortlessly on a pond’s surface.  My kids have inherited that ability and as a family we can happily spend an enjoyable afternoon looking for the perfect medium-sized, flat, round pebble and then take turns trying for the perfect speed, angle and spin.   We’re a competitive family so it usually involves a contest to see who is able to have the most skips on the water. Just a side note, the world record for the number of skips, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is 88, by Kurt “Mountain Man” Steiner set in 2013.  Our family record is around 20, and I can already picture many well-spent afternoons by the water trying to improve that record.

Go on an Outdoor Treasure Hunt.  Make it either a competition or a cooperative activity. There are multiple ways to organize a treasure hunt.   One is to give each kid a list of what to find and then they bring back those items, or take a picture of each of them. The child or team that finds all the items on the list first “wins.”  See these free downloadable treasure hunt lists here: A simple treasure hunt list for young children.   Or print these Nature Scavenger Hunts. This website lists 30 wonderful rhyming clues for common outdoor objects: https://www.thespruce.com/outdoor-treasure-hunt-for-kids-1695487.   Write down clues, then distribute them so that one clue leads to another, ending in some “treasure” at the end.  Clues that kids have to figure out are fun and bonus points for clues that rhyme.

Prioritize outdoor time.  Put nature time on the calendar.  We used to have our calendar filled with soccer and hockey games. Now that those sports aren’t happening, we have bike rides, sledding, camping trips and hikes on our family calendar. By writing it down, we are more likely to stick to the plan.

Choose to walk rather than drive. Short car trips are particularly bad for the environment because they burn fuel and create pollution at higher rates than long trips. Replace your shorter journeys with walking and cycling. Opting to walk or cycle to your destination- school, the library, or the grocery store – prevents air pollution, saves gas and is a fun practical way to incorporate outside time into your daily life.

Cook outside– Roast hot dogs, make Smores.  When having an outdoor fire, use the opportunity to teach children fire safety.  Allow older children to safely build and tend a fire following all safety precautions.

Learn orienteering.  Orienteering allows kids to practice using a map and compass to navigate from checkpoint to checkpoint.  Orienteering teaches children to recognize topographical map symbols, how to use a compass, and to determine distances between different destinations. In Oregon, the only orienteering club is in Portland, Columbia River Orienteering http://www.croc.org/.

Gauge their interest and comfort level.  Kids can endure being uncomfortable but it is necessary to be attuned to their well-being to be able to decipher what are typical complaints and when they are so miserable that they won’t want to go on another family adventure again.

Marie Caballero Uhtoff is a mother of 3 from Ashland Oregon and part of the Northwest Nature Shop family. She enjoys traveling, running, playing soccer and spending as much time outside with her kids as they can withstand.

Author Marie Caballero Uhtoff spending time outside with her family.