Have you heard about The 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge yet?
Created by mom of five, Ginny Yurich, the challenge is for families to spend 1,000 hours playing outdoors.
In Yurich’s podcast by the same name, she explains that the premise for 1,000 hours of outdoor play came from the statistic that, on average, children in the United States spend 1,200 hours a year in front of screens.
Yes, you read that right. 1,2oo hours of screen time!
For me, hearing that statistic was shocking. But it also made me feel like if we can manage that many hours with a tablet or tv, maybe 1,000 hours of outdoor play isn’t so impossible after all.
To make it even easier for families to keep track and stay motivated throughout the year, Yurich has an instagram account that she updates frequently, as well as tracking sheets on her website.
She even has an app by the same name! I’ve downloaded it and it’s pretty good for keeping me motivated so far. Although I will say that it does glitch out fairly often and kick me out of the app (but I’m sure it’s relatively new and so, I don’t mind it so much).
To be honest, as a working mother of a toddler with a pretty strict weekday schedule, I’m not sure if my family will meet the 1,000 hours of outdoor play goal.
But I plan on trying to anyway. If we manage to reach even 500 hours of outdoor time this year, I’ll be overjoyed.
I think the best thing to do when it comes to goals like this is make a really good effort every week. Then give yourself some grace when life or the weather gets in the way.
What do you think about The 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge? And are you up for giving it a try with your family this year?
Until next time! -Paige
Paige is Parenting 