You may or may not know that here at Juniper Family Adventures, we've committed to spending time outdoors with our little one every day for an entire year.
“A child’s need to be outside is not just a thrill, it’s a physical and emotional need.
We’ve just forgotten it.”
I think a lot of us intuitively know that we need to get our kids outside; that it's really, really good for them and their developing selves. The research is there to back it up; we need to be getting our kids out of the house, away from screens, into an environment that's slower, simpler, that invites exploration. Outside.
Fitting outdoor time into our everyday lives can be challenging, though. There are always things to do, places to go, 'practical' things that take seem to sneak in and steal away our time. Over here, we were finding that we'd go entire days without getting out with our little one, and we didn't like that.
So, we set this challenge for ourselves to get out every day, no matter what. Knowing Minnesota's cold winter months would be the biggest challenge, we began December 1, and we've now made it 100 days!!!!
Here's what we've learned so far:
Not every day can be epic
In fact, we've had very few 'adventure' days so far. We're happy to be getting outside, and sometimes that's been in the form of a walk through the neighborhood, playing in the yard, or heading over to the neighborhood park to play on the ice. The value is in being outside. If we make it to a nice hiking trail or a river or waterfall, that's great (and preferable), but it's not a necessity for the every day. Let's be honest, nearly everything is an adventure when you're two years old.
Especially in the *really* cold winter months of Minnesota, there are many days that it's just not practical, or smart, to be out for too long or stray far from a heat source. With a toddler, we've been hyper-aware of the cold and the dangers associated with it (and the meltdowns that result from an uncomfortable kid). Even so, we're really happy with what we were able to do with our toddler this winter.
Our family got out on some snowy hikes, looking for animal tracks through the snow. We ventured out many times to check out a frozen Mississippi River, we kept tabs on the ice at Minnehaha Falls (it was spectacular this year; bummer we're not allowed to climb it!). And we spent quite a bit of time with the sled, either taking rides through the neighborhood, or finding small hills to sled down.
One of our little's favorite activities has actually just been sliding around on the neighborhood park's outdoor ice rink. It's good entertainment and easy enough to do. Thanks, Minneapolis, for your great city parks!
Dressing well matters
Our winter was pretty average, and here that means lots of temps hovering around the 0F mark, some days a little above, some days below. It's easy to get really cold really quickly in these kinds of temps, so dressing for the weather is important for parents and children alike.
Our layering system (check out our winter layering guide for toddlers), combined with some good mittens (homemade!) have been exceeding our expectations and keeping our little one cozy and comfy most days. Hanging around other tinys, we've seen that warm hands are really important for keeping a toddler happy in the cold. We get it... when our hands or toes get cold, we're ready to be done. For a toddler, it's instant meltdown (we've seen this happen when a little one is too, hot, too!) Taking the time to figure out the right clothing and get it right has really paid off. We've been out in some bitter cold, and we've had a happy toddler.... most of the time.
The earlier in the day, the better
Eliz is home with our son every day, so morning excursions are a possibility for us. We've found these to be the most successful. Some days we've deliberately waited until afternoon to let temps creep up a bit, but it's always harder to get out when we wait. After naptime, other things tend to creep in; we're on to thinking about dinner prep and maybe we're stuck in the house because the oven is on. Whatever it may be....
Our toddler is also just generally happier, and more amenable, in the morning. On the days that we wait, it's usually a far bigger struggle to get out than it would have been if we had just ventured out in the morning.
Prioritizing outdoor time makes a difference
When we set out on this project, it felt like a fun challenge; a way to prioritize something that we knew was important. The effect this commitment has had, though, has been bigger than we imagined. At first, we had to remind ourselves to get out. After all, we were forming a new habit, and that takes some time. We were constantly asking ourselves questions like.... Have we been outside today? We've been invited to an indoor play date... if we do that, will we have time to do this other thing? What about dinner prep? etc. etc. etc.
When planning out a day, outdoor time is now as important as what we're having for dinner, or getting in that trip to the bank. Housework has fallen down on the priority list a bit. Laundry isn't getting done as often as it was. We've turned down a few playdates to make room for our outdoor time, and we're also dragging our playdates out with us when we can. After all, time outdoors isn't just good for us. It's good for everyone.
Three months in, our daily outdoor time has become habit, and it's just becoming a part of what we do. That feels really good, and it aligns well with what's important to us as a family. We love that, both for ourselves, and for our little one as he develops and grows.
We're through the coldest part of winter now, and seeing glimpses of spring here in Minneapolis. Daytime temps are regularly creeping above the freezing mark and piles of snow are melting into puddles. We're going to be able to spend more and more time outside now, and we're really looking forward to it as the weather warms up this spring. Oh, the adventures we will have.
Thanks for following along. We're posting a little snippet from each day's outdoor time in our Instagram stories, and we're keeping a log of the last few days in our story highlights as well. Follow along, and feel free to share your daily outdoor time with us using #juniper365outside.