Hike it Baby’s Winter Walk for the Website Challenge is in full swing! The challenge is for everyone to spend 10 minutes walking outside every day for the month of February. You can sign up for it here.
The best part is that getting outside for 10 minutes every day is really easy to do! You don’t even need to leave your neighborhood or even your backyard. There are so many ways to complete this challenge, but to help you out here are 10 ways to get outside for 10 minutes.
Go for a walk around your neighborhood
This is an easy one to do in 10 minutes! Simply meander around your neighborhood and take in all the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of the nature around you. Weeds growing through sidewalk cracks, clouds, falling snow, and potted plants absolutely count.
Add in some wheels
While walking is always a good time, change it up by taking the same route on wheels. Ride bikes, scooters, or skateboards around your neighborhood (or chase your children while they ride), and bust out the stroller and take your littlest out for a ride too.
Blow bubbles
Getting outside doesn’t mean you have to leave your yard or even your patio. Spend 10 minutes blowing bubbles together and enjoy the time connecting with your children.
Play follow the leader
This is a game that is silly and fun for all ages. It also will help warm up those bodies on a cold day and help make those 10 minutes outside fly by.
Go for a trash clean up walk
Spending 10 minutes cleaning up your neighborhood or local park is an amazing way to give back. If you did this once a week, imagine how much trash you will pick up and how grateful mother nature and the wildlife that call the area home will be!
Read a book together
Here is another quick and easy way to get outside without even leaving your yard or patio. Lay down a blanket and enjoy a short story or two together. If it is really cold, pile on the blankets, read a book about summer and imagine it is hot out. You could also read the book while moving your bodies.
Have a meal or snack outside
Even in the cold winter weather, eating outside can be fun! If it is really cold bring soup or hot chocolate to enjoy together.
Get artsy
There are so many ways to create art outside. Spend 10 minutes painting rocks, drawing with sidewalk chalk, painting snow, or using nature items to create pictures.
Look to the sky
Sit in chairs or lie on your backs and stare at the sky. Watch the clouds pass by and see if you can find any images in them. Can’t get outside until later in the day? No worries, one of the best things about Winter is that it gets dark earlier and even young children can enjoy searching the night sky for constellations.
Go for a nature heart hunt
Hearts are literally all over the place in nature. Once you start looking you will see them everywhere. Spend 10 minutes in your neighborhood or local park hunting for nature hearts! Common nature hearts can be found in leaf shapes, tree bark, lichen, clouds, rocks, sidewalk cracks, city art (both commissioned and otherwise), and so much more.
“Nature is good for all of us. When we’re exposed to trees and other natural settings – even within the city, it fosters creativity.” – David Livermore
