Try these 13 ways to enjoy the outdoors with family, couples, or solo!
Did you know that getting outside to explore nature can improve your emotional and physical health? Exploring nature is an excellent way to spend time together as a family. We’ve done plenty, but I am always up for more time outdoors. How about you? Today I’m sharing these simple 13 ways to enjoy the outdoors.
This spring or any time of the year, take your kids outdoors to appreciate everything Mother Nature offers. These five ways to explore nature as a family will help your family enjoy the outdoors all season long.
Related: A Guide to Green Hiking
13 Ways To Enjoy The Outdoors
I can’t think of anything better than spending time in nature listening to the sounds it makes. There’s something about open spaces that intrigues me and helps me heal. I hope it’s the same for you.
1. Camping is excellent for exploring nature as a family
Spring is a beautiful time of year to go camping. The mild weather, the gorgeous surroundings, and, most importantly, the birds chirping make it perfect for sleeping under the stars at night and enjoying nature during the day. Whether you take your family on an adventure in the woods, at a campground, or in your backyard, a day of camping can help your family connect with nature and each other. Cast-iron cooking is my favorite part of camping. My second favorite is hanging out in a hammock all by myself.
2. Bird Watching Is A Great Way To Explore Nature
Spring is also a great time to go bird watching because wide varieties of birds are busy building nests and laying eggs during this season. To bird-watch with your family, you’ll need binoculars to examine each bird closely. You can head out into your backyard to see what types of birds live near your home or visit a nature trail for a more diverse choice of birds to watch.
3. Go Geocaching
I’m sure everyone has heard the term “geocache,” if not, it’s an activity where you use an app to find treasures other people have hidden. I wrote an article about it when my son and I went geocaching for the first time. We had a lot of fun.
Here are Ten Reasons Geocaching Is A Great Hobby
4. Start A Cairn Or Add To One
Have you ever seen a cairn? It starts with a nice size rock that, when you walk by it, you build on top of it with other rocks. Soon, it will stand high. The word cairn can mean several things to different people. It could be a monument to help protect the land. I could mean that someone started a cairn in respect of someone or land. Or it could simply mean you like building rocks upon rocks. Any way you see it, add a rock next time you see one or start one while you’re iking.
5. Just Be In The Moment
After you’ve taken millions of selfies, stop and feel the breeze and the environment’s energy. Observe the trees, leaves, and clouds around you. Take a moment to sit and be present in what nature provides all of us.
Take your shoes off, walk around in the grass, and dig your hands into the dirt. Doing whatever you can to connect with the earth physically will help develop your relationship with it more deeply.
6. Observe The Animals
Observe and interact with animals – not your pets! There are all kinds of birds, squirrels, deer, rabbits – notice the sounds they make and try to think about what they love about nature and how they connect with their home.
7. Take A Hike
If you want to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful scenery, hiking could be your ideal activity. No matter what area you’re in. If you’re new to hiking, chances are you can find a few trails on flat terrain suitable for beginners.
If you’re out hiking along, let someone know where you’re going and ensure you can get hold of someone if anything happens. Hiking with your dog is great too!
8. Use Sticks To Spell Words
This is good therapy.
9. Learn To Fly Fish
How about a relaxed day out on the water where you can think about life and escape the rat race? Fishing is ideal, as you can spend the day in nature, away from the hustle and bustle. Just waiting for a bite seems to be the day’s talk among fishermen.
On the other hand, fly fishing is an excellent choice to take up a new hobby.
10. Orienteering
Orienteering is an exciting activity involving navigating a course using a map and a compass. It’s a competitive sport, but you can do it for fun too. You’ll need to find your way to a series of checkpoints on the course before coming to the end of it, as fast as possible and without getting lost!
Why is orienteering an excellent choice of outdoor activity? You’ll be outdoors, in the fresh air, and getting decent exercise. But you’ll also be using critical thinking skills, analyzing and making decisions based on the information at your disposal. This is an excellent choice of activity if you want to be outdoors and active but still have a bit of an intellectual challenge.
Check this out – What is Orienteering?
11. Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is a challenge, but rock climbing could be suitable for you if you want something that gives you a rush of adrenalin and a feeling of accomplishment when you reach a goal.
It’s nice that you can generally practice indoors at rock walls and then put that into practice outdoors. It’s best to do it with someone else, especially if you’re new to it, to keep each other motivated and ensure you’re safe.
Start small and work your way up so you don’t get over your head. It’s also a good idea to research safety and make sure you take steps to keep yourself as safe as possible.
12. Backpacking
This is a bit of an extended activity, but it’s a great choice if you want a vacation with a difference. Pack your backpack and get out in nature! Backpacking combines hiking, camping, and survivalism, making it a varied and exciting outdoor activity.
With just a bit of planning, you can lay out an interesting and action-packed backpacking trip. You can hike or walk through nature as much as possible and stop at other fun activities. It’s a highly versatile outdoor activity.
13. Find A Rock; Leave One Behind
While you’re out hiking or walking around, search for interesting rocks. Rocks can also be in your yard or the local park. The best rocks for painting are large and smooth. Bring the rocks home, clean them off, and lay them out on newspaper. This would make a great activity for you and your kids. They (and you) will have a blast creating beautiful art on the rocks. You can even use them to decorate your yard or garden after they dry.
Do This: Now that you’ve painted your rocks, take them with you on a hike, and when you find a rock that someone else painted, pick it up and leave one of yours behind. And, while you’re at it, look for arrowheads and petrified rocks. These could surely be kid-loving nature items to collect.
If you’re getting a bit of cabin fever or need to get out and about for a while, consider these 13 ways to enjoy the outdoors, and you’ll be set for an awesome time.
If you’ve got some time this weekend, why not head outdoors and do something fun, like one of these ideas, rather than hanging out at home?