
Have you heard of the 1000 Hours Outside movement? It’s a website and social media presence created to encourage families to spend more time outdoors. The average child spends more than 1,200 hours on screens each year, but far less out in nature. If you’re looking for a fun way to get more time outdoors, consider making 1000 hours your goal in 2025!
How to Get Started

Set a goal to get outside for at least 20 minutes per day. Once you’re out there, you may find that an hour or more passes by quickly!

Do a fun outdoor activity. There are a bunch of outdoor activities that you can do throughout the year including the wintertime! Check out our articles on what to do in the Winter in the Stateline!

Try a daily hike. 1000 Hours Outside has put together multiple resources that you can purchase to help keep track of your time outdoors and inspire you to try new activities. You can visit their shop here.

Attend an outdoor event. There are lots of outdoor events held throughout the winter. You can check out all of the family-friendly events in the area on our calendar here.

Visit a forest preserve. We have a ton of awesome forest preserves, one giant state park, and a bunch of beautiful smaller parks throughout the Stateline. Find a preserve here.
How to Track Your Time

1000 Hours Outside has a few options to track your time. You can go track on paper or on their app. Their paper trackers are available here for FREE. They offer a few different styles. We love this year’s winning tree trunk design! You can download it here.

If you’d prefer to track your time digitally, you can download the app for IOS or Android on your phone. The app has a timer to help you track your adventures and you can earn badges for milestones like 10, 50, and 100 hours outside.
Why You Should Get Outside More This Year
Nature has many benefits both for kids and adults! When you’re in nature, your blood pressure and stress hormone levels are lower, your nervous system calms down, your immune system is boosted, your self-esteem is increased, your anxiety is reduced and your mood is improved.
For more information on why you should get outdoors, and ideas for getting outside with your kids, be sure to follow 1000 Hours Outside on Facebook and Instagram.
Local Groups to Get Connected With
If you’d like to join a local Facebook group about 1000 Hours Outside, there are two in the area.
Will you be trying to spend 1000 hours outside this year?
For More Winter Fun…
www.statelinekids.com/winter