Getting Outdoors with Your Family - The Benefits and How to Get Started!
Written by: Shelby Beal with an introduction by Alaska Children’s Trust
Creating a stronger and healthier family dynamic takes work- it takes intentionally setting aside time to spend with your kids, doing things that they enjoy, and providing space for them to open up to you. With just a month left before children and youth across Alaska start going back to school, we encourage you to find some of that space in the outdoors! Try to take advantage of the warmer weather by doing something your child enjoys outside. Not only does time outdoors benefit your children’s (and your own!) physical wellbeing, but doing fun things outside also benefits our mental health. Studies show that a dose of the outdoors is stress-reducing and can help relieve anxiety. Time away from screens can also build social and emotional skills, help kids focus better, and even help them sleep better! Plus, getting outside together allows you the time and prevents distractions so that you can get to know your children in a deep and meaningful way. The time you spend outside with your kids helps them open up like a tundra flower, giving them space to be loud, be free, and get the attention and love they need. Even if your child is taking advantage of a spectacular summer camp that gets them outside and immersed in nature like Campfire, Trailside, Kinderskog, or Discovery Southeast, try to continue engaging in the outdoors at home after camp by asking them to show you things they learned about nature in a park nearby. If you’re not sure where to start to get your family outside, you’ll find some helpful tips in this article by outdoors-mom and guest writer, Shelby Beal. If you’re interested in sharing ways that your family bonds or other caregiver tips, please reach out to us about guest-writing!
“Just as children depend on us for three meals a day, they also need us to prepare peaceful spaces for them in the midst of this busy world.”
My family moved to Alaska in the fall of 2019. Prior to moving here, we were not an outdoor loving family. My husband and I were both dealing with depression and anxiety and we knew we needed a change not only for our mental health but also for the mental and emotional health of our children. We decided to accept a job and move to Alaska for a fresh start and to embrace a simpler lifestyle.
This year, we decided to join the 1,000 hours outside challenge. This challenge has helped encourage us to get outdoors more than usual with the idea that there is no such thing as bad weather! After only 4 months in the challenge we had clocked more hours outside than we did in any single year previously. Now, our children are begging to go outside each and every day from the time they get up until they go to bed. Since falling in love with the outdoors we have made countless memories that will last us a lifetime. The first time my 4 year old completed his first hike up the Bodenburg Butte on his own two feet we all celebrated together. Our outdoor adventures have taught my son how to accurately identify plants for foraging, trees, animals, birds and different mountain ranges. He has learned all of this by asking questions, researching the answer, and together we learn something new. We’ve gotten to spend so much time learning, exploring, and growing together. Our time outside has cemented our family bond and made learning fun! Each time my son learns something new he is so excited to share it with everyone he sees.
Creating a lifestyle that fosters a love for nature and healthier family relationships can seem overwhelming to some, especially if you weren’t raised learning to love or feel comfortable and safe in the outdoors. Some of the questions I hear most often are: Where do I start, there are so many options? I don’t have extra money to buy supplies or equipment? What if we don’t have a yard to play in? If any of these questions resonate with you, fear not, I want to help!
Here are 5 simple ways to start integrating the outdoors into your family time:
Hiking is one of my family's favorite outdoor activities! For some people hiking seems intimidating and hiking with kids is even more intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Start small, find a trail near your house and just give it a try. I find it easier for my toddler to hike when I provide him with snacks and activities through the hike. For toddlers you can have them take their nature journal along to collect things or draw what they see. You could even give them a scavenger hunt to do throughout the hike and then reward them with a treat at the end. For older kids and teens, let them choose the hike. If it is their idea they usually have more motivation to do it. You can even download hiking apps like AllTrails and Gaia GPS to check out cool maps and trail reviews before you set out. Not familiar with the trails near you? Don’t worry! There are lots of guide books and Facebook hiking groups to join if you’re just beginning. Sometimes you can even find other families to hike with or events to join in on if you’re not sure what to do in the outdoors.
For this one, all you need is a notebook and something to write with. Start by giving everyone their notebooks and pens, go sit outside and journal the nature all around you. If your kids are too small to write then have them draw instead. My toddler and I like to nature journal together in one journal. He draws the things he sees, then he tells me about it, and I write a description next to his picture. You can also press flowers or leaves to tape into your children’s journal. The most important thing to remember is that it is your journal so there are no rules to follow, just let your creativity flow.
Alaska is full of edible plants and berries! Your kids are sure to love searching for the different plants and collecting them to take home or sneak a snack along the way. Just remember not to overharvest plants- save some for the animals and for next year by using the rule of 3. For every 3 of a plant, only take 1 to eat! My kids love searching for fiddleheads and blueberries. They enjoy helping me clean the papers off of the fiddleheads… but the blueberries never quite make it into our foraging basket before they get eaten. Foraging as a family is fun but preparing dishes and desserts with your findings adds another element to the fun! You can make something like blueberry pie or pancakes or learn more about Alaska Native culture with your kids and learn about and make a traditional or modified version of aqutak (Yup’ik) or nivagi (Dena’ina)- for younger kids, check out this awesome clip of a Molly of Denali episode that teaches how to make a traditional version of nivagi.
There are several different directions you could go when it comes to a nature scavenger hunt. For toddlers, give them a list of items to find and bring back to you. These things could include a cool rock, a new plant, a flower, a stick, the possibilities are endless. For older kids, you can give them a list of textures (i.e. slimy, rough, smooth etc.) and have them take a picture of what they find. Kids will enjoy the structure of the list as well as the freedom to look for treasure of their own.
Kids love to create and make art but sometimes we as parents don’t love to clean up the mess. Good news! Making art with nature in nature relieves the clean up stress. Have your children gather sticks, rocks, pine cones and leaves then use the items to make collages, little structures or creatures. Let their imaginations go wild with creativity! You can also do easy leaf or flower printing using crayons, colored pencils, and paper.
For our family, it’s impossible to choose a favorite outdoor memory. We have made more memories in nature this year than we have our entire lives and each one is cherished deeply. I hope the same for you and your family! I hope that the outdoors inspires you and your children in a way you never could have imagined.
How do you bond with your family in the outdoors? Let us know in the comments below!
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery - air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, this is what it is to be happy.”
About the author: Shelby Beal is a nutrition and fitness coach. Her family moved to Alaska from Oklahoma in 2019. Shelby and her husband have two wild little boys. They are constantly seeking new adventures and looking for new places to explore together. One of Shelby’s biggest passions is teaching other people how to enjoy the outdoors as a family.