#1000hoursoutside 2022: January – March update

At the start of the year, I decided to take on the #1000hoursoutside challenge. This is my second year taking on this challenge, having managed to complete it in 2020. Setting myself a challenge is a great way to motivate me to spend more time outside especially in the winter months when staying indoors much more tempting! Here’s how I’m getting on so far.

 

Sophie and Thomas in winter clothes and wellies paddling in the sea on Torquay beach - "#1000hoursoutside 2022: January–March update"

 

 

January

In 2020, I managed 36.5 hours outside in January, an average of 1.18 hours a day. One of the things I learned from doing this challenge last time is that catching up the hours in the summer months was much harder than I expected. This time I was determined not to fall too far behind early on and to try and improve on this number.

 

Being more intentional about getting outdoors definitely helped. I booked Forest School sessions for Thomas each Friday and we usually ended with going to the café and sitting outside for lunch (as we were already wrapped up nice and warm for Forest School). As a result, Fridays were by far our best day for getting outside with our average outdoor hours for Fridays being just over 3.5 hours.

 

Thomas in a puddle suit, scarf and hat playing with the mud kitchen at forest school

 

Having a longer school run and walking to some of Sophie’s activities also helped improve our ‘baseline’ outdoor time. I also started getting in the habit of having a trip to the playground most afternoons before the afternoon school run which Thomas thoroughly enjoyed.

 

 

Total outside hours for January – 54 hours 19 minutes (1.75 hours per day average)

A good start to the year, beating our January 2020 total by almost 18 hours.

 

A #1000hoursoutside mandala with 1000 squares to cover in showing a small segment of squares coloured in red representing hours clocked up in January

 

 

February

In 2020, we managed 31.25 hours outside in February. The weather was on our side this year as it was quite dry for most of the month. Once again I was aiming to improve on 2020 but also on our average for January. I thought half-term might help give an opportunity for outdoor adventures but we didn’t get outside quite as much as I thought we would. Having a routine and getting outside as a result of going to and from activities/school was definitely easier. We did have a day out at Legoland which gave us quite a big chunk of outdoor time though.

 

Sophie and Thomas with a giant Lego figure at Legoland

 

 

Total outside hours for February – 52 hours 39 minutes (1.88 hours per day average)

Fewer hours than January, but a shorter month made for a better average overall. We also improved on our February 2020 total by more than 22 hours.

 

A #1000hoursoutside mandala with 1000 squares to cover in showing a segment of squares coloured in red and orange representing hours clocked up for January and February

 

 

March

With longer days and the start of some warmer weather, it was time to start trying to get back on target. 1000 hours over a year works out at about 2.75 hours per day and this was the point in the year to start aiming to get closer to that average. My total for March 2020 was 63.25 hours which was just over 2 hours a day. Once again I was aiming to improve on this.

 

Thomas with a steel drum in the park

 

We were able to get out into the garden a lot more during March thanks to some warmer spring days and the lighter evenings meant that trips to the park during Sophie’s dance classes started to become an option. I also started taking my laptop outside and working outdoors in the mornings while Thomas was at preschool. We were on track to reach an average of 2.75 hours in March when Covid struck in the last week, limiting any outdoor time to the garden when we were feeling up to it.

 

 

Total outside hours for March – 79 hours 27 minutes (2.56 hours per day average)

Not quite as high as I was hoping but still 14 hours more than March 2020.

 

A #1000hoursoutside mandala with 1000 squares to cover in showing a segment of squares coloured in red, dark orange and light orange representing hours clocked up for January - March

 

 

Total outside hours for January – March 2022 – 186 hours 25 minutes (2.07 hours per day average)

The first quarter of the year was always going to a trickier time to get outside hours in. I’m happy to have managed an average of more than 2 hours each day so far. I’ll need to average 2.96 hours per day for the rest of year to stay on track but that’s achievable with the summer months ahead.

 

My total for 2020 at this stage was 131 hours so I’ve improved on that by more than 54 hours. I’m glad to have made a stronger start this time around – hopefully it will help make things easier later on.

 

Are you doing the #1000hoursoutside this year? How are you getting on so far?

 

loopyloulaura

16 thoughts on “#1000hoursoutside 2022: January – March update

  1. That forest school is so great! I still do this with my 13 year old but it gets harder and harder. Got a few things planned for the school hols but she’s already complaining about them! #Dreamteam

  2. I’ve never heard of the 1000 thousand house outside challenge but it looks like a fun incentive with the kids. #MMBC

  3. This is a great challenge and it sounds like you are doing well. You are really getting the hours in, especially during March. Good luck with the rest of the year x

  4. What a great challenge! I really should take this on and I too need lots of motivation to get out in winter. When the weather is nice we do tend to hike for an hour or two most days but I’d be curious to see just how much time we spend outside.

    1. Having nice places around does help although when we did it in 2020 most of those outdoor hours were in the garden.

  5. This is such a great challenge. Do you think it helps when you consciously make a point of planning to be outdoors? I think we are dreadful at this. When it’s chilly, and the days are short, we are terribly guilty of wanting to stay home for indoor fun. Thank you for joining us for the #DreamTeam and looking forward to hearing how you get on 🙂

    1. I think it does help to consciously plan to spend time outdoors. I definitely spent a lot less time outdoors last year because of not having the challenge to motivate me.

  6. You’re all doing well so far. I was tempted to join in this year but as we’ve had covid I don’t think we would have succeeded and would have been demoralised. It is so much easier to be outise when the weather is nicer! The kids spent this afternoon in the garden, playing for hours and I managed a run this morning. Thanks for linking up with #DreamTeam

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