standing with hope

by Talli Smith

I looked through my window the other night after getting the kids to bed and saw the moon rising over the woods behind our house.  It looked huge and red and was just barely peeking out from behind the trees.  Without a second thought I ran back to the kids rooms, grabbed the youngest and told the older two to follow me (I didn’t grab the baby…I’m not that crazy!)  We ran out on the deck and all watched as the moon rose above the trees.  It was over in a matter of minutes.  We were all amazed at its color and how you could almost SEE it moving above the treeline.  Hearing my kid’s gasps and seeing the awe on their faces was totally worth having to start bedtime over.  I am only partially kidding about that.  

At the beginning of 2023 I set out to be more intentional with getting my kids outdoors every day.  Making it a part of our daily routine, no matter the weather.  I started with reading books like There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather by Linda McGurk, Microadventures by Alastair  Humphreys and Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom.  After a couple months of being faithful to get us outside, I was a believer.  Getting outdoors is one of the best things you can do for your health, your kid’s health, for our love, respect and preservation of nature and for our awe and worship of God.  

I knew I needed to do something different for my mental health starting in 2023.  I decided that on top of regular exercise, I also wanted to prioritize being out in creation more than I was.  Taking deep breaths of fresh air.  When you are at home all day, homeschooling four kids, 8 and under, things can get a little crazy.  One of the best things I started doing was making sure we were getting outside every day.  And not just the kids…me too!  I had to learn to walk away from the dishes and mess and ‘treat’ myself to being out in the fresh air, no matter the state of my house.  I have not yet regretted making that choice, and it turns out the dishes are still there when I return!

One of the best things you can do for your kids is getting them outdoors!  It doesn’t matter where you live, you can find and experience nature right outside your door!  Just taking a walk down the sidewalk provides a chance to notice leaves, insects, birds, rocks and flowers.  Kids are naturally curious.  Encourage that!  Make a big deal out of anything they find in nature that they took the time to show you.  “Wow!  You’re so observant!  I love the colors on that rock!  What a great find!”  They will get so excited to show you all their little treasures.  I started a nature shelf in our dining room to bring a little of the outdoors inside, where they can display their treasures (no live bugs allowed.  I have to draw the line somewhere!).  Even the 2 year old will hand me things now and say “nature shelf!”

While touring around your neighborhood is all you need to have a mini adventure with your kids, any time you can find a trail through a forest with a creek and some fallen logs, do it!  Put the Seek app on your phone and start identifying trees, bugs, wildflowers, salamanders and anything else your kids might find interesting.  Get the Merlin bird app and you can identify the bird songs you’re hearing, as well as any bird that gets close enough for you to see.  Talk to your kids about how we can help preserve the natural areas in our cities and in our country!  Pick up trash you see along the trail.  Remind them that God made all of creation for us to care for!  

Maybe the most important thing you can do outside with your kids, that you can’t do inside, is point to anything in nature and remind them of the all-powerful, insanely creative, awe-inspiring God that we serve.  Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  Show your kids the heavens.  Show them the details of a spider web.  Google how to tell if it’s a male or female monarch.  Talk about migration and how butterflies intuitively know where to go.  Wonder and ask questions and be in awe of how big our God is!  

but how?

Some practical tips:

Watch the weather so you have some idea of what to expect. (It looks like it’s going to be hot tomorrow: we’ll go for a walk after breakfast and then plan to eat dinner in the backyard so we can be inside during the heat of the day)  

Make a plan the night before of when you’ll get outside that day.  (We have a doctor appointment at 10 and then lunch and naps, so we’ll have to do a family walk in the evening.  Or…there’s nothing on the calendar tomorrow so I’m going to pack us a lunch and we’ll head off to do a hike first thing in the morning.  One thing I do to get my kids excited for time outdoors is when they get dressed that morning I say ‘go put on your adventure clothes!’ and it’s so fun to see what they come down in! 

My kids love being outside.  And yet they STILL fight me some days.  Lure them out with a snack.  Or bubbles.  Or just tell them if they stay inside they can do the dishes while YOU go outside!  99% of the time they are happy and having fun within minutes of hitting the door.  

Help your kids dress appropriately.  It doesn’t need to be expensive gear.  Rain boots are always great if it’s muddy or wet.  Layer up in the winter.  Pack lots of water if it’s hot.  Bring bug spray.  It’s always more fun if you aren’t cold or wet or getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.  

Sometimes it’s fun to do a hike with a certain distance or goal in mind.  When you do longer hikes with little kids, I try to get them to hike themselves as much as you can.  But I will also bring a pack to carry the littlest one if they just can’t make it!  I always secretly bring a little treat like M&Ms or Skittles to use for ‘energy’ when the kids THINK they’re tired, but I know they aren’t!  I’ll usually wait until we’re on the last half of the hike and then say “You look like you could use some energy!  Eat this M&M and see how far you can go with all that energy!” Singing songs, looking for a certain type of tree or flower also helps kids forget how tired they are…sometimes.  Other times everyone whines all the way back to the car and you just have to take a deep breath and hope it goes better on your next attempt!

While it’s nice to do distance hikes, some days it’s better to just wander.  No rush.  No telling them to hurry up.  Just walk into the woods, and let them be.  Climb trees, peek in holes, flip logs over.  Let them explore and develop a love for nature using all their senses!  (Remember to be respectful depending on where you’re exploring.  Some parks are for the preservation of specific things and need to be more hands off.  But if it’s allowed, I encourage my kids to respectfully engage with nature as much as they can!)  

Last year we completed the 1000 hours outside challenge, coming in around 1020 after brutal sickness in November. This year, our family is doing the challenge again and we have already spent over 100 hours outside!  I never thought we would reach that number, but each month it became easier and more natural to head outdoors.  I hope you have been encouraged to get outside today!  If you are up to anything fun, tag me @smith1000hours on Instagram so I can get excited with you!  What a wonderful thing to be able to stand in awe of our God’s Creation every day!