There is No Such Thing as Bad Weather

 In January I read this book.  

It changed the rest of my year! 

It came up as a suggestion on the the library web site due to the other books I had read.   It was a very interesting read.  Basically a Swedish woman is raising her children in Indiana and sees how different Americans are in the amount of time they spend outside compared to her childhood.  She has the opportunity to spend a year in Sweden and see if things are still the same as when she was child.  It's fascinating to see the differences in our cultures.  

I have been reading several nature study books and memoirs over the last few years.  I'll include a list of my favorites at the end of the post.  This book really challenged me to get outside.  My kids have no problem enjoying nature all year long.  I'm more of a fair weather outdoor girl.  I love spring and fall!  I decided to challenge myself to spend 30 minutes outside each day - regardless of the weather!   I started in mid - January in Illinois.  I'm not going to say it was always fun.  Somedays I really had to give myself a pep talk to bundle up and go outside.  Here is what happened - I never regretted it!  Even this summer when it was hot and humid  the sunshine and fresh air make you feel so good!  Some days it just meant choosing to sit in the backyard and read my book instead of in the house.   I stumbled upon an instagram account called 1000 hours outside.  You all know how much I love a good check list!  My goal is not 1000 hours but this was a good tracking system.  As you can see,  I've spent way more than 30 minutes each day outside.   

I have always enjoyed being outside.  I think as an adult I tend to see just taking in nature as a waste of time.  My role as mom, teacher and wife keeps me pretty busy.  Making outdoor time a priority for my kids I knew was important, I just didn't think it was important for me.  I was wrong!   This summer the boys have learned mom will go fishing if you just say, "I've got your chair, grab your book."  This fall we are hiking at a few local parks and nature preserves.  One of our favorite trails had a ton of fungi after a lot of rain.  Asher had a blast taking pictures and coming home to identify them.  Learning really does happen anywhere.  We were just going on a hike and I was not planning on learning about fungus.  

My advice if you're thinking about getting more vitamin D is start small.  A few minutes outdoors every day will make you feel amazing.   Before long you will be exploring for hours and wonder how you ever thought this wasn't fun!  

Here are a few of my favorite nature books.  

Born to Be Wild by Hattie Garlick

The Nature Fix:  Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier and More Creative by William Florence 

How to Raise a Wild Child:  The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature by Scott Sampson

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman

A Year of Forest School by Jane Worroll

Any book by John Muir