The #1000HoursOutside challenge has been inspiring families to get outside for years, and this year it’s more important then ever to find safe ways to get out the house and relax with some summer sun. Here are 100 activities you can do to get closer to the 1000 hour mark. Learn more about 1000 Hours Outside and its founder Ginny (a metro Detroit mom) in our #MomLife series.

 

Things you can do daily

  1. Walk around the block
  2. Drink coffee/smoothie/milk outside
  3. Eat Popsicles on the porch
  4. Water your garden
  5. Story time outside
  6. Play Eye-Spy

 

Summer Musts

  1. Host a BBQ
  2. Swim at the beach (here are beaches in metro Detroit)
  3. Run through a sprinkler
  4. Have fun at a splash pad (or buy one for home)
  5. See a Great Lake
  6. Kayak
  7. Go Fishing
  8. Paddle boating
  9. Play in a pool
  10. Shop a famer’s market (here are local markets)
  11. Plant flowers
  12. Enjoy a family camp-out
  13. Toss water balloons
  14. Play in the sand
  15. Visit a U-Pick Farm

 

Stay Up Past Bedtime

  1. Sit by a bonfire
  2. Roast marshmallows
  3. Use sparklers
  4. Watch fireworks
  5. Catch fireflies
  6. Read scary stories
  7. Play flashlight tag
  8. Star gazing – try a Dark Sky park

 

Sports + Games

  1. Play catch
  2. Fly a kite
  3. Hopscotch
  4. Throw a frisbee
  5. Roller skate
  6. Volleyball
  7. Play croquette
  8. Kick a ball around
  9. Go (miniature) golfing
  10. Flag football
  11. Work on your jump shot
  12. Street hockey
  13. Race at the track
  14. Tennis
  15. Play capture the flag

 

Get Moving

  1. Walk a nature trail (here are local trails)
  2. Outdoor yoga
  3. Have a silent disco
  4. Learn a TikToc Dance
  5. Plan a backyard Olympics
  6. Take a family bike ride (here are some routes)
  7. Jump rope
  8. Have a hula hoop contest
  9. Perfect your cartwheels

 

Have Fun 

  1. Make a fairy door
  2. Build-Your-Own Boat Race
  3. Sidewalk art with chalk
  4. Blow bubbles
  5. Climb a tree
  6. Jump in rain puddles
  7. Play in mud (make mud kitchen food)
  8. Paint with Mother Nature’s paintbrushes
  9. Go on a scavenger hunt
  10. Play cornhole
  11. Tell stories while looking up at the clouds
  12. Create a backyard obstacle course
  13. Make sun shadows
  14. Play hide and seek
  15. Take photos of nature
  16. Go on a bug hunt
  17. Pick flowers for a bouquet
  18. Take pictures of nature
  19. Bird watch in your backyard
  20. Make a bird feeder
  21. Build a fort
  22. Go on a swing
  23. Have a picnic with stuffed animals

 

Places To Picnic

  1. Huron-Clinton Metroparks (multiple locations)
  2. Lakeshore Park (Novi)
  3. Greenmead Historical Village (Livonia)
  4. Milford Central Park
  5. Budd Park (Clinton Township)
  6. Cranbrook House & Gardens (Bloomfield Hills)
  7. Belle Isle (Detroit)
  8. Matthaei Botanical Gardens (Ann Arbor)
  9. Heritage Park Petting Farm (Taylor)
  10. Hess-Hathaway Park (Waterford)

 

Do Good

  1. Clean up a local park
  2. Fill a wagon with flowers or a s’mores kit to deliver to neighbors
  3. Pull weeds for a neighbor
  4. Have an outdoor visit with an elderly relative
  5. Start a donation-based Popsicle stand

 

Outdoor Adventures

  1. TreeRunner Adventure Park (West Bloomfield)
  2. Check out murals in the Dequindre Cut (Detroit)
  3. MSU 4-H Children’s Garden (East Lansing)
  4. Jump Island (Brighton)
  5. Detroit Zoo (Royal Oak) or St. Paul Brick Wall Zoo (Detroit)
  6. Greenfield Village (Dearborn)
  7. Visit a create ice cream shop and eat outside

 

Photo credit: 1000 Hours Outside

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