The #1000HoursOutside challenge has been inspiring families to get outside for years. We love tracking our hours and monitering progress but we’ll also admit, it takes more effort to get out in winter months. If you need a push to get out the door, here are 100 activities you can do to get closer to the 1000 hour mark (most of them are FREE!). Learn more about 1000 Hours Outside and its founder Ginny (a metro Detroit mom) in our #MomLife series and download a free 1000 Hours Outside printable tracker.

Snow Day Activities

1. Snowball Fight
2. Build a Snow Fort
3. Make Art With Watercolors
4. Play Match the Tracks
5. Make suncatchers
6. Blow unpoppable bubbles
7. Shovel
8. Snowman Contest

Winter Must Musts

1. Decked Out Downtown (Detroit) 
2. Blake Farms (Armada)
3. Winter at Valade Park (Detroit)
4. Glow Tubing at Bowers School Farm (Bloomfield Hills)
5. Heat In The Streets (Northville)

Visit A Nature Center

1. Leslie Science & Nature Center (Ann Arbor)
2. Hawk Woods Nature Center (Auburn Hills)
3. Farmington Hills Nature Center (Farmington Hills)
4. Lake St. Clair Nature Center (Harrison Township)
5. Red Oaks Nature Center (Madison Heights)
6. Kensington Nature Center (Milford)
7. Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve (Rochester)
8. Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center (Shelby Township)
9. Stony Creek Nature Center (Shelby Township)
10. Sterling Heights Nature Center (Sterling Heights)
11. Indian Springs Environmental Discovery Center (White Lake)

Stay Up Past Bedtime

1. Sit by a bonfire
2. Roast marshmallows
3. Play flashlight tag
4. Use sparklers
5. Star gazing – try a Dark Sky park

Visit Animals

1. Domino Farms (Ann Arbor)
2. Calder Dairy & Farm (Carleton)
3. Howell Nature Center (Howell)
4. Kensington Farm Center (Milford)
5. Wolcott Farm Center (Ray)
6. Detroit Zoo (Royal Oak)

Playground Playdate

1. County Farm Park (Ann Arbor)
2. Booth Park (Birmingham)
3. George George Memorial Park (Clinton Township) 
4. Scarlet’s Playlot (Commerce)
5. Summit Gardens (Howell)
6. Shepherd Park (Oak Park)
7. McClumpha Park (Plymouth)
8. Rochester Municipal Park (Rochester)
9. Bauervic Woods Park (Southfield)
10. Waterford Oaks (Waterford)
11.  Merriman Hallow (Westland)

Take A Hike

1. Matthaei Botanical Gardens (Ann Arbor)
2. Cranbrook House & Gardens (Bloomfield Hills)
3. Rouge Trailhead (Dearborn)
4. Maybury State Park (Northville)
5. Crosswinds Marsh (New Boston)
6. Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve (Rochester)
7. International Wildlife Refuge (Trenton)
8. West Bloomfield Nature Reserve (West Bloomfield)

Go On A Story Walk

1. Johnson Nature Center Story Walk (Bloomfield Hills)
2. Baker Woods Preserve StoryBook Trail (Dexter)
3. Heritage Park (Farmington)
4. Civic Center Library (Livonia)
5. Red Oaks Storybook Trail (Madison Heights)

Hit The Ice

1. Buhr Park (Ann Arbor)
2. Beverly Park (Beverly Hills)
3. Barnum Park (Birmingham)
4. Campus Martius (Detroit)
5. Riley Park (Farmington Hills)
6. Lake St. Clair Metropark (Harrison Township)
7. Rosie’s Park (Madison Heights)
8. Bear Creek Nature Park (Rochester)
9. Spencer Park (Rochester Hills)
10. Stony Creek Metropark (Shelby Township)
11. Dodge Park (Sterling Heights)
12. City Square Ice Rink (Warren)

Learn To Ski

1. Mt Brighton (Brighton)
2. Huron Meadows Metropark (Brighton)
3. Pine Knob (Clarkston)
4. Mt Holly (Holly)
5. Stoney Creek Metropark (Shelby Township)
6. Alpine Valley (White Lake)

Go Sledding

1. Beverly Hills Village Park (Beverly Hills)
2. Lincoln Hills Golf Course (Birmingham)
3. Civic Center Sled Hill (Clinton Township)
4. Balduck Park (Detroit)
5. Shiawassee Park (Farmington)
6. Vernier Hill (Grosse Pointe)
7. Greenmead Historical Park (Livonia)
8. Civic Center Park  (Madison Heights)
9. Maynard “Red” Aurand Memorial Park (New Baltimore)
10. Cass Benton Park (Northville)
11. Shepherd Park/Hamilton Hill (Oak Park)
12. Lost Lake Nature Park (Oakland)
13. Jesse Decker Park Sled Hill (Orion)
14. Bloomer Park Sled Hill (Rochester)
15. Borden Park (Rochester Hills)
16. Marshbank Park (West Bloomfield)
17. Hines Drive Sledding Hill (Westland)
18. Rolling Hills Park (Ypsilanti)

Photo credit: Instagram

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