1000 hours outside... Is this even possible with British weather?!

[Moonandstarzz]

Dc aged 11 & 9... Aiming to do the 1000 hours outside challenge! Is it possible or am I just setting ourselves up to fail?!
Since Monday we've managed 5 hours, have a little printable tracker from the website..

I think it's a horrible challenge designed to put more pressure on mums (because frankly you never hear of dad's doing this kind of thing).

Spending more time outside is brilliant, but this 'challenge' is so restrictive that it's almost impossible for most families that with drunk time, to manage. Eating outside doesn't count. The school run doesn't count. Organised sport doesn't count. Its unstructured play time outside
From what my friends were telling me eating outside, reading outside and all sorts 'counts'. There's benefits to being outside, not just the self-structured play.

When I looked at it what they've said the aim is to increase time outside, there's no particular set of rules and the person who set the challenge up has always said that people who want to do it should make it their own.

We’ve done it a couple of times but I’m definitely not prescriptive about things like eating outside not being counted, in fact as a PP said that’s a great way to get more outdoor time - pick the kids up from school with a picnic supper and head straight out.

I completely disagree with all those (who haven’t done it!) saying it sucks the joy out of things/is for social media. I don’t think I did a single post about it on SM and I didn’t find it sucked the joy out of anything. It just encouraged me to take the kids out more often when at times it would be easier to just go home.

By the way I believe the woman who set it up in the first place is a homophobic Evangelical Christian so you might want to look into that before printing things from her website or liking her SM. I don’t know the full story but it was discussed on a mostly American FB group I follow.

We do that easily but clock up almost an hour a day walking to and from school all year round. It’s the little incidental things like that built into your daily routine which add up, not artificially forcing evening walks on everyone.

Yes absolutely, so many things had always kind of assumed were a no no with the weather we did anyway during the lockdowns because there was nothing else to do, just dressed appropriately

I think you need a tracker each.
OR, you need to aim for 500 hours together, since you are discarding a massive chunk of time where various people will spend time outside.
If it's the kids who want to do it, let them use walking to school, school breaks.

Maybe not the reading, but I think sitting outside, chatting and eating should count - would you count a picnic??

Short version: you are setting your selves up to fail with the restrictions you've put in place.

@Kitcaterpillar and @Moonandstarzz thank you for linking and explaining I must have been living under a rock not to have heard of it! Good luck with the challenge.

Yes, I know someone who's done it for the last few years. You need good winter weather gear and to make the most of good weather.

Does it count as being outside if you're inside a tent? How about if you're driving around in a convertible with the top down? Or riding a motorbike?

I suspect I know the answer but I'm sitting outside scrolling Mumsnet on my phone...Would this count under this challenge or is more about activity rather than just being outside?

Kids in school typically spend about 45 minutes outside on a good weather day, during school hours. Then there's the standing around before / getting to car (bus) after letting out time (call it another 10 minutes).

Add in time between car & house door, call it another 5 minutes.

So that adds up to an hour a day anyway.

Just do it or don't. Nobody but you cares.

How is it an hour a day? I make it 2.7 hours - or roughly 2 hrs 45 mins a day which is great if you are outdoorsy or sporty but if you have children who are basically bookish Lego enthusiasts it's less easy.

OP, my DC were very indoorsy naturally but I used to put water play outside for them, take them on bike trails and hikes which they enjoyed, build dens in the woods and dams in the rivers. It was easier to do a few long days a month than a few hours every day even in good weather.

We clocked an hour this morning walking the dog.. Dc's on scooters.. That's 6 this week 😅 I'm doing it strictly by the books only counting time when the family (dc & DH & I or either DH & I with the dc).. Not counting the walk to school, extracurriculars or school time...
Will include park run.

Yes, my daughter rides horses and is outside in all weathers. She's 13.

The thing is that doesn’t really make sense - my DC do an hour of sport every day at school plus they get at least another 45 mins at lunch ( all outside). The flip side is it’s a longer school day and they get home at 6:15, pretty tired. If I didn’t count the stuff they do at school I’d get nowhere close but actually they are likely to be well above average for activity and outdoor time.

@illiterato exactly but the point of it is for family time together.. Same with my dc if I counted their extracurriculars, school time, playing with friends etc..
I started it as I felt as a family we weren't doing enough outdoorsy endevours.. DH suggested 1,000 hours in 2 years which is more doable for us.

But why though? What's your rationale? It's makes no sense!

Why does your children running around outside with you count as outside but running around outside without isn't outside?!

I completely agree.

Because we're tracking as a family & to encourage DH & I to get outdoors more too.

Not sure if you've deliberately misunderstood but I was responding the the OP when she says that since Monday they've been outside for 5 hours. It was Friday by then and so that equates to 1 hour per day (5 hours decided by 5 days). Most people have been outside much more than that as the weather is so lovely in June, maybe December I could understand.

Yes that's ridiculous

Ahh ok so it's actually nothing to do with your kids doing a 1000 hours outside?

You want more of your family time to be outdoors? A noble goal. But why set it up as trying to get your kids doing this 1000 hour challenge? They're doing just fine by the sounds of it.

I'd get a chart for each person and then you can see how much better your kids are doing than you and DH, bit of friendly competition.

@NuffSaidSam because DH & I work long hours, I'd like us having much more family time.

My phone tells me I have been active for an average of 2.3 hours each day this week, that will all be outside. J

When the DCs were primary age they had 45 minutes outside in the school day, often more at this time of year as they swam and had games most days as well as break times, we would always either go to the park or go swimming after school for another hour and Dd was at the stables (pretty much all outside) for a good 6 hours at the weekend. Ds played about 3 hours of football a week (training and a match) so TBH I don't think it's such an ask. We wouldn't to the park if it was tipping it down, but TBH that isn't terribly frequent.

Also both riding and football happen almost no matter what the weather

Makes absolute sense, it's just weird to dress it up as your kids needing more outside time (but they're not allowed to count all the outside time they have if you're not there). It's like calories not counting if no-one sees you eat them.

Good luck with goal to spend more family time outside though. That can only be a good thing.