Blog

Get your creative juices flowing and enter Outdoorosity’s first Adventure Short Story Contest!   Who can enter? Students ages 8-13 living in the United States.   What do I write about? Tell us about a character who is experiencing a summertime outdoor adventure in nature! Some ideas include: hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, spelunking, canoeing, swimming, and …

When we hear the word “recycling”, we oftentimes think of  a single-use water bottle being dropped into a bin designated by three triangular green arrows and then sent on its merry way to be remolded into a new plastic product.  But sometimes, recycling can be a little more inventive than that. Over the past several …

Imagine  you’re on a trail run, a bike ride, spending the afternoon swimming at a lake, or maybe even on the top of Max Patch Mountain with no spare clothes or cell service at 9 o’clock at night like me last Friday… And it starts to rain. The fact of the matter is: it happens. …

Explore Nature this summer with the Cricket Challenges!  You can find them all here!

One day, as we were out by our creek, we spotted several salamanders under the rocks. They turned out to be southern two-lined salamanders. Here are several others you might find under a log or in a stream. Spotted Salamander Mostly black, these salamanders have rows of spots down their back and a grey and …

After driving the beloved forest green family minivan for all of my licensed teenage years, I was excited when it came time to pick out a new set of wheels.  I’m not a very picky person when it comes to cars, but after sporting a twenty-year-old Ford Windstar and embracing all of its “charming” imperfections, …

Learn 3 easy ways that you can incorporate nature into your evening routine to relax, unwind and create conditions for a great night’s sleep.          

I sometimes teach creative writing classes, and one of my students included chipmunks in his descriptive paragraph about the woods. I was a little surprised, though, as his chipmunks were climbing trees. I made a note on his paper that they didn’t really do that, but he assured me that they did. It was time …

When is the last time you’ve flown a kite?  Does a distant memory from your childhood emerge of a breezy day at the park?  These flowing streaks of fabric in the sky are often  regarded as toys solely for kids, but why is that?  I would like to advocate that adults can (and should) fly …

Learn how to start the day with a 5-minute flower arrangement to help reduce stress, increase productivity and increase happiness throughout the day.   

If quarantine has taught me anything about everything, it is that more free time can give rise to remarkable moments.  As the pause in normalcy set in, and walks became the novel event of the day for many of us, an idea hatched.  While walking on a newly discovered trail through the state park near …

Learn 3 easy ways to start your day in nature to begin refreshed and increase productivity and happiness.       

If you’re anything like me, then summer is a time of the year that draws you outside.  With radiant sunshine, electric blue water, never-ending fields of wildflowers, and longer days, the scenery is practically demanding that we bask it all in.  Even if you live in an apartment, a park is usually close by. Being realistic, …

Welcome, summer! Today is the first day of summer, also known as the summer solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, making it the longest day of the year. Here are some fun ways you can celebrate the season: Try to catch the sunrise AND …

Check out the video below to discover 3 easy ways to incorporate time in nature into your day this summer!  

Do you want to take your reading adventures to the next level? Try exploring the natural world of the main character of the next book you read. Free activities & resources here!   

Join the Outdoorosity Backyard Adventure & Reading Challenge series with the Nature Scavenger Hunt. More free nature and reading activities are at www.johackl.com  

Enter to win an outdoor adventure prize pack by: 1.Subscribing, sharing & tagging 3 friends 2. Commenting with an activity from the “10 Fun Things to Try Outdoors” or “No Rules Reading” (free at www.johackl.com/activities/nature) that you’ve tried or intend to try this summer Contest ends 6/17.  

Join the Outdoorosity Backyard Adventure Reading Challenge and explore ten fun things to do in your own backyard this summer!  

Join the Outdoorosity Backyard Adventure & Reading Challenge with the free, “No Rules Reading” bookmark, that can be downloaded HERE.