Blog

This week, head outside with paper and crayon (any color will do!) to make some nature rubbings. Take a walk through the woods, in a park, or around your neighborhood to see what interesting textures and designs you can find in natural things likes trees, leaves, and rocks. Then, place your paper over the object …

It’s the first day of fall! Here are 25 ideas to help you enjoy the season!  Create a Nature Discovery Center. Go apple picking. Choose different varieties of apples and try some new recipes.  Go leaf peeping.  Start a Nature Wonder Hour tradition. Find your way out of a corn maze.  Go on a hayride.  Go hiking.  …

‘Tis the season for picking apples! This weekend, visit an orchard and pick your own apples right from the tree. Many apple farms also sell other fruity treats, such as homemade apple pies and donuts, apple jelly, and apple cider.   Photo by kakisky

This week, go out with a friend or family member after dark and take a night hike! Be sure to take along a flashlight!    Photo by colinpithers

This week, talk about condensation! Some good online resources include: “Dew”. National Geographic  “Condensation”. Geography for Kids Kids are probably familiar with finding condensation on a window or drinking glass. But they may not have thought about finding it in nature. Go out early in the morning to find examples of condensation on grass, leaves, …

If the year 2020 had a mascot, I’m pretty sure it would look something like the picture above.  As scary as it might look, this is actually an empty cicada shell that the insect left behind as it began its new phase of life. In our family, we’re embracing that symbol. Who needs an elf …

This year, the start of school is anything but routine. Some students are going to school five days a week, while others are attending class just one or two days. Some students are staying home and doing everything virtually. But no matter how the school days look, you can still bring the outdoors into your …

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 …

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 …

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.          

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.       

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.