To Do Outdoors

For many of us, a new year means a little bit more than simply breaking out a new calendar.  It provides an alluring opportunity for a “fresh start” and often stirs within us a surge of motivation to become a better version of ourselves than we were in the year before.  Admittedly, I am a …

Take out those nature journals (or just some paper) and draw some winter trees. Because there aren’t many leaves, it’s easy to see the tree trunks and branches. You might draw a close-up of the bark, the roots, or a branch. It’s a good time to study the shapes of various trees, too.   

The farewell of fall and emergence of winter for many of us brings wonderful food, family time, and if you’re a college student like me—finals.  By this point in the semester, the mere thought of finishing projects, writing lengthy papers, and preparing for arduous cumulative tests may send you into a spiraling vortex of stress.  …

One weekend in mid-November, some friends and I decided to hike up to the Chimneys in Linville Gorge near Morganton, North Carolina. It was a bit of a drive from where we started, especially when the pavement slowly turned to gravel, and the potholes became bigger. However, we continued driving up the mountain on the …

Pumpkin picking, leaf peeping, getting lost in corn mazes — fall is a season full of outdoor activity. But people aren’t the only ones on the go. Squirrels are busy in the fall, bulking up for the winter with extra food and storing nuts, acorns, and seeds for later. Some of these squirrels appear grey …

Every child is a scientist in the making. Your young one may not grow up to pursue a career in biology or zoology, but scientific discovery and learning are accomplished daily as your child plays in and interacts with all of nature and the great outdoors.  Through tactile exploration, new information is acquired and tested. …

The months have rolled on, and the seasons have changed, but sure enough, COVID is still here. And although everyone’s lives are shaped differently, in various places and at different stages, uncertainty is a collective commonality. I’ll say it: new “normals” are hard. Working from home—adjusting to online college—not being able to turn on the …

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.  …

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!

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.          

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, …

  Outdoorosity has teamed up with author Jo Watson Hackl to put together a series of backyard and reading adventures to make your summer more fun.  We’ll have book swag giveaways on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and outdoor challenges on Jo’s YouTube channel. (You can subscribe HERE!)  Watch for the latest Adventure Challenge videos and …

The Toccoa and Ocoee Rivers are located in Tennessee and run a stretch of 93 miles long. This river is best known for being the only natural river used in the Olympics, and athletes rafted on it in the 1996 games. Natives refer to parts of the river as the “Upper River”, “Middle River”, and …