Outdoor Activities to Make You Want to Venture Outside

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Sun, Water and Fresh Air: Outdoor Activities to Make You Want to Venture Outside More Often

If you want to feel “on top of the world,” nothing does the trick quite like a generous helping of sun, water, and clean, fresh air. Trouble is, a lot of us find it difficult to make time for healthful outdoor activities. In the interest of everyone’s health and happiness, here are a few fun outdoor activity ideas that are sure to make you want to venture outside more often.

Be an outdoor sleuth

Geocaching is an exciting way to play detective while exploring the great outdoors. Never heard of geocaching? Don’t worry. Geocaching is easy to learn. All you need is a smart phone or a GPS, a free account at geocaching.com, and a way to get around. If you have a Jeep or other off-road vehicle, you will be able to access more complexly hidden caches.

There are some 2 million geocaches of all sizes concealed in various locations around the world. Chances are, you are close to one right now. To find out, go to the website where you made your free account and log in. The site will advise you of the coordinates of the cache you choose to locate. Navigate to the cache, shout “Hooray!” and sign the log book. Some cachers leave small trinkets. If you find one, you may take it provided you replace it with another small item of interest. As long as you have your phone with you, you can snap a selfie before putting the geocache back in the precise location where you found it.

Family outdoor fun

Do you have a big backyard, but nobody in your family seems to use it? Incorporate a few fascinating items, and it won’t be long before your backyard becomes one of your favorite places on Earth.

Sandboxes are fun. Parents magazine says dirt piles are even better. Create a ring or box shape with bricks, then pile it high with a kid-size mountain of clean soil. Don’t fret if the dirt has a few rocks in it. Offer kids Tonka trucks to bulldoze and wooden spoons to make “mud pies” for hours and hours of messy outdoor fun. Let the little ones run through the sprinklers for a good pre-cleaning before heading back inside.

Fishing is good outdoor fun and can provide you with dinner, too. Check Yelp to find fishing holes in your area that you might not know about. Fill a tackle box with gear, and don’t forget a Haywire twist tool for building lures “on the fly.”

Things to do outside after dark

Outdoor activities don’t always have to happen during daylight hours. A telescope and a star map can provide hours of after-dusk outdoor delight. Learn the names of the major constellations and observe the way they move a bit farther across the sky every night. Stargazing isn’t just a wonderful way to spend a sultry summer evening; it can also be an eye-opening education about the universe. Look for used astronomy books at a local college bookstore to learn even more about the stars, planets, comets, and other celestial objects.

The benefits of outdoor activity cannot be stressed enough. Humans were made to absorb vitamin D from sunshine, and fresh air is always a good thing for the lungs and overall sense of well being.

Tom Scott is a keen sportsman who loves being outdoors, going a little stir-crazy when stuck inside for too long! He works as a fitness trainer and has recently taken more of an interest in ways to encourage families to enjoy time outdoors together.