The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Learn more about this fabulous opportunity to be part of the Nature Pen Pal Exchange!! It's a way to learn about the natural environments in other areas as well as foster new relationships.Jennifer Wilmoth is the founder of Nature Pen Pal Exchange. In this episode she walks us through how to join in as well as how to start a nature club of your own. She also talks about wholeschooling, large family life (8 kids and 6 grandkids), homesteading, and how she juggles it all!Find information on The Nature Pen Pal Exchange here >> https://naturepenpalexchange.comLearn more about wholeschooling and homesteading here >> https://www.wilmothwellness.com/Check out Jennifer's Wellness services here >> https://www.wilmothwellness.com/You can also find Jen on Instagram at:@naturepenpalexchange@jenniferlwilmoth@wilmothwellness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Applied epigeneticist Simone Nofel joins us for another community episode! Simone walks us through the ins and outs of worldschooling (and roadschooling) with a toddler, starting a business, and self-publishing an entire kids book series all about natural elements! Simone is passionate about whole family holistic wellness and how nature can be used in our healing. Check out Simone on Instagram at: @heartyandfree and @way.of.the.wildlingLearn more about Hearty and Free here >> https://heartyandfree.com/homeAnd check out Simone's book series here >> https://amzn.to/3ZeDlST They're beautiful books! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mental health epidemic began in 2012 and our children are suffering. Thomas Kersting joins us to talk about the components that are necessary for a healthy childhood. He offers encouraging and straightforward advice about what we need to take away and what we need to add back in so that our children can thrive. Kersting looks back on his simple childhood and describes it as "phenomenal." How will our kids describe their childhoods? Play is down 75%. Many of our kids are not living in the real world, they're living in a virtual one. How will our kids survive, problem solve, and thrive in the real world if they've not spent much time there? There are so many ways we can help our children and the answers may be simpler than you think!Learn more about Thomas Kersting here >> https://www.tomkersting.com/Order your copy of Raising Healthy Teenagers here >> https://amzn.to/3SqhF3V Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A public speaker, host of The Homestead Education Podcast, and creator of the Homestead Science curriculum Kody Hanner joins us to talk about self-sufficiency and about how giving our kids ownership in their responsibility to the future builds the character in them that so many of us are seeking out. We also talk about eating clean, farmers markets, homeschooling, personal growth, homestead ideas for urban settings and more! Learn more about Kody here >> www.kodyhanner.com Find Kody on Instagram @homestead_education Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Devorah Heitner is the author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World. She has fabulous insights into what it is like for kids growing up in a digital age and how that affects everything from time management, to relationships, to self-esteem, and more! Devorah gives practical ideas that any parent can use - even if you don't have a degree in social media platforms :). It's important to understand how our child's world is different from the one we knew growing up in order to help them navigate through. Our world is changing so rapidly that the challenges our kids face might even look different from oldest sibling to youngest sibling!Learn more about Devorah here >> https://devorahheitner.com/Check out Screenwise here >> https://amzn.to/3Igseld Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're thrilled to bring you another 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Community Episode! Dr. Jenny Bond is a Professor of Exercise Science at Wingate University School of Sport Sciences and she talks us through the challenges of her 1000 Hours Outside journey that include limited time as well as dealing with physical issues such as pelvic floor dysfunction. She also talks about ways she is helping college students increase their amount of time outside.As a busy working mother, Jenny gives many practical ways to relentlessly defend the type of family you want to have. She is energetic and inspiring!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I had the absolute honor of meeting an talking with Dylan Minter, a senior trip guide of the Grand Canyon University Outdoor Recreation program. We got to record this episode in person (a first time experience for me!) in the beautiful podcast recording studios on campus at GCU.I was so impressed by the culture of the students at GCU who were hardly on their phones but rather engaged with each other and their surroundings. The Outdoor Recreation program runs over 100 guided trips each year that students can join in at budget-friendly prices and they offer on-campus activities as well... not to mention their incredible outdoor equipment rental program.I personally got a lot of this conversation. Even as busy college students, the trips that the Outdoor Recreation program runs fill up often in just minutes. This is a reminder that no matter your stage of life, no matter how busy you are, it is worth it to try and find a change of pace and a change of place at least a few times a year. You'll also get some travel ideas out of this episode as well as some ideas to implement with your nature group!If you're interested in learning more about the GCU Outdoor Recreation program check them out on Instagram @gcuoutdoorrec Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Smartt, author of Let Them Be Kids: Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need as well as Memory-Making Mom: Building Traditions That Breathe Life Into Your Home joins us to talk about the costs involved with preserving childhood. Leaving space in your life for boredom, monitoring screen usage, allowing for moments of failure, and intentionally adding adventure to your days isn't easy - but it is worth it on many levels. Just because it feels hard doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. Jessica will encourage you and give you practical ideas as you seek to find balance in your home and to value imagination and creativity. Learn more about Jessica here >> http://smarttereachday.com/ and at @jessica.smartt on InstagramPurchase your copy of Let Them Be Kids here >> https://amzn.to/3S1cUgO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I LOVE Susie Spikol and I love her book The Animal Adventurers Guide. Susie opens our hearts to what is amazing, magical, enchanting, charming, and incredible about the everyday. She gently reminds us that we often overlook the wonder of the local animals around us and she teaches us how to re-look at the outdoors through beginner eyes. Susie's book reminded me that even when our adventures don't seem all that adventurous, they can still be touchstone's in our family stories.As a naturalist, writer, and lifespan environmental educator for over 30 years, Susie knows the tried-and-true nature activities that kids and families love! This episode is all about the practical because the majority of our 1000 Hours Outside journeys will be spent close to home and with Susie's reminders we can fall in love with the world that is right around us.Learn more about Susie Spikol here >> https://susiespikol.com/Purchase your copy of The Animal Adventurers Guide here >> https://amzn.to/3lAZ4pv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Combine the power of reading with the power of nature!In this 1000 Hours Outside Community Episode, Lori and Kelly walk us through how they started outdoor programming at their local libraries and all of the benefits they've seen from their implementations. They cover many other topics as well. Lori talks about being a 1000 Hours Outside grandma and Kelly talks about their transition to homeschooling during the pandemic. Kelly also runs The Detroit Butterfly Nursery and is a citizen scientist about all things pollinators. You can learn more about Lori and what she is heading up at the Monroe County Library Ellis Branch in Michigan here >> https://mymcls.evanced.info/signup/calendar?et=20&nomobile=1 . Look for the "Literacy on the Lawn" events.You can learn more about Kelly on Instagram at:@momcatkelly@detroitbutterflynurseryYou can find the monthly outdoor programming she is heading up at the Gross Pointe Public Library on Instagram at @thegppl . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices