How to Participate in Outdoor Activities
There are many opportunities for people to participate in outdoor activities. Milena Heinsch (a social worker) has found there to be three main forms of interactions with nature to be beneficial: viewing nature, being close to nature, and interacting directly with nature. For example, a window view of nature can help lower violence or aggression. Even looking at a picture of nature can have a calming effect. Milena Heinsch, a social worker and social worker researcher at the University of Newcastle, recommends exercising outdoors, joining a community garden, opening blinds along with windows, and creating maps of local natural resources. This may include parks, environmental workshops, community gardens, farmers’ markets, and even photography areas. Other ways to integrate nature into one’s life is to have flowers or plants in the room, set up water fountains or aquariums, have an outside courtyard space, play sounds of nature in waiting rooms, hang up pictures of natural scenes, and promote the knowledge of the health benefits that people receive from nature (Heinsch, 2012).
There are also many programs that encourage people to participate in outdoor activities. One of them is called Let’s Move Outside Junior Ranger! This is led by the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture. This movement helps provide tools and information to parents which makes it easy for them to stay happy and healthy while doing outdoor activities. 20 National Parks are participating in this movement.
Some of the activities included are hiking, body surfing, and canoeing. The National Park’s Let’s Move Outside Junior Ranger program is a fun way to have families learn and experience the National Parks while engaging in great exercise at the same time. At Grand Canyon National Park they have a group called Junior Ranger Adventure Hike which meets daily at 9:00 am and they hike the challenging Hermit trail (Let's Move Outside: more action, new rewards for Junior Rangers, 2010).
Charles Cook gives great examples to participate in outdoor activities even if someone has a very busy life. Charles Cook is the author of a novel called The Awakening of Nature. Charles Cook recommends that before doing a task inside people should ask themselves if they could do it outdoors.
He also suggests that people should go outside no matter the weather. They should just dress appropriately. If people are not able to physically go outside, they should position themselves by a window. Even a picture of nature could help people feel more connected with nature. Charles Cook recommends making a habit of going outside every day. He says to put aside 15 minutes to an hour a day to tune into nature. He also recommends that people should pause a moment when they step out of your door. Additionally, he says to listen to any birds and focus on your breathing. Charles Cook then lists three simple ways to get back to nature. This included lounging on the ground in a grassy area, identifying tree species around your neighborhood, or getting in the dirt. Getting in the dirt could be done in places such as a garden or park (Lyndon, 2002).
Going to ecotherapy is another great way to participate in outdoor activities. Some activities of ecotherapy include gardening, farming, conservation projects, walking or biking. Bringing nature into the home may have benefits as well. This includes growing plants, having photos of your favorite places in nature, and playing nature sounds (Making Sense of Ecotherapy, n.d.).
Another component of outdoor activities is connecting with nature. Any level of outdoor activity is great. If people notice the “good things” in nature such as noticing the wildlife, beauty, and weather, this increases their connection with nature. Connecting with nature is important, but with emerging technology, people are becoming more separated from nature. Three levels of immersion in nature: full (climbing a mountain), intermediary (identifying something new in nature), and momentary (smelling a flower). The activities are divided into 4 main types: noticing (watching a butterfly), sharing (sharing with someone how their experience was with nature), doing (activities that benefit nature, for example, planting trees), and connecting (activities can help forge a stronger connection with nature such as exploring a local wild place for the first time) (Richardson, Cormack, McRobert, and Underhill, 2016).
