Love nature with Macaroni Kid and the 30 x 30 Challenge

Macaroni Kid Chestermere is once again participating in the 30x30 Challenge. What is the 30x30 Challenge? It's simple! Get outside every day during the month of May for 30 minutes. Take a walk, ride a bike, play hopscotch, go on a picinic...it doesn't matter what you do, just get outside! Follow along on our Facebook page for more ideas and inspiration. 

Below, is  one Mac Momma's experience with the 30x30 Challenge:

The meaning of the words “30x30 Challenge” might not seem clear to you.  A terrible new flooring project?  A new fad diet?  Not at all.  As a young Canadian girl, I was raised with David Suzuki’s The Nature of Things being shown in science class, and listened dutifully as he cautioned us about the way we treat our environment.  In my early twenties I was thrilled to see him shooting a T-shirt cannon into the crowd at a Barenaked Ladies concert, and praising the BNL for doing everything they could do reduce the carbon footprint of their tour.  David Suzuki and a T-shirt cannon?  Just.  Awesome.  In my early thirties I was introduced to David Suzuki’s 30x30 Challenge just after moving to Chestermere, and it gave me new insight into my families’ well being in my daily life.  

Each May, a new 30x30 Challenge is issued.  The challenge is simple: Spend 30 minutes a day in nature for 30 days. A quick visit to the website reveals that “Our goal is simple: to reconnect human beings with nature for the sake of their health and mental well-being.”  Taking part in the Challenge is free and fun.  It helps develop a habit of including nature in our day to day lives, which means it doesn’t require a daily hike, or organized group activities.  It can be as simple as stepping onto your lawn and enjoying an iced tea (or let’s face it, if it’s been a long day with the kids maybe you’re more into a Twisted Tea while they tackle the swingset).  Workplaces and schools can also register to receive toolkits with tips and activities.  

May 2014 was my first 30x30.  I had a three year old and an 8 month old.  Taking an 8 month old outside in inclimate weather was not my idea of a good time, so I made myself a promise.  If I missed a day because of rain, I had to make it up the next day with an additional 30 minutes, and I couldn’t bank time (so an afternoon outside today doesn’t mean that I can skip my Nature Time tomorrow).  And it worked for me.  There were a few rainy days when my girls and I didn’t spend a full 30 minutes outside, but the 30x30 challenge pushed us to make time for it each day.  And it was easier than I had thought.  Like drowsy bears coming out of hibernation, I watched my girls wake up to the world around them.  We began to look forward to the time outside, and they went down easier for naps.  Our 30x30 varied a great deal from a Kananaskis picnic and a kid friendly hike in Banff, to walking around our ‘Naturehood’ in Rainbow Falls, or aforementioned Twisted Tea’s in the backyard while the girls splashed around at the water table. 

This year my personal challenge will be to really strive for the 30 minutes each day, despite the weather.  My youngest is 2 and a half now, so a drizzle that would have inspired wailing during our first 30x30 will now bring squeals of glee and puddle jumping (and probably some extra baths). 

Take the 30x30 Challenge this year, and follow along with other Macaroni Kids families by using the hashtag #mackids30x30.