1,000 Hours Outside/ Nature Journaling/ Veterans Park/ Cozad

1,000 Hours Outside Program: Nature Journaling

Director Laurie Yocom hosts Wilson Public Library’s April Challenge of spending 1,000 hours outside in 2024 by learning about nature journaling on Monday, April 22, starting at 3:30pm at Wilson Public Library. Weather permitting, we’ll walk over to Veterans Park and spend some time trying nature journaling before ending at 5:30pm. If you have a favorite journal and writing utensils, please bring them. Otherwise, paper and pencils will be provided.

Nature Journaling is a strategy to look more deeply into the world and notice things that we’ve not paid much attention to before. It’s a wonderful way to observe, especially with the eyes of a curious naturalist.

Similar to the 1,000 Books Before… programs that the library offers, 1,000 Hours Outside® promotes spending more time in the outdoors and off devices, especially for kids, but nature is needed for adults, too.

According to their website, “the entire purpose of 1000 Hours Outside® is to attempt to match nature time with screen time. If kids can consume media through screens 1200 hours a year on average, then the time is there and at least some of it can and should be shifted towards a more productive and healthy outcome.”

Signing up for the program is completely voluntary, but Wilson Public Library has committed to holding at least one program outside monthly (besides the StoryWalk™ at Muny Park). The library will also provide trackers, ideas for spending time outdoors, book ideas of relevant seasonal titles to read to children, and a monthly title to read and consider as an adult.

And even if a person doesn’t hit 1,000 hours outside by the end of December, it’s still a success. Why? Because the whole point is to get out into nature and off of screens, even if for just a little while.

Wilson Public Library is located at 910 Meridian Avenue in Cozad.