How to Enjoy Nature

Exercising Outside

Go for a walk or run. This is one of the simplest ways to get outside and enjoy nature. Go for a walk or a run in your neighborhood or on a nearby nature trail. Make sure you take in the nature you pass – trees, plants, and animals.

Ride your bike. If walking or running isn't quite your style, go for a bike ride instead. You can bike through your neighborhood, or even take your bike to a nearby nature trail. Either way, you'll get some exercise while you're enjoying being outside. Make sure you're wearing the correct protective gear for a bike ride. You should have a helmet at least. Knee and elbow pads are a good idea, too, especially if you're biking on a trail.

Go for a hike. There are a lot of places where you can hike – parks, trails, nature preserves. You'll be out in nature, so it's a great way to enjoy different types of plants and animals. Hiking usually requires that you move uphill, so it's good exercise, too.

Go rock climbing. If you live near rock formations, take advantage of them. Rock climbing is a great way to exercise, and it also lets you actually touch nature. If you plan on going rock climbing, make sure you talk to a sports goods store specialist about the equipment you need. You might also want to take a few rock climbing lessons before you tackle rock climbing on your own. If you don't know what you're doing, you can get seriously hurt.

Documenting Nature

Take photos. You can use any camera you have – your phone, a small point-and-shoot, or a DSLR. Taking photos outside requires you to really focus in on the nature around you. Look for unusual colors, patterns, or animals to photograph. A botanical garden is a great place to visit to take photos, because the displays are usually arranged in eye-catching ways. You can also visit a nature preserve and looking for photo opportunities with animals or plant life.

Journal about what you see. You can take a journal outside with you or wait until you get home to write. Describe what you smelled or heard or saw, and how you felt being outside. For example, you could focus on one thing while you're outside - the way flowers work, or the bird calls you hear. Then write as much as you can about your focus. You can also use your experience outside to tap into your emotions. How did sitting outside make you feel? Describe your emotions.

Create art inspired by the outdoors. You can make art while you're still outside, or you can get artistic after you get home. You can paint or draw or sculpt what you see, or go for a more abstract piece that reflects how you felt about your time in nature. It can be helpful to take a photo of what you want to paint or sculpt so you have a reference when you get home. You can paint a particular plant or animal that you saw that caught your attention. You can also paint something more abstract, using paint to express how being outside made you feel.

Start a blog. If you want to maintain your interest in nature, think about starting a blog. You can use it to write entries about the things and feelings you experience while you're out in nature. For example, you could write entries about new nature preserves you've seen, flowers you've never encountered before, and other exciting nature experiences.

Experiencing Nature

Engage each of your senses while you're outside. Try to focus on each of your senses, one at a time. What do you hear, see, smell? What do different grasses and flowers feel like? This is a good way to really enjoy nature on its own. For example, you could start by sitting outside with your eyes closed. Focus on what you can hear. What animals or insects do you hear that you don't normally? Can you hear water or the wind in the trees? You could also focus on really looking while you're outside. Look for details you wouldn't normally notice, like the pattern bark makes on a tree trunk, or the veins in a flower petal.

Collect objects from nature. This is an especially great activity if you've got kids you're teaching to appreciate nature. Pick up unusual leaves or rocks. You can also look for flowers or fruit. If you're collecting with a kid, you can get a glass jar for them to store their goodies in. It makes it feel more special and gives them somewhere to store their things. Be careful about picking up stuff off the ground. You don't want to accidentally pick up poison ivy or anything like that.

Pick fruit. What's in season will change, but there's more to do than just pick apples in the fall. You can go berry-picking at a local farm. You can also pick oranges in the spring and summer months if you live where they're grown. You could also go to a farmer's market and choose fresh produce. Farmer's markets are almost always held outside, and they feature seasonal fruits and veggies.

Plant a home garden. A home garden will require you to be outside pretty regularly while you tend to your plants. Measure the space you want for your garden and ask an expert at a home garden store for plant suggestions.

Camp out in the backyard. If you have a tent, put it up in the backyard. Otherwise, you can just lay out sleeping bags and sleep under the stars! Try to avoid taking any electronics outside with you. Instead, enjoy the weather, look at the stars, and take some time to take in where you are.

Bringing Nature Inside Your Home

Play nature sounds. A great way to bring nature inside your home is by mimicking the sounds you'd hear outside. You can get a sound machine or use an app on your phone. Set the machine or app to sounds like birds chirping, water running, or crickets.

Diffuse essential oils. You can use essential oils to recreate the smells of nature inside your home. They're especially good for making your home smell like a garden. Pour a few drops into a diffuser and light a small tea light candle beneath it. Focus on natural-smelling scents. Lavender and lime, orange with rose, and peppermint with chamomile are all good options. Fir or pine scents are also good.

Create an indoor-outdoor cozy spot. There's nothing worse than wanting to be outside but getting stuck indoors because of the weather. Recreate an outdoor cozy spot inside your house by hanging a hammock in the corner of a room. Surround your spot with a cozy blanket, some plants, and your favorite book.

Care for indoor plants. Indoor plants give you the chance to enjoy with nature regardless of the weather outside. The type of plants you can get will depend a lot on how much sunlight you have coming into your home and how much space you have. Talk to your local home and garden store employee for suggestions. Make sure you water your plants every day. You can also create an indoor herb garden by plant on herb each in small clay pots and arranging them on a window sill in full sunlight. Dill, parsley, cilantro, and chives are good basic herbs for this type of garden.