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Outdoor Hobbies

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With such a beautiful world surrounding us, why not try out some hobbies that are based in the outdoors? Hopefully some of these hobbies listed below will inspire you to want to go outside, look at the beautiful world surrounding us, breathe in the fresh air, and try something new.

1. Gardening – Not everyone may have a green thumb but it’s good to give gardening a try. It’s very pleasing to see all the fruits and vegetables you’ve grown on your own. Not to mention, you get fresh fruits and vegetables right out of your own home-grown garden! Another great thing you can plant is flowers. Flowers brighten up your yard, making you feel a sense of peace.

2. Astronomy – Looking above into the unknown brings calmness to some people. The peace and quiet of the night provides you the opportunity to be alone with your thoughts and de-stress from the day’s activities.

3. Bird Watching – Many people have the same wish: for life to slow down. Watching the birds fly above us, seemingly having not a care in the world, brings people a sense of peace, curiosity, and anticipation for the upcoming events.

4. Cloud Watching – Looking at the clouds above us stimulates our imagination. It’s always so much fun trying to decide if a cloud looks like a dog, pig, or a penguin riding a bicycle. There’s no age limit to this hobby; children and adults can both equally enjoy this activity.

5. Butterfly Watching – Like bird watching, watching all the different colored butterflies fly around, not seeming to care, brings upon a sense of curiosity about bigger and greater things in life.

6. Bonsai Trees – This hobby allows you to grow trees in small pots in such a way that they look artistic, old, and interesting. This outdoor activity allows you to be creative and imaginative. This hobby is believed to have originated in China, but is now practiced all over the world.

7. Camping – When some people think of camping they think of peaceful rivers, the quiet of a forest, and crackling campfires. For those people, camping brings upon a sense of peace and calmness. However, others who are asked to think about camping think of mud, bugs, and fears of animals attacking you. For those people, camping is not as fun and not nearly as relaxing. Before deciding to go on a camping trip, know whether or not you’d enjoy sleeping in the woods for a couple nights.

8. Travel – Traveling to places you’ve never been can provide you with many lessons about yourself as a human and about the different cultures surrounding that specific place. Traveling to new places is stimulating to many people, making it one of the most popular outdoor hobbies today.

Not everyone enjoys the outdoors, but for people who do, some of these hobbies may be a great thing to add into your everyday life.

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How to Find the Hobby That’s Right for You

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Hobbies are important for people to have because they allow you to do something just for you, without worrying about life’s everyday struggles. If you’re having trouble finding the perfect hobby that will allow to relax and as a getaway from life, then read on.

Look at Your Past

Can you think of anything that you enjoyed as a kid that you might enjoy now as an adult? If you enjoyed coloring, for example, try out some of those adult coloring books. Or if there was a special something you enjoyed collecting when you were younger, start that hobby back up and see if you get the same enjoyment and relaxation out of it. There’s also the option to start back up a hobby that you abandoned. Maybe after taking a break from it, you’ll find that enjoyment you were missing.

Explore Different Options

If nothing seems to jump out at you from your past, try searching around some stores and see if anything pops out at you. For example, if you walk down a cooking aisle and a new cook book catches your eye, decide on whether or not cooking is a hobby you’d like to pick up.

Start Small

If you’re adding something new into your life, make sure you have time to focus on this new thing. Most times though, many people have a lot of extra time that they aren’t spending right. Before starting a new hobby, go through your schedule and decide what things you can cut from your daily routine. It’s common for people to spend about 30 minutes to an hour doing their hobby on a daily basis. Ensure that you have that time to devote to this hobby so that you don’t end up having to drop it because of lack of time.

Know Who You Are

This may sound silly, but to ensure you find a hobby that suits you best, you should think about what type of personality you have. For instance, if you don’t have patience, quilting may not be something you enjoy. However, an alternative to quilting is some quicker sewing projects, especially if you know you enjoy sewing but not taking a lot of time to do things.

When picking out a hobby, remember to think about the types of things you like. If you really enjoy looking at art, try out making your own works of art.

It’s important to remember that you may not hit the perfect hobby as soon as you start looking. Don’t lose hope, though. Keep an open mind and be prepared to try new things you never thought you’d enjoy. Sometimes the things you least expect to like can be the best addition to your stressful life.

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Start a Collection

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Give the children an activity that can last the entire summer and maybe beyond. Starting a collection is a good way to learn more about a topic and can be the start of a new hobby. A good summertime activity is to begin a nature collection or book.

If your child is interested in a particular collecting genre it would be best to go with that first (seashells, stamps, hockey cards, etc.) but if they don’t and you want to introduce them to the world of collecting here are some easy suggestions.

But them a scrapbook or make one with acid free paper and encourage them to find things outside that are a part of nature that can be added to their nature collection. They may decide to fill the entire book with different kinds of leaves or the same type of leaf in different shapes and color variations.

Another option is to start a pressed flower collection. This does take time to let the flowers dry out in a flower press or a heavy book. The heavier the book or the tighter the flower press the quicker the flowers will dry out and retain more of their original color.

Once a child begins collecting and getting the hang of it you may be surprised by how focused and enthusiastic they become about it. This should be encouraged, take them to the library to learn more about collecting or the items they are collecting. If they are interested in collecting an item that are of high value, try starting out at the smaller (and cheaper) end of the scale. As their interest grows so can the value of items they collect. It will make gift buying easy for relatives and friends too if they know your child has a specific collection.

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