A Breath of Fresh Air with TAPS Outdoors
December 2 - 30, 2020
TAPS Outdoors wants to help you reconnect with the natural world in simple yet meaningful ways with weekly activities you can do anywhere. (Yes, we really mean anywhere.)
This weekly series is for everyone and requires no previous outdoor experience! With monthly themes, we’ll help you find the right tips, tools and tricks to navigate the wilds of our natural world and the wilds of your grief.
Now, we invite you to step outside, breathe deep and experience the healing power of the natural world alongside your fellow survivors across the nation and globe.
What’s Included:
- New themes at the beginning of each month.
- Short videos in the outdoors with the weekly activity every Wednesday.
- A weekly downloadable PDF with a guide to each activity.
- Resources and articles related to the topic on our website each week.
- Campfire Chat on Zoom at the end of each month with fellow survivors and TAPS Outdoors staff!
What's Expected:
- Find nature where you live (photography or videos online, your backyard, local park, national forest, national parks, a flower box in front of your favorite shop, anywhere!)
- Do the activity as it suits you and your family.
- Snap a photo or video and share it with us! Some photos will be shared in our social stories each month.
- Complete your registration to join our Monthly Campfire Chat and receive updates with our weekly Fresh Air activities!
Our goal is to connect you with the healing power of nature no matter where you live and give you the tools to make meaning out of your experiences.
Schedule and Themes
Month 3: Seasons of Grief
In the midst of winter, we will dig deeper into seasonal impacts of grief and how the natural world around us can both challenge our hearts and minds while also teaching resilience, grit and self-compassion.
Activity weeks run from Wednesday to Tuesday with new themes introduced every month. Links to activity videos and guides will be added here as they are released according to the dates listed below.
- December 2 to 8:
Season of Darkness
Video - December 2 | Activity Guide - December 9 to 15:
Season of Ritual
Video - December 9 | Activity Guide - December 16 to 22:
Season of Peace
Video - December 16 | Activity Guide - December 23 to December 30:
Season of Giving
Video - December 23 | Activity Guide
Video - December 30 | Activity Guide - December 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern:
Campfire Chat on Seasons of Grief
WHAT'S AHEAD
Month 4: Breathing in the New Year
This transition into a new year is one that will be welcomed but will require new tools to navigate. As many of us have experienced in our grief, this year of great loss and challenge can also give way to new life and hope. In this month we will forge new paths together in our hearts and set foot on trails we've yet to see. Together, we will explore the wild.
WHERE WE'VE BEEN
Month 2: Changing Landscapes
As the landscapes around us change with the season, we will begin to explore the ways in which life's constant changes impact our internal landscapes. We will learn alongside one another virtually as we share the changing scenes across America, around the globe and within our hearts.
Month 1: Getting & Staying Grounded
Navigating any terrain, including grief, requires a vast set of tools, but one of the most important tools we can use anytime, anywhere is the ability to ground ourselves. Getting grounded is simply finding present-mindedness. No matter the experience, we are stronger and more stable when we have the ability to be present and navigate how we respond to our emotions and environment. Over the course of this month we will explore ways we can utilize nature as a guide for connecting to the present moment, honoring where we are internally and externally.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Joining the TAPS Outdoors community in the virtual landscape is simple, and if you’re reading this you’ve already taken the first step! Follow these 5 easy steps to connect with your fellow TAPS Outdoors loving family:
1 - Follow us on Instagram or set a reminder in your phone to visit this page every Wednesday.
2 - Watch the weekly Breath of Fresh Air with TAPS Outdoors video.
3 - Utilize our resources to plan how you’ll do our weekly activity.
4 - This is the best part: GET OUTDOORS and have FUN!
5 - Take a photo or video of your experience, share it and tag us using the hashtag #TAPSOutdoors. You can also email your photo(s) to expeditions@taps.org.
If you have any questions please email expeditions@taps.org or 800-959-8277.