Challenge Details:
The Life Happens Outside® Challenge provides a way for a whole middle school to spend as much time as possible outside for one whole week.
Every minute outside counts — from sports practice to dog walking, camping in the yard, or doing homework in the park! It’s best when the whole school takes part and the community supports them. We’ve had school communities host outdoor movie nights, lead lunchtime bike rides, and host school wide field days.
Dates: May 9-16, 2025
Players: Students, staff, and faculty at Maine Middle schools (grades 5-8)
Prize: Three Maine middle schools with the most outdoor minutes will win $1,000 to use towards outdoor activities of your choice.
The Life Happens Outside Challenge® Playbook, a new addition this year, is a comprehensive PDF guide that includes all the information you need to sign up and participate in the Challenge.
How to Enter:
The Life Happens Outside® Challenge runs one week long from Friday, May 9th 12:00 p.m. to Friday, May 16th 12:00 p.m.
One point person for each school will be the Challenge Champion and the primary contact with Teens to Trails.
The Challenge Champion is responsible for registering their school and using our Challenge tools to track and submit their schools outdoor minutes.
At the end of the Challenge, Challenge Champions will:
1. Tally total minutes in the Time Tracking Spreadsheet. Challenge Champions must submit their Final Report by 5:00 p.m. May 20.
Pro tip: To easily keep track outdoor time throughout the week, print and post the Time Tracking Document in each classroom/homeroom. Links to all tools on next page.
2. Share the Participant Reflection Form with a minimum of 10 participants to gather quotes on how they felt while spending more time outdoors.
3. Photos (with permission to republish) are encouraged. Submit pictures or tag us on Facebook or Instagram @teenstotrails.
On May 23rd, the top schools with the most minutes/student (adjusted for size of school) will each be awarded $1,000. The winner should anticipate media attention, it will be worth shouting about!
Rules:
1. Contest is open to all Maine Middle Schools. It is free to join the challenge.
2. Faculty, staff, and students in grades 5-8 contribute their outdoor minutes.
3. Eligible activities include anything outside! Examples: recess, picnics, outdoor lunch, sports practice, homework, or camping out!
4. Activities can take place before, during and after school, or at home with friends and family.
5. Participants can track their outdoor time using the method of their choice. Reporting is done on the honor system. Examples: check a clock before and after outdoor time and write it down, or use a mobile clock app to track outdoor time.
Tools:
Below are all the tools you need to participate in the challenge, including a Time Tracking Spreadsheet for the Challenge Champion to track school outdoor time, a Participant Reflection form for participants (students and staff) to reflect after the challenge, and the Final Report, where the Challenge Champion will detail their school’s time outside and reflect on how the challenge went, so we can continue improving the Life Happens Outside® Challenge each year.
Downloadable Posters
Classroom Time Tracker
This Classroom Time Tracker can be printed and used for each classroom to track student and staff time outdoors throughout the Challenge week.
Life Happens Outside® Challenge Hall of Fame
2024 Winners: Edmunds Consolidated School, Dedham School, Sipayik Elementary, Pisquatiquis Community Elementary (MSAD 4), Athens Community School, Oxford Hills Middle School (MSAD 17), Hermon Middle School, Lamoine Consolidated School
2023 Winners: Wiscasset Middle School, Bucksport Middle School, Sipayik Elementary School
2022 Winners: Winthrop Middle School, Dedham School, Lamoine Consolidated School