Enjoying a month outdoors
A month outdoors with the wooden Fellows
- Frédérique and the Wooden Fellows
What about hanging out outside for a bit?
Since the beginning of 2026, the wooden Fellows and I, the human being as they call me, have been delving into themes to guide everyone to slow down and (re)connect with their inner child. Each theme is explored through our weekly notes to our followers, and at the end of each month, we share our adventures and some pictures in a blog post.
Exploring nature or going outside in a big city, associating the outdoors with feelings, the wooden Fellows are sharing their adventures, hoping to encourage you to enjoy being outdoors. You may even decide to leave tech devices at home to fully immerse yourself in the wild!
Let’s start with a simple question. When you think about the outdoors, what feelings does it bring? Have those feelings changed since you were a child?
Haven’t met the wooden Fellows yet?
Well, you will learn more about them in this post, but you can also discover who they are and where they come from here through a quick click below.
Outdoors Feelings
The wooden Fellows, but especially Pierre-Qui-Roule, are always up for an adventure away from their Petit Refuge. Rose garden nearby, beach a few hours away, Appalachian mountains, there is always something to see, hear, smell (even though sometimes you may prefer not to!), or touch from time to time (if you are brave enough). Being outside engages your senses, but also can trigger a wide range of emotions: joy, of course, but also vulnerability, disappointment or even concerns.
Here are a few examples, with some prompts to awaken your inner child.
Joy.
Of course, Mme Rigolotte, our happiest, cheer-everyone-up wooden Fellow, had to highlight a joyful moment spent outside, even on a rainy day! She always slows down to enjoy the stony path around the Petit Refuge, but she loves it even more when it rains, as the stones become brighter and shinier when it rains. She always discovers little treasures left by the rain, like mini puddles on magnolia leaves.
Next time you go outside on a rainy day, what would you be excited to look for? What if you were with a little one?
Vulnerability.
As you may know by now, Maurice, our introvert, comfortable-with-sadness wooden Fellow, often tags along with Mme Rigolotte. But sometimes, when she goes outside in the rain, Maurice has to compromise.
He reluctantly agreed to use Mme Rigolotte’s quite colorful umbrella. As you may know by now, Maurice would much rather use a black or grey umbrella.
What memories do you have of being outside on a rainy day that may have put you out of your comfort zone? What about when you were a child?
Disapointment
Petite Clothilde went on a one-on-one trip with her Human Friend, all the way to the Keys of Florida. The goal? Supporting a Human Being run an ultra-marathon of 100 miles. Being outside to offer a helping hand with her Human Friend, a dream for Petite Clothilde!
Still, she wished she had more time to stop and explore the beaches. From the highway, she could tell that the blue water matched her favorite hat so beautifully.
What outdoors would you like to explore more deeply? What outdoors would you like to explore more deeply as a kid?
Concerns.
The outdoors can also evoke moving feelings. Fears of getting lost, or concerns when a disaster happens, such as flooding or fire. Those feelings can indeed be quite big to cope with, especially for little ones.
Pierre Qui Roule was quite concerned by a forest fire that occurred a few miles from the Petit Refuge earlier. So he went there to talk to the Little Plants, or other creatures from the woods, just to make sure everyone was safe and fine.
What would you like to tell Pierre Qui Roule? Or the Little Plants?
Being outdoors in a big city
When we think of the outdoors, we often think of forests, parks, and other greenery. Indeed, the wooden Fellows live in an area with abundant nature. But the outdoors can also be enjoyed in big cities, with a reminder of Mother Earth to be found when we least expect it. See a few examples of the wooden Fellows, exploring a big city, i.e. New York City. They each selected one of their favorite moments.
Maurice picked a picture of a foggy day on the Hudson River. He is always pretty content when the weather simply matches his morose soul, when his grey clothes blend in a grey atmosphere. He feels like his own thoughts are safer when surrounded by fog and clouds.
Living in a city crossed by a river often brings those days where colors are just not that colorful anymore, those days inviting anyone to slow down, have a warm drink, and cocoon for a bit. Foggy day, would say Maurice, my favorite type of day.
What weather would describe who you are the most?
Sometimes, the Human behind the wooden Fellows has to go on an adventure on her own. But she does take pictures whenever she notices a scene that would have been appreciated by one of the wooden Fellows. Remember when she did not take Mme Rigolotte to the Dior Museum in Paris, missing the opportunity for Mme Rigolotte to be astounded by all kinds of colors? Well, a similar situation happened in New York City. Mme Rigolotte picked a picture illustrating another time when she was left behind. She would have loved to be in the Human Being’s backpack to see this mural. Big cities often display the most astonishing ones!
How do you share an experience with a loved one that could not be present?
Pierre Qui Roule went back and forth between several pictures taken in Central Park, but he decided to share a moment he had with two frogs who were surprisingly still.
That’s what you get when you meet statue frogs.
He started to talk with them, asking them about their lives in Central Park, if there were any other frogs around, and what he could do for them, and, and, and…
If you were a frog, what would you share with Pierre Qui Roule?
Another thing that can often be found in big cities with a view to somewhere is a telescope. No need to put a coin, just look and pretend to see the most amazing creatures, trees or buildings you can dream off.
Any time Petite Clothilde’s path crosses a telescope, she has to stop by and look, not to look at faraway things, but simply to unleash her imagination and see something: a whale, a tiny sailboat, Nessie, the Loch’ness monster, anything, really.
What else may she be seeing? What would YOU see?
A motivation to go outside more
Going outside does not have to be a day long adventure. Feeling a breeze, or a sunray, smelling a rose, is a simple way to slow down. And if you are willing to jump in a puddle, that’s a sign that your inner child is waking up!
In a time when one may find themselves scrolling on their phone without noticing the sunshine (or rain) outside, we can all benefit from a gentle reminder to notice unexpected bugs, weather, and other gifts from nature.
Pierre Qui Roule created a discovery card, kind of similar to what we did with early mathematics a couple of months ago. His hope is encouraging you to go outside, through small invitations such as Play with your shadow, Observe a bug for a moment, Find some moss, and more. The wooden Fellows shared outdoor experiences that occurred under trees and near buildings to inspire all of you, wherever you are.
Where are you on your own journey with the outdoors? Think about now, and the time you grew up: what has changed with being outside? What is similar? What outdoor experiences do you wish for any young children?
Wrapping up and introducing next month
Another month, another exploration with the wooden Fellows. We hope our post inspire you to go out more. Share your thoughts with the wooden Fellows, they love hearing from you (and always comment back : )
Next month will be all about the picturebooks. Join our weekly note or stay tuned! We will be back at the end of next month.
