There's nothing more important than family, and when it comes to kids, the saying, "The days are long, but the years are short," could not be more true. Make time to get outside with your family and create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you head out on a lengthy excursion or simply lounge around the backyard staring at the passing clouds, time spent in the great outdoors with your family will always be cherished. More
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A Rocking Space and Activities to get you and your kids outside
Playing outdoors provides kids with physical activity and fresh air, encourages a love of nature and creativity, and can even help develop problem-solving skills. But the average big square of grass, while great for soccer matches, doesn’t provide much inspiration for little ones looking for adventure. If you have the room, consider adding some connected nooks and crannies designed to pique curiosity and support. More
Below you’ll find my best suggestions on how to get your kids outside when they’d rather stay in. These suggestions are suited for kids under age 12. Keep in mind that all kids are different so some of these tips will work with certain kids, while others won’t. Keep trying. Getting your kids into the outdoors is important; you don’t want to give up on this.
10 Easy Tips: how to get your kids outside
1. Follow their interests
You may need to do some creative thinking. I promise there is a way to get them outside by drawing on their current interests. Just because you enjoy hiking, biking, or bird watching doesn’t mean they’ll find enjoyment. In fact, ‘dragging’ them outside to partake in activities they don’t enjoy usually has a negative effect and makes them resent going outside. You don’t want that!
Kids will be excited for outdoor adventure if the adventure includes things they love, like fluffy sheep
Instead, think about what your kids like and go from there. If they like a certain sport, then easy, just go out and do that with them. If it’s reading they’re into, maybe you could find outdoor locations similar to their books or read outside at a park. If they like to draw, go use nature as artistic inspiration. If they are mechanically inclined, go out into nature and search out machines on walks or bike rides. Or, go into the forest and start building with them. Build forts and bridges and catapults from fallen logs and rocks. If they like cooking, go pick fresh ingredients. If singing is their bag, take a birdsong course. If you have a house of superheroes, take your nerf guns outside for a neighborhood game.
We sometimes encourage our children to play games outside that they make up from whatever cartoon they’re into. Right now, my five year old goes outside to play cavewoman. She ‘catches birds’ (bubbles) from the air and uses rocks and logs to make caves to live in. When my son was younger, he’d go into the backyard to ‘bend the elements’ and fight invading forces with his ‘earth powers’.
2. Go outside with them
Your kids will want to go outside more if you go play with them. Have fun, let them see you smile and enjoy yourself. Ask them what they’d like to do outside instead of telling them what they’ll be doing.
One strategy which works well for us is the ‘summer bucket list’. At the start of the summer holiday we brainstorm outdoor activity ideas on a piece of Bristol board then tack it on the wall as a reminder.
Another strategy which we’ve found effective is designating a day (or a few days) of the week for ‘family adventures’. Each family member takes turns deciding on the activity and destination. This way, the kids know they’ll get to choose one day and there is more excitement in going outside as a family.
My kids never say no to outdoor adventure if it includes a slushy!
I’m sure that most kids would not turn down your offer to be their outdoor playmate. Just give it a try.
3. Invite friends to play outside
If they don’t want to play with you, then perhaps they’ll get excited about playing with friends outside. Get involved with community outdoor playgroups. Hike it Baby, and Family Nature Clubs are online communities which organize outdoor family activities in cities all through the United States and Canada. Do a google search and see what you find.
Get to know the families with kids in your neighborhood and encourage outdoor meet-ups with the kids. The more parents that you know in your neighborhood, the more comfortable you’ll likely be in allowing your kids out to roam and play.
If allowing your kids to roam free isn’t for you, arrange regular play times and invite friends to join your family on outdoor adventures. Better yet, arrange to go camping and hiking with other families with kids for big outdoor fun. I particularly enjoy this strategy because it gives me much needed adult socializing time as well.
4. Provide safe places to play and explore independently
As mentioned above, there is likely a safety aspect to how much your kids go out and what they do out there. You might be totally okay with sending them out the door and not hearing from them all afternoon. However, I know that there are many of you who don’t even allow your children to play in the fenced backyard unsupervised.
Well, here’s the quick and dirty – your kids need to feel safe to enjoy their time outside and they can’t feel safe if you give off the “you’re-not-safe-outside” vibe. Maybe you need to spend some time exploring your own fears of the outdoors. Or maybe you need to find a place where they can play outside that you do feel they are safe. Do what is needed in the backyard for your fears to be lessened: have the wasp nest removed, fence the pond, or lock up the garden shed. You can find somewhere else that you feel assured of their safe play: a local fenced-in playground, your family ranch, or their schoolyard.
Kids will enjoy themselves more if they feel some freedom from your well-intended watchful gaze. They need to learn to challenge their bodies and take risks. Outside is the best place for this to happen. So, give them the freedom they need to play and explore outdoors.
You might also want to consider ensuring they know some basic outdoor safety stuff too. Like, for example, how to react to meeting strange people and animals when out playing, what plants they can touch, eat, and play with and which to avoid, and what to do if they find themselves lost.
5. Use outdoor toy rotation strategies
Have you heard of toy rotation or busy bags? The idea is simple: kids are more eager to play with toys they can’t always access. So, for example, you might have 3 outdoor toy buckets into which such things as bubbles, balls, kites, skipping ropes, skateboards, badminton, and water guns are placed into. Then only have one bucket available to your kids at a time.
When buckets are replaced there will be some excitement for the ‘new’ toys and this will entice them to go play. Some families might rotate these activity tubs daily, weekly, or whenever the kids ask for a new bucket.
This idea works well for kids who have a hard time making decisions or who need some initial guidance in their play. You could fill a jar with pieces of paper each listing an outdoor play idea. They choose an idea and head out. Have the kids help come up with the outdoor play ideas. If you want this jar to be successful without your involvement, then make the ideas easy to act on. For example, go to the park for 15 minutes (assuming your kids are allowed to go alone), water the plants, build an airport in the sandbox, set up a water gun shooting range, pick a dandelion bouquet. Some other ideas might include sidewalk chalk, bubbles, balls, Frisbees, and water tables.
Taking a look at this list of outdoor activities and themed outdoor buckets might give you some additional ideas for your activity jar.
7. Get them interested in outdoor games and sports
Take some initiative and try out new things. Rent a canoe for a day. Try geocaching, plan a ski vacation, or go on a guided bird-watching walk.
Also keep your eye out for used outdoor gear like badminton rackets, croquette and bocce ball games, slack lines, skateboards, roller skates, and kites. You can ask to swap these items with other family and friends. For our kids, new and novel toys and games will usually get them excited to go outside and try out new things.
If you don’t have the time to get your kids trying new outdoor activities, then find someone who can. Perhaps a grandparent would love to regularly take the kids out fishing or to the farm. You could register your kids in Scouts, Girl Guides, outdoor clubs, and sports leagues.
8. Make outdoor play part of the daily routine
Do you have a regular daily routine? If so, where can you add more outdoor time to that schedule? If it seems like there is no room to add more outdoor play then you need to evaluate your priorities.
For me, it was very important that my children take more responsibility at home. So, I had them be responsible for making their lunches every day. After 3 months of kid lunch making it occurred to me they were using prime outdoor play time for this task. While I wanted them to be more independent, I wanted them to be outside more. I offered them a choice. They could play outside and I would make their lunches or they could come inside after school. However, making their lunch would then be their responsibility if they chose to come inside. Both kids have been eager to take me up on this offer. They get an extra 30 – 60 minutes of outdoor play while I have a quiet kitchen to myself to prepare dinner and their lunches.
Perhaps you need to consider mandating outdoor time before they partake in specific indoor activities such as screen time. This isn’t something we do, but I have heard of families who have success with this system or similar outdoor reward points arrangements.
9. Do everyday activities outside
This one is simple, yet, so effective. If you have a balcony, patio, or backyard use it to do homework, eat meals, do crafts, read books, and play games. If the weather is nice and your kids sit down at the table, consider if they could do the same activity outside.
If patio furniture or a formal outdoor living space is holding you back, don’t let it. Find some shade and throw down a blanket and a few pillows.
To make these outdoor activities easier, have an outdoor blanket easily accessible. When you see your kids sit down at the table to play or the couch to read, remind them of the outdoor option.
I even try to do my computer work and reading outdoors when the weather is cooperating. I find the kids rarely stay in if I’m out. They’ll haul out their homework or games or start something outside if I’m there already. We also try to eat all our meals outside. Summer is short where I live and I like to take advantage of every precious patio minute.
10. Hide the remote!
When all strategies fail, sometimes you just need to hide the remote. If the temptation to veg in front of the TV isn’t available, then outdoor pursuits might seem more enticing… for the whole family.
Introducing new activities and routines to kids can be a challenge. Adults, too, can be resistant to change. Don’t give up. Get your kids outside every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes more than the previous day… eventually, heading out the door as a family will seem regular and expected. You’ll soon figure out what each person enjoys and how everyone can be motivated to enjoy more outdoor family adventures.
Family space is important too. Make sure you have family space near their yes space so they can be joyfully observed while your own space to rejuvenate a little too.
Let me be the first to tell you– It’s not how big your outdoor space is, it’s how you use it that matters. 😉 Whether you want to eat meals outside, have an area where your kids can play, or grow some fresh herbs and vegetables, here are our tips for creating a family friendly outdoor space.
5 Tips for Creating A Family Friendly Outdoor Space
1. Add an element of DIY
Each spring we try to come up with at least 1 new DIY element to add to our back patio, and then we get the kids involved with helping to make it! Having a project that your kids helped bring to life, gives them a sense of pride in the space you will share together.
2. Curate a selection of store bought items that fit your style
I’m always on the lookout for items at the store that fit my budget, go well with my color pallete and my style...they “call my name”. I love to add a few new things to my outdoor living collection each year to give it a refreshed look.
This year I opted to recover the couch patterns in a navy blue fabric. I paired them with some outdoor cushions from the PC Outdoor Square Pillow collection in an aqua blue tropical fabric!
I love the mixing and matching of neutral items like this gorgeous lantern with pieces that are patterned like the bamboo fibre round tray.
3. Add some plants to liven up your outdoor space
Plants are not only a wonderful way to decorate your space, it’s also a great hobby to teach your kids. I love that my kiddos are growing up knowing how to garden. Our backyard garden is filled with a mixture of plants that I think are pretty (I adore succulents), combined with fresh herbs, veggies and berries! We try to keep our backyard space bee friendly with a variety of brightly colored flowers. We’ve taught the kids to not be afraid of bees, and instead to respect the job that they are doing, pollinating our garden, and to be respectful of their work, giving them their space.
Kids learn a lot by knowing where their fruits and veggies come from. Get them involved helping in the garden by letting them help pick flowers in their favorite colors, seeds that they’d like to experiment growing, and fruit and veggie starts for their favorite foods.
If garden space is limited, their are a ton of plants that you can grow in containers– In fact, I can’t think of any of our plants that are in our garden that wouldn’t do well in a container!
4. Make sure it’s an area that every member of your family can enjoy
There’s nothing worse than setting up a gorgeous space and then having to hover over your kids making sure they don’t mess something up or break something. We rarely use glass outside so it doesn’t get broken (yet another reason that we love items in the PC Home outdoor collection! They are break free). We also want every family member to be able to find something fun to do in our outdoor space.
Bean loves reading, so we put lots of throw cushions on the couch so that she can get comfy and snuggle down with a good book. I often have my laptop with me, so we’ve run an extension cord so that we have power. The Hubs likes to enjoy a beer after the kids have gone to bed so we’ve put some outdoor lights outside. Turtle is always moving, so we have a “fun box” filled with outdoor activities like bubbles, a frisby, ball, and a baseball mitt and softball.
Other fun outdoor activities perfect for your outdoor space:
5. Start a pinterest board with inspiration, recipes and outdoor inspiration
Inspiration is all around us, so start a pinterest board to keep track of your favorite gardening, outdoor living and summer entertaining ideas! Whether it’s a delicious salsa recipe for your hubby to snarf down on, or a new outdoor patio set that you’d love for your birthday, you’ll be happy to have all of your inspiration in one place!
Personalize your play space so each person has a spot geared to their age and special interest,
Outdoor play for different ages
Outdoor play helps your baby learn about different surroundings. It can help your baby feel more comfortable with the world around them. Some ideas for outdoor play with your baby include:
enjoying tummy time on a blanket, towel or picnic rug
crawling on grass, under outdoor furniture or through old boxes
watching tree leaves and branches move and listening to birds
looking at different coloured cars, street signs or traffic light signals.
Toddlersare keen to explore the world around them and test out their growing physical skills. Outdoor play for your toddler might include:
wheeling, pushing or pulling different toys and objects
walking, running or jumping around trees, over stones or cracks in the footpath, into puddles or towards favourite objects
blowing bubbles and chasing them as they float away
playing in sand, mud or small amounts of water – but always supervise water play to prevent drowning accidents.
Preschoolersare learning to play with other children. They also like make-believe. You can help your child make the most of the preschoolers with outdoor play ideas like:
playing games of chasey, hide-and-seek or kick-to-kick
crawling through tunnels or climbing over fallen trees
moving in different ways with colorful leaves, flowers, scarves or streamers
making mud pies with dirt and old cooking utensils
going on a nature walk together and naming all of the different sounds you hear
building a cubbyhouse out of boxes, clothes baskets or outdoor play equipment or furniture.
Your school-age child is becoming more involved in structured play, like sport, but it’s still important to make time for free play outside. At this age, children still enjoy:
building and creating with equipment, furniture or other things they find outside
playing tiggy, chasey or tag
climbing trees.
Artistic Play and Open-ended Play Toys
Take an Art Project Outside, like one of our process-based art activities. Not only will they help your kids to get a little more creative, but they’ll also help keep the mess OUTSIDE, and away from your beige couch (what were we THINKING getting beige anyways??)
Get Some Open Ended Toys. Here’s a list of really cool, open ended outdoor toys from Real Mom Recs. Most of them are fairly low-maintenance, low-prep ways to get your kids out and having fun.
Make Outdoor Play Routine. As with any new habit, developing a routine is key. Maybe you start by walking to school once a week, or stopping by a park on your way home. Find a way to sneak a little extra outside time into
Take an Indoor Activity Outside. You don’t have to come up with special outdoors-only activities. Take a stack of books outside, or an art pad. Do homework outside, have a picnic, or color with chalk. Taking the things your child already loves and putting them outside is a fantastic way to help increase your time spent outdoors.
Play some old school games. These little games have been around forever- and for good reason! Here is a list of old school games you can play outside with your children (or that they can play with the neighbors while you sit on the porch with a glass of wine lemonade. I’m just saying).
Create the Ultimate Family-Friendly Outdoor Space
Create outdoor rooms that your whole family will love living in with our tips for incorporating color, durable materials, lighting and more.
Nothing beats a big, healthy dose of family, fun, and fresh air. Pack up the kids, get away from your four walls and explore any number of these outdoor activities that will help bring everyone closer together.
Outdoor Activities for Warmer Months
When the weather turns warmer, a whole new world of outdoor activities opens up. Soak up some sun with the ones you love most as you try out a few of these fun outdoor activities for families.
Be Beachcombers
A day at the beach is great fun for every family member. Many outdoor activities are perfect for the beach, such as searching for seashells, examining tide pools, swimming, surfing, or playing beach games like Frisbee, volleyball, and flag football. Building sandcastles, enjoying a picnic, and taking long walks are other great options.
Make Mud Pies
No childhood is truly complete without spending at least some time getting dirty in the backyard. Reserve an afternoon for making mud pies. Fashion pies in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Decorate them with berries, twigs, leaves, and small stones. Hold a Prize Pie contest and award a winner for the most creative or pretty pie.
Try Waterskiing
Waterskiing is an exciting and exhilarating activity to try in the warmer months. If your family members are all of an age where a more extreme sport appeals to them, give it a shot. Even if no one has tried waterskiing before, everyone will still have a blast encouraging each other and laughing at everyone's many tumbles into the waves.
Make a Backyard Slip and Slide
A slip and slide is a fun and inexpensive activity for families to take on during the summer months. Work together to create the slip and slide and then spend the afternoon running and sliding all over the place.
Run Through the Sprinkler
Remember when you were little and summer evenings were all about popsicles and running through a sprinkler? Channel your inner child and run through the backyard sprinklers along with your kids. The kids will get a kick out of watching their parents get soaked and run free; and parents will remember one of the simple pleasures of warm summer months.
Take a Family Bike Ride
Bike rides are economical, environmentally friendly, and great exercise for everyone. Be sure that the bikes are in good repair, have appropriate helmets for everyone, and choose a bike route that even the youngest or most inexperienced member can safely navigate. Biking can also lead to a delicious picnic or other outdoor activities at the end of the ride.
Get Gardening
Gardening is a relaxing and productive outdoor activity for the whole family. Whether the aim is planting flowers or tending vegetables, gardening can be educational for all family members. Children can learn the value of their hard work leading to tasty rewards when they enjoy what they've grown. The produce or flowers from a garden can also be shared with an extended family or neighbors, or even sold at a local farmers' market.
Plan a Family Fishing Day
Pack up the fishing poles, bait, and some snacks, and scout out a local watering hole. Even if you don't catch anything, kids will have fun learning to bait their hook and cast their lines. Should you get lucky and hook something, reel in the big one and capture the image on camera or video. It will make for a lasting memory for sure.
Observe Insects Up Close and Personal
Bugs are a big hit with kids. They love to learn about the creepy crawlers in their world. Check out a book on bugs from the local library and read up on what can be found hiding under logs and rocks. Take a notebook, pencil, and your bug identification book outdoors and see what you can find. When it's time to come inside, follow up this outdoor activity with an extension art activity like bug origami.
Hold Backyard Boat Races
If you live near a small stream or know where to find one, try holding a Family Boat Race Day. Use household items to build small boats and then send them downstream. Watch them race for several yards, marking off a finish line. Celebrate the end of the race by splashing in the stream.
Outdoor Activities Geared for Colder Weather
Just because snow is falling and temperatures are dropping doesn't mean you and your brood have to stay cooped up indoors. Wintertime is genuinely a wonderland! It's so fun your family won't even realize it's downright freezing outside.
Have a S'mores and Bonfire Night
Build a campfire, gather up plenty of blankets, and enjoy s'mores along with one another's company for an evening. Bonfires are an excellent outdoor family activity when done safely. Make sure to build your fire far away from any brush or structures. Always have enough water nearby to put the fire out, and keep it to a manageable size.
Creative Ideas to Try in the Great Outdoors
Nature can spark so much creativity in young minds. These family outdoor activities will inspire the whole gang to get outside and make something amazing together.
Turn Your Sidewalks Into Masterpieces
Colored chalk is inexpensive and can offer hours of creative play for the entire family. Children and their parents can draw game boards, murals, hopscotch, or meaningful pictures on the sidewalk or driveway. Working with chalk is an excellent means for practicing handwriting or alphabet lessons, making this activity as educational as it is fun.
Become Photographers
Spend the day outdoors, capturing the beauty of nature through a lens. Visit a nature preserve, walk the streets of your city, or find farm life and capture images of what you see. Later, you can develop these pictures and turn them into a beautiful book of memories for all to enjoy.
Build an Outdoor Family Fort
Hunt for the perfect tree, round up some boards, nails, and various supplies, and build a family tree fort. If a tree fort feels too challenging, gather sticks, ropes, sheets, and other supplies, and fashion a ground level hut to hang out in. Building forts is a timeless outdoor activity that will provide families with hours of fun during construction and afterward.
Make Fairy Houses
Fairy houses are fun and whimsical and can be made with just about anything found in nature. Collect leaves, moss, twigs, rocks, and sticks and create fairy houses in your backyard. With some glue and paint, boring old stumps and plain-looking birdhouses can become places of magic and wonder for children... and fairies!
Take a Christmas Lights Tour
Load the family up in the car during the holiday months and drive around the town, gazing upon the Christmas lights displays. Bring along snacks and hot cocoa, and put some classic holiday tunes on the radio. This favorite yearly activity might just become a family tradition over time, and something that your children will remember and cherish for years to come.
Chop Down Your Christmas Tree
Many people enjoy the smells and sights that accompany a living tree being set up indoors. While decorating the Christmas tree is a festive indoor activity families love, chopping it down is just as fun! Head out into the wintry forest, or visit a local tree farm to pick out your perfect Christmas tree.
Spend the Day Sledding
A classic winter activity that families can do outside is sledding. You can look for small hills to take little kids on, or larger hills to race down with older kids. Pack up plenty of warm clothing, hot beverages, and your favorite sled or toboggan, and spend some time racing each other down an icy hill.
Learn How to Ski or Snowboard
If sledding seems like child's play for your adventurous gang, try learning to ski or snowboard. You can rent gear at local ski hills and even take beginner's lessons as a family. Learning to ski or snowboard is an excellent skill to try to learn as a family, so you can spend countless hours enjoying this activity for years to come.
Try Snow Tubing
Snow tubing is another wintertime family activity that requires little more than a hill and the right gear. You'll need a sturdy tube that is designed to withstand the lumps and bumps often associated with ski and sledding hills. Purchase several snow tubes and go down the hill as an entire family.
Build a Snowman or a Snow Fort
When Mother Nature dumps loads of snow into your backyard, use it! Build a cute family of snowmen, all dressed up like the members of your actual family, or create a mega snow fort to play in. Once you build the walls up, take your hot cocoa inside the fort, or use it as a snowball fighting fortress.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Find a list of items to scavenge for and set to your task. Work in teams to see who can complete the scavenger hunt first. Set aside a small prize for the team that makes it through the list first. Celebrate the hunt with a treat, like homemade cocoa in colder months or popsicles in warmer weather.
Meal Plan at the Farmer's Market
Visiting a farmer's market is an educational, seasonal activity that the whole family will reap rewards from. Browse the unique stalls and choose healthy, local ingredients to take home. Once home, divide your family up and have each team create a meal using the items you brought home from the market. You can also check local farms for their berry picking schedules, and go pick bushels of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries to use in delicious dishes and desserts.
Enjoy Some Fun With Bubbles
Kids love bubbles! Find an easy DIY bubble recipe and whip up your own solution. Take your mix outdoors and experiment with various bubble wands, making all sorts of shapes and sizes of bubbles. See who makes the largest one, the longest-lasting one, or the most interesting bubble. What silly things do your bubbles look like as they float away?
Fashion a Homemade Watering Can
Tending to plants is something that the whole family can help with. Kids learn the importance of caring for living things, and recognize how their contributions to the family aid in the common good via simple chores. Make a homemade watering can together. Take your creation outside and water plants in warmer weather.
Hold a Stuffed Animal Parade
Little kids will have a blast creating their very own parade of toys. Dress up an array of favorite stuffed animals or dolls and load them into wagons or other pull toys. Play some catchy, parade-inspired tunes on your phone, and take everyone (toys included) for a spin around the block.
Do Some Rock Painting
Rock painting is an inexpensive outdoor craft that just about anyone can do. All you need are the proper paints, a paint brush, clean stones, and a fun and creative idea in mind. Rocks can be made into animals, contain inspirational messages, or be covered with funky designs. Anything goes in rock painting, and the only rules are to have fun and be creative. Littles Link
Make and Fly Kites
A windy day is no reason to stay indoors. Gather around the kitchen table and create homemade kites in all different colors. Take your flock of kites outside and into an open space. Fly them through the air. See whose kite stays up in the sky the longest! Littles Link
Perfect Day Trip Ideas for Adventurous Families
Pack up the kids, load everyone into the car and take off on the open road! These outdoor adventures might take up an entire day, but the smiles you get will be worth the effort.
Head Out to a Favorite Hiking Trail
A family hike, whether for an hour or a full day, is a fun activity and great exercise. Investigate different nature trails and parks for hiking routes. Learn where local and regional scenic spots such as waterfalls, overlooks, hidden groves, or colorful cliffs may be located, so you can hike to them and enjoy your own corner of the planet.
Take a Tour of the Local Playgrounds
A trip to a single local playground can become predictable and boring after just a few visits. Switch things up and spend the day on a playground adventure. Scout out several playgrounds within an hour from home and hit up as many as you can. Pack lunch for the family and know that everybody will be falling asleep early that night.
Hang Out at a Local Festival
Outdoor festivals can provide great family fun. Hot-air balloon festivals, state and county fairs, sandcastle building competitions, organized nature walks, fireworks shows, kite flying festivals, and more are all superb options for the family to enjoy. No matter where you live, there are bound to be a few events held during the year.
Attend an Air Show
Attending an air show is a thrilling way to spend time outdoors. Do a simple internet search to discover when and where air shows will be performing near you. Warning: this activity can get loud, so prep your family, and bring noise-canceling headphones if you think that will help make the experience more enjoyable.
Go on a Geocaching Adventure
Geocaching is an especially entertaining activity for older children and teens. Geocaching is like a giant, local treasure hunt where GPS devices are used to track down a hidden geocache. To add an extra layer of challenge to the activity, give your family a set time limit and see if you can crack the codes before time runs out.
Take a Canoe Trip
Canoe trips can be lengthy jaunts down winding rivers, but for families looking for a perfect summer mesh of activity and relaxation, canoe trips are a prime family outing. Be sure to block out the entire day, as many river trips can take several hours to complete.
Do a Ropes or Adventure Course Challenge
If your family isn't scared of heights, see if you can all work together to make it through a ropes course challenge. Test your balance, courage, and family spirit by sidestepping, jumping, and tiptoeing across platforms high up in the air.
Peaceful Outdoor Activities to Slow Everyone Down
Sometimes you really should stop and smell the roses. Not every outdoor activity has to be packed with adventure and physical exertion. These outdoor family activity ideas are simple ways to bond with your brood outdoors. My favorite is floating or tubing in a natural spring or river!!!
Be a Family of Birdwatchers
Birdwatching is an easy and entertaining activity that all family members can participate in. Pick up a field guide from a local bookstore or library and see how many bird species you can find in your neighborhood, or even just in the backyard. Keep a running list of the birds you spot, adding to the master list whenever you go on a birdwatching adventure.
Go Stargazing
During warmer weather, head into the clear night with your family and spend some time gazing up at the stars. Bring a blanket, a telescope, a flashlight, and a guide book to the stars. Locate familiar constellations and discover more about the vast galaxy above.
Watch the Clouds Go by
There is so much beauty and wonder in the world around you, and sometimes you simply have to stop and notice all that surrounds you every day. Go outside with a large blanket. Lie down with your loved ones and watch the clouds pass by. Discuss what they look like and what they remind you of. Many of the ideas that your kids come up with will have you giggling through the entire afternoon.
Have a Family Picnic
Pick a warm, sunny day to hold a family picnic. Pack up a blanket and all of your family's favorite picnic snacks and head outdoors for lunch. You can take your meal to a park, a river bed, or simply set up a spot in your backyard to eat. Spread out in the grass and dine alfresco.
Go Hammocking
Pack up some hammocks and find a grove of trees to attach them to. Once the hammocks are all secure, spend some time reading, relaxing, and talking as you sway back and forth.
Swing in a Tree Swing
Don't let the large trees in your yard stand lonely. Let them be the showcase for a family tree swing. Once the tree swing is up, take turns gliding through the air, warm wind at your face. Nothing beats a good tree swing.
Read a Book Under a Draping Tree
Kids love hearing a good story, and you don't have to reserve books for bedtime only. On a nice afternoon, tuck a classic book and a large blanket under your arm, and go find a shady tree to spread out under. The kids will be completely relaxed as they lie back in the breeze while listening to you read stories in nature.
Make Time for What Matters Most
There's nothing more important than family, and when it comes to kids, the saying, "The days are long, but the years are short," could not be more true. Make time to get outside with your family and create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you head out on a lengthy excursion or simply lounge around the backyard staring at the passing clouds, time spent in the great outdoors with your family will always be cherished.
I’m someone who loves to be outside. In fact, as soon as the Finger Lakes weather is warm enough, we spend more time outdoors than in. Being in the woods gives me the added benefits of natural shade which is about five to ten degrees cooler than the open air. I just love that. The breezes in the woods and sounds from the leaves and wild life are so relaxing.
My first and Most Important Tip Go outside with them
But even with 50+ years of experience with recreation, I need to gear up and grab my backpack.
Gear the kids up for fun in the woods
Today, I’m going to share our family’s nature explorer packs and explain how you can make your own. Nature explorer packs are a fantastic way to get children excited about their time outside. The packs encourage exploration and appreciation of nature. Nature packs are hands-on science in your own backyard.
DIY NATURE EXPLORER PACK:
First, you will need a backpack. Any old pack will do. Once you have the pack, fill it with nature-related goodness! I am going to share some of the items that we carry in our explorer packs. I don’t want you to think that I make my children carry all of these things at the same time. Instead, I rotate items to keep life interesting. I pick and choose which items to put in their nature explorer packs depending on the season, their interests, and what we are learning about that week. Also, be sure to include a ziplock baggie so your little naturalist can collect specimens to bring home for crafts and further exploration!
Every little naturalist needs binoculars! My children have these Tasco binoculars. I like that these binoculars are small, lightweight, and durable. I also like that the eyepiece has a rubber rim because all moms know that kids run around with these on their face until they crash into something, am I right? My kids have had these for at least two years now and they have held up very well over time.
A photo of Hope and Jack using their binoculars to see baby herons!
My children love this Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Happy Giddy Bug House. It usually resides on our deck during the summertime. After dinner outside, the kids will run around in the backyard trying to catch dragonflies and moths in this bug house, so that they can then study their behavior. We’ve also brought this bug house and butterfly nets on hikes.
They caught something!
This Melissa and Doug Happy Giddy Bug Net provides endless entertainment for children. My kids use it to catch butterflies, dragonflies, and moths. They also use it to catch frogs, toads, and minnows!
Once you catch all those critters, you need to study them! Children love to explore their environment and this magnifying glass allows them to do just that. It’s affordable and perfect for little hands. My children love to examine bugs and dirt up close and personal.
My little poppies each have a Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. They have had them for over a year and the cameras have held up very well, especially considering the fact they have been dropped countless times. The cameras are easy to use and provide hours of entertainment for children. My kids love to take their cameras on hikes, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.
Every budding naturalist needs a journal. This small, hardcover journal is filled with blank pages and is perfect for note-taking, sketches, and other observation. Even though this notebook is heavier than a soft-covered journal, I like the hardcover because it holds up better over time.
Brandon is obsessed with this military compass, which we received as a gift. I know very little about compasses, folks, so I’m not going to tell you very much about this except to say that my son adores it and there is no way this thing will break any time soon!
Let's get started- Providing a place to play and hideout
Dens, forts, and tree houses, are a place where children can have unstructured play and let their imagination soar. They learn how to use natural materials to build their own special place, often working as a team with siblings or friends.
It is a safe place where kids can make their own rules and decisions without adult interference. Educators say this helps children become more self confident and gain self esteem.
Forts are childrens’ little havens. They also learn how nature is a wonderful place for natural play.
Making a cubby or fort with older kids
Backyards and woodlands are havens for children’s creative play and imaginative adventures and the humble cubby house is often the central hub of these activities. So here’s how to create a cubby or play house for a woodland setting that could easily fit into any backyard.
I recently had lots of fun building a couple of bush cubby houses, one was for my friend’s two young boys who absolutely love being outside and the other was for their local kindergarten. The best thing is that they’re really easy to make and provide hours of fun for the kids.
So I thought that as a birthday present for the boys I would build them a bush cubby house that was camouflaged so that they could sit and watch the friendly visitors while being a little hidden. After all, cubby houses are a great place for children to have fun playing together, role-playing or planning to conquer their neighborhood or even the world.
Building Outdoor Forts With Kids
We are big fort builders over here. Even since I was little, scrap wood from our parents' projects spurred lots of conversation and a majority as to how to use them. I love a good old fort and there is nothing better than building an outdoor shelter with the kids. We are lucky to have several forests that have lots and lots of good branch stashes for fort building. We regularly truck out to the forest to play at an existing fort or build an entirely new one.
I love that fort building combines so many awesome things. Engineering, designing, planning, physics, math, collaboration, safety skills etc. The list really goes on. Plus, all the imaginative play that follows is worth the sweat it takes to build a fort from scratch. We have spent so many days building forts and playing in them for hours upon end. I love to pack some warm golden milk in thermoses and enjoy a warming beverage with the kids when we're done constructing our new shelter.
Our Tips for Building Outdoor Forts
I am by no means an expert fort builder. Rather I'm just a mom who thinks forts are super cool and I like to build them with my kids. So here are MY tips, not the definitive guide on fort building :)
Location, location, location.
Well, that’s what they say about finding a home and it applies to dens as well. We needed to avoid swampy and wet ground, slopes and had to find a clearing where we could construct a den without damaging any live trees and plants.
We began scouting the woods for the perfect spot. It took a little bit but we finally found it! A tree had fallen into a sturdy Y-shaped tree forming what would be the main spine – or frame – for the den. It was also an area where there were fallen branches and lots of sticks on the forest floor which we could use for the den’s structure. Soon my boys were determined to build the most amazing den ever. Of course, another requirement was to have good trees for climbing and swinging nearby. It took us quite a few expeditions into the woods to slowly put the frame together.
Start Small
If you're new to outdoor fort building, start small. Build a small stick fort for stuffed animals, a shelter for fairies or even a dinosaur hideout just for practice. Our favorite kind of fort is one where we simply lean large branches against a tree trunk. There isn't a ton of space, but a few small children can certainly fit.
I love that fort building combines so many awesome things. Engineering, designing, planning, physics, math, collaboration, safety skills etc. The list really goes on. Plus, all the imaginative play that follows is worth the sweat it takes to build a fort from scratch. We have spent so many days building forts and playing in them for hours upon end. I love to pack some warm golden milk in thermoses and enjoy a warming beverage with the kids when we're done constructing our new shelter.
3. Supplies
This is probably the hardest part about fort building a fort. Finding enough of the correctly sized branches can be a challenge. We actually start collections and sometimes it takes up to a year to collect all the pieces before we have enough to actually start a fort. The best time to gather supplies is after a windstorm! We also take "those perfect" branches that we find on hikes with us so we can add them to our fort stash. Our car was a roving fort supply machine.
4. Fort Inspiration
My favorite fort book, while rather antiquated, is this gem calledShelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters. Some of the shelters are rather complicated but I love how detailed the book is and how many fort designs it covers!Here’s how you can make one yourself. Use the following sites to help you decide which design works for you.
The Woodland Trust has two PDF guides you can download with instructions.
The National Trust and other sites offer den building activities if you’re looking for a place where your kids can go wild outdoors. My two had previously had some practice runs in how to build a den during their wildwood weekend.
Our fort will be an ongoing project during the spring and summer vacation – especially as they want to customize it with cones and other natural décor. A picnic is planned too. And they’ve already invited friends to visit them there this weekend. Yes, dens are a great place for kids to be unplugged and just enjoy the woods.
My favorite part of building was the camouflage layer
Personally I quite liked the look of the framework and I would have been happy to stop there to enjoy the beauty of the creation, but this wasn’t my art installation or cubby house! And besides, the boys were champing at the bit to get stuck into the fun bit for them – camouflaging and the creation of their new hiding space!
Essentially the plan is to cover the frame and make it look like one big bush! Any tree branches, sticks or hardwood prunings that you or your neighbors might have will be great. We made sure that we intertwined the branches as we added them to strengthen it and stop it from blowing off in the wind. For us the advantage of being on a bush block meant that we had a good supply of fallen branches and unwanted shrubs to use.
Pathway
The boys were keen to have a pathway to get to the cubby from the lawn, so with some spare edging we created the entrance path by digging a slight trench for the edging and then bringing the soil back against the edging. Alternatively you could use some relatively straight branches. Road-testing the new pathway
Let the fun times begin……
Success … now we’re off to conquer the world!
My work was now done and the boys’ fun was just starting. After adding more branches, within no time the boys were sitting down together, planning the interior, planning future extensions and I’m sure I heard them planning something about world domination!
So what do children learn from den building?
Den building out in the woods is loose parts play with natural elements, giving children a chance to connect with nature and enjoy the textures of the wood and bark. It’s gross motor play, involving their whole bodies and allowing them to exert lots of energy in lifting and carrying the wood, and running from place to place to collect more and explore the environment.
It takes lots of planning and coordination to lift and place large branches, and allows children to work on their engineering skills as they work out the best way to form a strong structure that will hold up well and allow them to get inside.
Fort building helps children learn to work together, building their team work and social skills. It’s not so easy or fun to build a den all alone! And since it’s a joint venture, there is no winning or losing and everyone feels equally as proud of the end product.
Making a den or fort also gives children a way to combine their creativity with outdoor play. Great for energetic children who are less keen on sit down crafts. How to design the den, how to decorate it? There are lots of ways for children to add a touch of personality and make it their own.
Of course, this activity is perfect for imaginary play too. Once the den is built it can become a house, a hidden hide away, a cave, a fortress or whatever their heart desires.It’s a simple and timeless no frills activity, with lots to enjoy and learn! Make them in your local woods, in the garden, or inside the home with other materials.
Why is it important
The famous naturalist, researcher and author E. O. Wilson said that it is a “fundamental trait of human nature” for children to want a hideaway. They are magical places where kids are not only inspired by nature but allow them to dream and make up their own worlds.
Another renowned US educator, David Sobel, wrote Children’s Secret Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens and Bush houses in Middle Childhood to explain that: “In these secret places, children develop and control environments of their own and enjoy freedom from the rules of the adult world. Children’s Special Places enters these hidden worlds, reveals their importance to children’s development and emotional health, and shows educators, parents, and other adults how they can foster a bond between young people and nature that is important to maturation.”
Dens, or forts, or tree houses, are a place where children can have unstructured play and let their imagination soar. They learn how to use natural materials to build their own special place, often working as a team with siblings or friends.
It is a safe place where kids can make their own rules and decisions without adult interference. Educators say this helps children become more self confident and gain self esteem.
Dens are childrens’ little havens. They also learn how nature is a wonderful place for natural play.
Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, agrees that children need a place to just play in the woods. “If kids don’t have some kind of connection to nature that is hands-on and independent, then they are probably not going to develop the love of nature and vote for parks and the preservation of endangered species,” he says. “Unless you know something you are unlikely to love it.”
There’s some research to back up this intuition. One 2010 study in the journal Children, Youth and Environments found that among people who ended up dedicated to nature and conservation, most had a childhood filled with unstructured play in nature, some of which “was not environmentally sensitive by adult standards; rather, it included manipulation of the environment through war games, fort building, role playing of stories in popular children’s adventure books and movies, and the like.” It’s imperative to the future of our forests which sustain us.
As for my family:
Since the last days of winter, the kids have been spending hours in their den. Sometimes they call it their little fort. I think they have another name for it but they won’t reveal it to me!
Then this week Theo told me they wanted to go there when it was dark. Perhaps even have dinner there on their own? he asked. Personally feeling that these secret dens or forts are something special to have in one’s childhood, I agreed. I remember as a child wishing that I had a treehouse all to myself.
I was only allowed there to bring them their tray of hot dogs and fruit. Soon they were back asking for more. They each ate three hot dogs in their den! I was asked to leave as soon as I brought them their food. I stood nearby and could just see their light behind the trees.
I’m happy that they now have an outdoor special place as often in the past we’ve had to make temporary forts indoors with blankets, cushions and chairs. It’s wonderful for their imagination and desire for nature play.
For most of these, you may need to head to Home Depot to pick up supplies. However, it’s important to remember that building tree houses does not have to be difficult!
The creators of these houses have given specific instructions on how to get the job done. Whether you just want an easy-to-build platform or a full tree houses with a climbing wall option, there are plenty to choose from.
Platform Treehouse with Rock Climbing Wall
Looking for a treehouse with a rock wall? This one, shown on Repurpose and Recycle, is a simple platform and you can add on a slide!
Classic Treehouse with Swing Set and Sandbox
If you are looking for some ideas that have wooden swing sets, this one is great! The house is simple and can have a sandbox underneath.
This one is a dream for imaginative play. It may not be a beginner’s project, but with some time and a detailed plan, you can create the backyard fort of your princess’s dreams!
Mid Century Play Fort
Mid-century is very trendy and has been for awhile now! If your home tends to follow that trend, this playhouse would be a cohesive extension of the rest of your home!
Platform Treehouse with Sheet Tent
Installing a low-level platform like this gives you so many different options for add-ons. A slide? Rock climbing wall? Both could easily be added!
While this may be on the smaller side of play areas, it gives young ones a great vantage point of the yard! Perfect for imagining that they are a super secret spy on lookout.
The older kids may enjoy some cool outside science experiments for their playspace
1 long board that was 8 feet long 10 inches wide, 2 inches thick. It is important to use a thick and very sturdy board for the counter surface so it can easily hold the weight that will go on it without bowing.
2 boards that were about 10 inches long 6 inches wide and 2 inches thick, these boards will help support and hold up the long counter board.
12 screws that are 3.5 to 4 inches long ideally stainless steel or another metal that will not rust. That will allow you to easily adjust the height over time or remove if needed.
Tools
Level
Screw gun with a bit that matches your screws.
We did not need to drill pilot holes but you may need to depending on the strength of your drill, hardness of the wood and trees, ect
Saw to cut the boards to length if needed.
Sand paper
Instructions
To install:
Measure the height you feel is the best height for your child or children, think about finding a middle spot that works for as many as possible. Also take into consideration how quickly children grow and plan for a little wiggle room so you hopefully wont need to change the height next summer.
Sand the boards all down to ensure there are no splinters in the kitchen.
Measure and mark the trees for the two short boards that will hold and support the counter.
Add the boards one at a time and double check to make sure they are level – both on the tree AND with each other.
Rest the long counter board on top of the two mounted boards, again check that the counter is level, adjust one of the boards mounted to the trees if needed.
Screw the long counter board onto the two sort boards and/or into the tree.
Recipe Notes
The steps and supplies for this project are all flexible based on the location you’ll be building the mud kitchen counter, the size you would like yours to be and the materials you have on hand. Below we’ll lay out how we made our exact set up. We used wood we happened to already have in the garage leftover from another project. This wood was not pressure treated, we were alright with that where there was no out of pocket expense for the project.
We started with a blank area in the backyard and quickly realized our children were most interested in using found items that were all around them in nature and mixing up fantastic mud cakes that were decorated with flowers and pinecones.
The DIY Science Table – Mud kitchen was created with two large fir trees that were about 8 feet apart at the height we placed the counter.
We spent way more time talking about the plans and choosing the trees than it took to mount the counter. Our children immediately brought over supplies and started playing and haven’t stopped!
We have also added in logs, rocks, and crystals we’ve found, slices of wood from a few trees that came down in the neighborhood, pinecones, acorns, and a hook with a hose that they can pretend to fill up with water when the rain bucket is empty.
DIY Mud Kitchen
A mud kitchen is an outdoor play area that’s perfect for aspiring chefs! I have fond memories of creating mud pies in the yard as a child! You can relive those messy memories with your kids with a DIY mud kitchen in the backyard.
It can be as simple or fancy as you want it to be. In fact, it’s the perfect time to get the kids involved. You might be surprised by some of their ideas about kitchen essentials! In the end, you’ll have the perfect space for creating dirt based dishes.
For our DIY mud kitchen it’s actually more of an exploration table (in my mind), we used mostly recycled and found materials that kept costs low. As an added bonus, we all had fun rifling through forgotten items for the perfect kitchen utensils! Empty glass jars, my old muffin tin, and leftover boards were given new life in our outdoor play kitchen.
Mud kitchens are perfect for kids of all ages, even children as young as one can have fun creating messy dishes. It’s the perfect way to get creative outside while exploring with imagination and sensory play together.
Outdoor Science Table
Enjoy outdoor STEM and STEAM activities with an easy to create DIY Science Table.
Not sure what to make or add?
Use old kitchen utensils, pots, jars, and pans or dishes combined with magnifying glasses, tools, dirt and water to create your own exploration area.
Then, decorate together with pebbles, grass, flowers, and seeds.
Another fun idea is to create some “mud recipe” cards for your kiddos. We invented a recipe for “mud tea” with water and wildflowers from our yard. Then, we created “mud potatoes” with pebbles coated in mud. Writing down these mud pie recipes for your children will add a fun element to your DIY mud kitchen and create a cherished memory for you later. Just don’t forget to laminate them or your recipe cards might end up as an ingredient in the next mud cake!
Did you know you can create an obstacle course using only recycled materials? It’s easy and fun! A backyard obstacle course is a great way to encourage kids to be physically active outdoors this Summer.
Experts agree that at least one hour a day of physical activity is important for children’s developing muscles, motor skills, and reducing the risk of related conditions like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. You can help your kids increase their physical activity by creating a fun obstacle course in the backyard for the family to enjoy.
Creating an obstacle course using recycled materials is budget-friendly and an excellent way to encourage children to recycle. You can use plastic bottles, cans, cardboard, wooden pallets, tape, and paint to create an epic obstacle course!
Easy DIY Outdoor Play Area
Pallets are perfect for creating obstacles for balancing. Recycled cardboard boxes can be used to create epic tunnels for your kids to navigate. Sidewalk chalk is the perfect way to add directional arrows to your course. Old tires are perfect for jumping through or rolling around. Finally, you can create a relay race using plastic bottles.
Another way for your kids to have fun with backyard play areas is to let them design it themselves! Simply provide the materials and see what they come up with.
Nature Exploration Play Space
DIY science tables, DIY backyard play areas, and natural outdoor obstacle courses are excellent ways to get outdoors and have fun using recycled or found materials.
However, if you’re interested in creating more natural play spaces for your children, there are lots of ways to do that too!
Spending time outside is the perfect way to encourage your children to explore the great outdoors and develop curiosity and wonder about the natural world. It’s a great opportunity to learn about your surroundings, the weather, and different seasons.
Here are just a few interesting things we have found:
Mushrooms
Pinecones
Dandelions
Cardinals
Lizard
Praying Mantis
Ants
Turtle
Worms
Creating a natural play space using items you find in your own yard can be a lot of fun! Stumps make excellent seats for little explorers to use while they observe the natural world. Leaves and twigs make great “boats” for floating in puddles or a small creek.
In fact, for a truly creative natural play space, provide your child with some leaves, rocks, sand, and sticks in your play area. Then, sit back and watch as they create their own little world using what they’ve been given. It’s the perfect way to let your kids explore as their imaginations run wild!
SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Studies have shown that if you like this, you will also love the following articles. I have pulled them together for you right here!
Backyard Biology – How to Design A Garden To Be A Kid’s Fun Science Lab
We need kids that can tackle the environmental and health problems of the world around us. There is no better way foster their natural enthusiasm than to create a science filled backyard that draws them outside.
I’m not talking about a patch of grass with some bushes around the edges (boring). Rather, a place that starts to teach and inspire them towards the art and science of caring for our environment. Yes, they need a place to burn energy. But they also need a place to feed their curiousity and minds and with a little thought, the battle over screen time can become easier. An inspiring and enticing backyard garden doesn’t just make you happy and increase your property value. It is place where people (especially the littles) are encouraged to explore and learn about nature, biology and natural wisdom in general.
HOW CAN WE MOTIVATE KIDS TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT?
One answer can be found at the home of two Massachusetts scientists. These parents have been experimenting with a living laboratory in their small, suburban backyard. The couple have a strong background in molecular biology, and have designed a space that functions as a small, relatively self-sustaining ecosystem. They use it as an al fresco classroom – a garden science lab and a place for backyard science- for their three children.
HOW TO DESIGN A BACKYARD SCIENCE LAB
The garden, was designed to invite wildlife and the encroaching woodlands into the backyard, encouraging a seamless flow between nature and the suburban household. Many of the plant species are native to the area, requiring minimal maintenance. The garden revolves around its small pond, complete with koi fish, frogs and a snake, while birds linger and nest in branches overhead. Tall evergreens line the yard, hiding the neighboring properties from sight and drawing the eye outward, over the garden and into the woods.
Tom Wilhelm from A Blade of Grass, the designer of the garden, took the traditional elements of a children’s garden, small benches, thick shrubbery, hidden places to explore, and imbued each with unique properties to enhance learning. Wilhelm explains:
“these moments can be as simple as including butterfly bush or fruit-bearing shrubs that attract birds, thereby allowing children to observe the mutualism between flora and fauna. They can also be somewhat more complex, such as encouraging children to collect and study the tadpoles in a pond, or the dragonfly eggs floating near the water’s surface.”TOM WILHELM – A BLADE OF GRASS
PROMOTE AN APPRECIATION FOR NATURE AND EMPATHY FOR THE GARDEN CREATURES THAT IT SHELTERS
An educational garden should promote an appreciation for nature and empathy for the creatures it shelters, as well as an understanding that everything is connected. The backyard biology of the garden, becomes a microcosm for the world’s environment as a whole.
Encourage children to embrace the outdoors and nurture it by making a garden a place not just to run. But also make it a place to hide, a place to climb and a place to learn, even where space is limited. (We can only hope they will carry this perspective with them into adulthood).
SCIENCE IN THE BACKYARD – LESSON IDEAS
There are so many lessons that can be learned in and through a garden. While most of the learning that takes place in outdoor gardens is experiential, educational gardens can serve as great ways to start conversations on a variety of topics.
Horticulture: tending particular plants (shade v. sunlight, varying soil types, water regulation), photosynthesis, plant identification.
Literature: as simple as reading outdoors on a shaded bench, or as creative as designing a Victorian-themed garden and reading classics.
Art: paint or draw the creatures, plants, and structures in the garden, design new paths/flower beds, create topiaries.
Nature & Wildlife: Ecology, habitat maintenance, insects and pollinators.
Business: Many garden products can be sold at local farmers markets. Give kids an opportunity to plan small businesses that go beyond the lemonade stand.
Lilies (along with other common garden plants like tomatoes, morning glories, snapdragons, petunias and irises) are ‘perfect’ flowers – meaning that they have both stamens and pistils (the male and female parts of a flower. Perfect flowers are the most common type of flowers and are easy subjects for a wide variety of experiments in hybridization, pollination and genetics as well as investigations in flower structure and basic biology.
TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR OWN BACKYARD GARDEN SCIENCE LAB:
Sometimes the best learning is experiential. Gardens that include interactive elements (like a koi pond or a vegetable patch) encourage kids to learn through observation and take a personal interest in various plants or animals. Alternatively, taking a child to a nursery and asking them to pick a flower to grow and tend (ideally from a seed) gives them responsibility and fosters attachment. Herbs are good because they encourage touching, smelling, and tasting. If the plant is a vegetable, it can lead to conversations about where food comes from, buying locally, etc.
Choose plants or features that will attract a variety of wildlife. Hang bird feeders with breed-specific feed (or plant a shrub with berries), and see how many varieties you can identify. Plant bright, tubular flowers for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Do prior research. Know what you hope the garden will teach your children, or allow them to discover on their own. Decide whether you want largely native species, so kids can recognize them at home or away. Include features that suit your educational goals.
Don’t assume you need a large space to make a big impact. This suburban garden in Newton, MA, is only several thousand square feet.
Gardens are not static. They change over time in terms of structure and function, so don’t be afraid to tweak either. An educational garden can evolve into a place to read or reflect as children age.
As a testament to the design, these photos were easy. I wanted to photograph the garden with a kid. (and since I had one that lives with me…)
But he wasn’t enthusiastic about an afternoon posing in someone else’s garden. There were bribes involved. But in the end, I didn’t have to pay up.
The koi pond distracted and entertained my son for as long as I needed (and then some). He was having so much fun in this garden science lab he forgot about not wanting to help. We both loved this place. Maybe because there were no distracting and garish plastic toys? Rather, there was mystery and surprise around every corner.
It also felt bigger than it was. The trails that curled around themselves and the obscured views create a greater sense of space. It is not only a small, relatively self-sustaining ecosystem, which the owners use as a beautiful al fresco classroom but a place that he and I both found to be encouraging of play and movement (more than any old patch of grass!) .
Giant Spool UpCycled into an Outdoor Science Lab
This has to be one of my most favorite outdoor projects that I've completed lately. I took a giant old spool and upcycled it to create an outdoor science lab and play kitchen for the kids. To say it's a hit would be the understatement of the year.
I started with the spool and traced my bowls in pencil and then used a jigsaw to cut out circles so I could recess them down into the spool. This was very important because it keeps the bowls from tipping over and makes it easier for the kids to mix stuff up.
Next, I gathered my ingriendents. I must say that I absolutely LOVE the Method brand pump bottles that their dish soap and laundry soap comes in. I've been saving them up for this project for a while now. I love them because they are so easy for little hands to pump. Kiley was only 3 when I set this up in the backyard and she was able to use the pump bottles without any problem. I filled them with colored water, vinegar, oil and soap.
Gather up some equipment. My kids were adamant about needing safety goggles. I found a ton of little buckets, and bowls, and test tube type things in the Dollar Spot at Target.
Getting to know nature and being a backyard detective are activities my kids have enjoyed for years.
And having great science tools takes outdoor exploration to a whole new level!
It’s amazing to see the wonder and hear the questions when kids can get up close with bugs, plants, trees and even wildlife.
So I love to have kid-sized science tools for them to use — ones that are sturdy and don’t need much supervision so kids can go off and explore on their own.
10 Awesome Outdoor Science Tools & Activities
Enjoy these 10 outstanding science tools that are perfect for the backyard, park or beach – keep them in your backpack for hikes, camping and other adventures!
For each Science Tool, we’ve included links to Related Science Activities & Experiments so your kids will quickly be inspired to get out & explore!
And I can’t tell you how many bugs have called it ‘home’ for a few hours.
Caterpillars, potato bugs, jewel beetles, a few worms — I could go on and on. We use the tweezers to let the bugs crawl on when we’re ready to get them out and send them home. And the kids LOVE the magnifying scissors — you can catch the bugs and see their detailed bodies up close!
(Disclaimer: I make sure that no bugs are harmed during the using of these items 🙂
Another well-loved and often used science tool is our Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Magnifying Glass. It’s nice and big, easy for little hands to hold and has a very large magnifying area.
Get an up-close look at leaves, flowers and other plants in the yard. Bugs can go right on walking as we scope them out and you can see all the details of the veggies we grow in the garden. Kids also get a kick out of looking at each other through the glass.
My son received a telescope like the Celestron PowerSeeker Telescope as a holiday gift one year and it’s one of those gifts that you don’t take out every day but when you do, it really leaves a BIG impression!
Believe it or not, you can see the stars and constellations even with a kid-sized telescope. Be careful to get one that has a steady tripod stand so your kids won’t knock it over each time they want to look through it. And it’s also great for seeing around the neighborhood at night — we’ve watched owls and fox as they fly and roam.
A much more frequently used item is a good set of binoculars! This is one place where if you spend a little more, you’ll get a LOT more.
First, be sure the have a nice grip and are easy to hold. Look for a pair that adjusts (folds out wider which most do) so they will grow with the kids. And try to get a set with at least 8x power so they can really see up close when they find something they’d like to observe.
The ExploreOne Binoculars are a good choice for younger kids (although the power is only at 6x). Older kids would like the BARSKA Compact Binoculars which are easier to carry and also waterproof!
We take ours EVERYWHERE! When the kids were young, they would even take them in the car and to the grocery store 🙂 Other great places include the park, beach and even the zoo!
So we’ve covered scoping out the sky, the backyard and even nighttime adventures — the only thing left is the water!
Spy on the fish, search for tadpoles and see what type of plantlife you can find in underwater. A great science tool for the pond, lake or beach. Try the Educational Insights Science Club Aquascope which also includes a fun marine biologist’s journal too!
Loose Parts: Inspiring Play with Infants and Toddlers
When loose parts are introduced to infants and toddlers, rich, magnificent explorations transpire. Astonishing learning and unexpected capabilities are revealed as the youngest of children make sense of their world. Accidental occurrences become significant and visible as caregivers thoughtfully observe children’s engagement with materials, reflect on the importance of the interactions, and respectfully respond to children’s intentions.
Infants and toddlers are researchers who are fascinated by the properties of objects and how things work. They explore materials with all their senses and delight in cause-and-effect relationships. Loose parts are captivating objects for infants and toddlers to investigate because of their open-ended nature. Loose parts allow young children to be in control of their inquiries as they gather and learn information about physical objects.
What Are Loose Parts?
The term loose parts was originally coined by British architect Simon Nicholson to describe open-ended materials that can be used and manipulated in different ways (Nicholson 1971). They have unlimited play possibilities rather than single outcomes, which means that there is not a specific way to use items. A plastic musical toy is a closed object that has one intent: sound is made as an infant pushes a button. Toy manufacturers claim that infants will be delighted by its vivid colors, fascinating texture, and engaging sounds. The reality is that the novelty of such a toy wears off very quickly. Once a young child has mastered the single task of making a sound, he is ready to move on to another challenge. Loose parts, however, are adaptable and provide young children with infinite play possibilities.
Why Loose Parts for Infants and Toddlers Are Important
When incorporating loose parts for infants into your environment consider appropriate items that invite action and opportunity for babies to touch, mouth, explore, move, bang, and rearrange. Examples include balls, knotted cloth napkins, hair rollers, and bracelets. For toddlers, select items that they may transform, transport, and construct. When a toddler plays with a plastic apple it is always an apple, but when she plays with a pinecone she may choose for it to represent an apple, a tree, or a ball for rolling—anything that she imagines.
Toddlers love to fill, dump, and carry things, so provide materials to support these interests, such as coasters, large glass stones, rocks, postcards, and scarves. Also add materials with interesting properties that can be used for design or construction, or made into props. Natural, found, and upcycled objects such as seashells, stones, tiles, ribbon, and fabric are some examples.
Infants and toddlers learn heuristically, that is through investigating, discovering, or problem solving by experimental and trial-and-error methods. Therefore, it is important for teachers and caregivers to provide open-ended materials (loose parts) that allow infants and toddlers opportunity to explore their properties and functions.
Loose parts support the dynamic and multidimensional nature of young children’s learning. Children of all ages, abilities, skill levels, and genders can use loose parts successfully. Because there’s no right or wrong way to work with these items, infants and toddlers may use them according to their ability and interest. For example, a young infant may look at, feel, grasp, and mouth a large, polished tile sample; a mobile infant may stack the tiles; and an older toddler may fill a bucket with them and then dump them out.
Loose Parts Support Learning and Development across the Domains
Social-Emotional Learning and Development
Play with loose parts promotes social-emotional development, including self-knowledge, self-regulation, self-esteem, and social skills as infants and toddlers get to know themselves and others.
Self-knowledge includes a child’s understanding of his own body, abilities, and feelings. An infant first begins to make sense of his world through his sense of touch, sight, taste, hearing, smell, and through movement. As young children explore intriguing loose parts that are made available to them, they use their senses and movement in new ways, developing an awareness of their own capabilities.
Self-regulation involves infants and toddlers ability to gain control of bodily functions, manage powerful emotions, and maintain focus and attention (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000). The development of self-regulation is seen in all developmental areas as young children gain control emotionally, socially, physically, and cognitively. Children become deeply involved and interested, even in the presence of distractions, when they have interesting loose parts to examine and manipulate. Having sufficient time to investigate play objects allows infants and toddlers the ability to fully experience and dictate how to play. The open-ended nature of loose parts allows for multiple play possibilities, such as carrying, stacking, banging, or collecting, thus offering a child the opportunity to regulate her play as she desires, which is not the case with a single-purpose manufactured toy. Self-chosen play with loose parts fosters children’s capacity to control their environment.
Self-esteem is an individual’s perception of their own worth. It develops as children master new abilities, experience success, and realize their effectiveness. Self-esteem and feelings of efficacy develop as young children take initiative and conquer challenges. Pride in their accomplishments and development of independence may be seen in exploratory play with loose parts when infants and toddlers engage with objects and interesting things happen as a result of their actions.
Social development is a young child’s ability to form and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with adults and other children. An environment organized with appealing loose parts plays a major role in supporting social play in young children. Toddlers can be intent on having the same play object that someone else has, especially popular items. Loose parts are duplicates of the same items so conflict and waiting among children is automatically minimized. For example, a wide variety of metal spoons could be set up as a provocation (intentionally placing intriguing, challenging, or surprising materials in the environment as a way to provoke children’s thinking). Because there are multiple spoons, each child can take several at a time for their investigations of dropping, banging, lining up, batting, transporting, pushing, and stirring.
Perceptual-Motor Learning and Development
As infants and toddlers engage with loose parts they are continuously investigating and experimenting to make sense of how their world works. They learn about texture as they touch scratchy loofas, soft blankets, and smooth plastic bowls. They investigate gravity by rolling a ball down an incline or dropping it from up high. Play with loose parts promotes gross-motor skills, fine-motor skills, and hand-eye coordination.
Gross-motor skills are evident when children climb on pillows or up ramps, pick up heavy tree cookies with both arms, and chase balls. Balance develops as young children walk across logs, stepping stones, tree trunk borders, or a wood plank bridged between tires. Transporting items and filling/dumping are large-motor skills repeated frequently by toddlers. It’s important to have containers in the environment such as bags, buckets, and crates along with smaller loose parts that children can fill, transport, dump, and refill. Tree blocks, pinecones, small floor samples (tile, carpet, wood), coasters, and napkin rings make good small loose parts, and sand, water, and clay are natural loose parts.
Fine-motor skills include control and accuracy of actions made with the small muscles of the hands. Small-motor skills increase when infants and toddlers grasp a knotted rope, carefully use their index finger and thumb in a pincer grasp to pick up a cedar ring, or clip round peg wood clothespins onto a metal bucket. Pouring is supported when young children use cups and containers for pouring water or birdseed. Play with loose parts supports the development of other fine-motor skills such as moving a small cup from hand to hand, making mud pies and cakes, dropping and picking up bracelets, and banging a spoon on a metal pot.
Cognitive Learning and Development
Intellectual, or cognitive, learning includes the abilities of predicting, reasoning, questioning, and analyzing. The process of intellectual learning takes place through natural interaction with real things in the child’s environment (Katz 2015). Infants and toddlers have a natural desire to explore the properties of objects, so exposing them to open-ended play with loose parts allows for experimentation and fosters higher-level thinking. Loose parts are the tools of scientists, engineers, artists, and architects. An early childhood environment filled with loose parts is a laboratory that supports a young child’s drive to invent and discover, a catalyst for rich problem solving.
Language and Communication Learning and Development
Language has many uses as young children engage with loose parts. Sound effects may be used to describe actions as evidenced by Samuel, who makes a “vrooming” sound while pretending that a piece of bark is a car and later makes a “whistling” sound as he pretends that the bark is a train. The value of a loose part is that Samuel is able to change sound effects to match what his imagination has decided the bark to be. During play with loose parts, a child may use language to provide verbal instructions: “Stay there. Don’t fall.” Children may sing as they mix a concoction. A toddler often offers a running commentary when she explores loose parts in her hands.
Play spaces thoughtfully filled with intriguing loose parts offer opportunities for infants and toddlers to actively practice new words. Vocabulary increases as young children learn words to describe play objects and their characteristics, such as color, shape, size, texture, and weight. Teachers can support vocabulary development by using assorted adjectives to describe the rich variations of loose parts such as rough bark or smooth, hard tiles.
Representation of experiences and ideas involves the capacity to use one thing to symbolize and represent another. Nineteen-month-old Arianna takes jar lids off the shelf, places them in a bowl, and stirs the pieces with a spoon. She pretends to take a bite of the mixture. She is using the lids to symbolize and represent food. Ian, thirty-three months old, uses wooden squares to represent a train track. Because most loose parts are nondescript, such as a piece of wood, a child can have the object take on the form of whatever is imagined.
Natural loose parts are generally nondescript, so the object can symbolize whatever is imagined.
Loose parts are fundamental materials in learning environments. When they are intentionally placed in early childhood classrooms, the result is intriguing, challenging, and imaginative play possibilities for young children.
BUILDING A DIY FOREST PLAY SPACE THAT YOUR LITTLE ONES WILL LOVE.
Playfulness is central to how we all grow and learn. It’s what allows us to connect with others and let our imaginations flourish. But as we get older, play becomes more and more a luxury rather than an integral part of daily life – taking a backseat to professional and financial obligations and other dull but necessary evils.
Like the name would suggest, playspaces are forall things clever, silly, quirky, and fun for all ages.
From the whimsical forms of Hope Marie to the creatively deceptive simple activities of fitness, recreation, and discovery that endlessly run through my brain: we want to inspire great playspaces that "toy" with the mind and unlock mental and physical muscles many of us have not stretched since childhood. Exhibiting nature this way will: artists also show us the power of play in revealing systemic injustices, subverting gender expectations, and confronting the absurdity of our political and ecological realities.
1. Pick a spot that looks inviting and versatile for play options. Something that shouts, ‘explore me’! Think of your child’s interests, heroes, influences, things they love, etc. They should influence your vision and choices along the way. But you also want it to remain safe to the wildlife as well. Watch them use and play in the space the way it is naturally, so you don’t alter or move something that they enjoy.
2. Clear the space as needed.
Removing tripping hazards, prickly thorn bushes and sharp rocks will help to encourage play and keep everyone safe. Be aware of who may already live in that space. For example, If there was an active birds nest, I wouldn’t touch this space.
3. Invite your expert explorers to check out the area. Watch them investigate the area. What are they drawn to? How do they use the space?
4. (After watching your little experts in the area) fix, change or add, where needed. You don’t want to eliminate all challenges, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a few things here and there to help the kids to enjoy the space. For example, I added a step stone when I noticed my littlest explorer struggling to climb up in to the ‘entrance’.
5. Define the space. Logs, branches and rocks work well as ‘walls’ and wood chips are excellent for ‘floors’. Old windows and mirrors are fun too once the glass is removed.
6. Add multi purpose open-ended materials. Pots, pans and kitchen utensils are great. Bowls, cups, rocks, natural wood blocks, scoops etc.
7. Make it creative and adventurous. You are setting up an ‘invitation to play’ (as you would in the classroom if you’re an educator, Just on a larger scale and likely a little messier) A telephone, a clock, a small table and even a sink -makes the area feel like ‘home’. I also love to add items that sparkle and shine. Items that look like they aren’t typically meant for play. Special, interesting and unique – just like the little people who will be enjoying them.
8. Keep the area safe for wildlife and your kids.
Watch for new hazards as the area changes through the seasons. Wasp nests, thorn bushes, broken branches etc.
9. Follow your child’s lead -discover their Interest. If you created a space to be a ‘house’ and they have decided that it’s a ‘diner’ – go with it! Add a cash register, menus and a take-out window. Kids have the greatest ideas, and it will be fun to watch the area grow and evolve. It can be a nature science lab, wildlife hospital, home or cabin, school, gym, animal food factory, fire or ranger station, train, or automotive repair business, ecology/save the planet bureau and more.
10. Play WITH them! Get your hands dirty. Eat the mud cakes! As a mother of 5 (ages 13-1) one thing that I know for sure is that time flies and there will be a point (*sniff sniff*) where they won’t ask you to sit and play anymore! Enjoy these moments!
Planning your Outdoor or forest play area
Designing a children's outdoor play space doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, I'm trying to make a real effort on the blog to include easier, natural activities.
Also, if you live in an urban environment with no backyard, a lot of these can be found/done at your local park or community garden! Here are ten things that can make a child's outdoor play space all that more special:
1. A SECRET PLACE
Kids need somewhere they can breathe, be alone and feel free. What makes a place secret? Make it their size, construct "walls" and have it in a slightly obscured location. Whether it's a clubhouse or just a sheet draped over some tree limbs, the main idea is to prompt them to create a world of their own. Boys like calling it a club or hide out.
This is one of my favorite things ever. I would even wear olive and brown colors as camouflage. Our family’s rule was if it isn’t nailed down then we could use it. I liked cheese cloth dyed in mud. My mom kept my secret she would leave it under my pillow.
3. MUD GLORIOUS MUD Whether it's mud pies or just digging for rocks, kids need to get dirty! I know that our mud kitchen was my daughter's favorite part of our outdoor play area this past summer. And if you really want to pair this activity down just give the kids some dirt and a bowl - trust me they will find their own wild materials.
As parents of all young children know, climbing is a natural instinct. Trees, stumps, rocks - they all present an opportunity for our kids to test their limits and go higher!
For us, gardening is one of the fundamentals, and plays a unique role in our daughter's outdoor space! It may seem daunting, but there are some really easy ways to set up a growing area.
Make a Raised Bed in a Kiddie Pool via Southern Plate (with this one, I would put down a liner between the pool and the garden so the plastic chemicals don't leach into the food.
6. A PLACE TO CREATE
I always feel so much more creative when I'm outside. It is such a bonus to have an area where the kids can write, make art, music and even put on plays for each other. It doesn't matter if it is as simple as making mandalas on the ground with natural items, art and nature just go together!
I'll never forgot the rope swing in my grandparents' yard. It was such a simple design, but whenever any of my siblings or cousins mention those years, that swing is always in the picture. Swinging is blissful and every child deserve a chance to feel the wind against their face as they propel themselves towards the sky.
Spontaneous, unorganized play is the foundation of a child's time spent outside. In the spirit of the adventure playground movement, I like to have loose items and material available for my daughter to create with. They have no set "purpose" except for her to imagine, build and create with.
I've definitely been guilty of getting caught up in my own ideas and forgetting to ask my daughter what she really wants. Making sure our kids have a stake in the project can connect them to their space. Some things I'm trying to ask her are:
What's your favorite thing to do outside?
Do you like this here?
What color should we paint this?
Do you want to name your clubhouse?
Is there anything special you want to bring outside from your room?
Are we missing anything?
Does your family want to go collecting materials with you?
Make An Outdoor Pretend Play Area
Kids love to pretend to cook and serve food, so why not take that idea to the next level with an outdoor eating area, complete with a table, stools and everything you need to have the perfect pretend (or real!) meal outside. Use the same space as a makerspace if you can.
Maker zone” in the natural playground (Loose Parts Area)
This one might cause you to scratch your head. What’s a maker or tinkering zone?
Generally, it’s a space devoted to tinkering, creating, constructing, and engineering. But it can be a creative or Mud Kitchen if your kids would prefer that.
To help spur on your little builder, offer baskets, bins, crates or piles of twigs, pinecones, vines, bark, leaves, acorns- whatever you have on hand in your ecosystem. I’d suggest also placing a flat work surface nearby, either on the ground or elevated slightly to function as a table. Be prepared for lots of creations given as “gifts” throughout the day!
Mud & creative kitchens
A mud kitchen is another great addition to your natural backyard playground. Outfit a child-sized work space with bamboo cutting boards, ladles, little wooden bowls and utensils, etc. If the weather turns cold, your mud kitchen can easily be converted into a snow kitchen. (And if you want other ideas for winter activities, I’ve got you covered!)
SANDY PIT
Just like Roo from the Hundred Acre Wood, little children need access to a sandy (or just plain dirt-y) pit for digging. I’m not just talking about your typical sand box. While those are great for small projects, I’m talking “rip up the sod and dig to China” levels of digging. Give your kid a variety of tools so they can switch up their digging with raking, hoeing, or weeding, too. My favorite sandboxes are created a theme and have a play tent or sun shelter.
SOMETHING FOR THE BIG KIDS
Trust me, you don't want to leave this one out! It's wonderful to interact with our children, but the truth is sometimes they just need to get lost in the moment without us. This past summer we installed two hammocks and it instantly transformed the children's play area into a mixed-use space that we all love to be in. Remember it’s cooler in the wooded area because its shaded. The more comfortable you are, the longer they can play in that oxygen rich environment that is so good for their health.
So, these are on my list, I challenge you to make your own lists based on your child's interests.
I hope you excited over this challenge. Lets do this Happy Hooligan’s style!
Cool Features to Add to Your Play Garden or Lawn
Creating a fun and exciting outdoor playspace for your child for free or just a few dollars! You don’t need expensive toys and fancy equipment to have an outdoor play area that will thrill your kids.
These inexpensive ideas for a backyard play space will make your yard the funnest place in the neighborhood. the corner of the backyard draws the children in like a magnet. It’s the play area in our backyard that’s entirely dedicated to the daycare kids, and it’s where the most care-free and magical moments of our day take place.
The old-fashioned simplicity of our outdoor play area makes it an enchanting place for kids to play, explore and learn. There’s our repainted play-house, and sandbox tips, which are popular for sure, and there is a myriad of other inexpensive play features that entertain, challenge and engage the hooligans for hours every day, all year long. It’s these play features I’m going to tell you about today.
A THRIFT SHOP COFFEE TABLE
One of the best but least expensive investments I ever made for my daycare was this thrift shop coffee table. I got it for 6 dollars at a second-hand shop a couple of years ago, and we use it every day. In summer, it’s our backyard activity table, in winter it’s our art table in the craft room. Big enough for a crowd to gather around and water and paint spills don’t matter at all. See it in action here.
DIY WATER SLIDE
For the price of an inexpensive camping tarp, you can give your kids a whole day of wet, water, slippy-slidey fun! ! We’ve been doing this for years here in my daycare, and the kids never tire of it. See how to make your own waterside here.
Use a wheelbarrow to create a mobile mud patch for mud play in your backyard play space! It’s like a portable mud kitchen, and it will provide your kids with hours of good, old-fashioned muddy play! It’s a wonderful way to provide a temporary mud patch or mud kitchen in your backyard at home or preschool without having to dig up a patch of your lawn.
They provide children with a natural place to climb and jump, and they help to develop gross motor functions. Balance, coordination and decision-making skills all come into play when a child decides to take a step from one log to the next, and without knowing it, they take depth, distance, risk and their own abilities into consideration every time they climb up or jump down from one of the logs.
A log can also provide a place for a child to exercise his or her imagination and creativity: One moment it’s a stage on which to perform, and the next, it’s an instrument for making music. Ours are most often used as an extension to our play kitchen, and as tabletops for sorting “tools” and treasures on.
I can say without a doubt that our play logs have been one of the best backyard additions yet.
Using a location in your backyard that’s near a sidewalk or concrete, adding sand can turn an area of your yard into the ultimate sandbox. Add boards, sand tools and toy construction equipment and keep your little ones entertained for hours.
This little racetrack costs almost nothing and is sure to pay off within hours of being set up. Using inexpensive square and rectangular pavers, some sidewalk chalk and those matchbox cars you’re always stepping on inside, you can create the perfect little outdoor track.
The whole neighborhood is going to want to hang out at your house when you do this!
Build A Small Town
Using inexpensive materials such as scrap lumber, wood and rocks, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating a quaint little town within your backyard garden.
These activities are full of fun and adventure! A they can easily be added to your outdoor space to freshen or spice things up. However, they make excellent activities on their own
Having an extraordinary outdoor play space doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Make your own Tire Sandbox with this tutorial from I Heart Naptime
Some tips from recreational experts
Natural playgrounds use natural elements to create safe, accessible, age-appropriate play, social, and learning opportunities. Cozy family play spaces in their own woodlands can be set up according to their personal interests and challenging their physical strength and agility as well as their imagination and creativity in new ways as they grow. Examples of elements for a community park might include
hills which integrate climbing aspects and slides,
shrubs for play forts or labyrinths,
sand areas,
open space for group or athletic play,
picnic shelters that double as art and science space
butterfly or rain gardens, and
fairy villages made from willow branches.
Natural playgrounds provide unique advantages. They appeal to the adventurous and the curious child.
Educational: Research shows that the natural environment fosters more creative play.
A widened age of interest in play: More of the park is considered play space, but it appeals to all ages. (Many of the standard pieces of equipment are skill based and therefore limited to narrow age groups.)
Environmental: The materials are natural, often from local sources or native plants, while plastic play structures are environmentally costly to manufacture, ship, and dispose of.
Jobs: Construction of natural playgrounds utilizes primarily local landscapers rather than remote manufactures.
Budget: More unique play elements can be constructed per dollar
and so forth
Common concerns voiced are accessibility, safety, and maintenance. However,
They can be built to ADA standards and using the natural landscaped appeal in some elements may exceed standards. For example, a slide embedded in a hill would be easier for kids to access than one that was reached by a ladder.
Most of the safety problems with natural playgrounds are from the high elements. Kids may scrape their knees while climbing boulders, but they could do the same on a sidewalk.
Information that I have found has indicated that they are less costly to maintain, but comparisons are hard, since they include general park maintenance rather than just checking bolts.
They are different from what we are used to. In this high-tech era, we expect “clean” playgrounds. Nature is unknown and sometimes scary. Kids would get dirty. But I think that is a good thing. But they can
I believe that making their natural space unique capitalizes on current research in playspaces that provide exceptional opportunities to challenge their kids love for testing out their ability to conquer their fears, and climbing structures are the perfect place to challenge themselves to reach new heights. Being able to climb higher than they did the last time they visited the park gives kids a sense of accomplishment.
There is an over-used cliche about thinking outside the box. Here, let's not think inside the box or outside; let's think about kids and creative play and rather than a new plastic toy, let's give the kids what they really want, what will stimulate their creativity: the cardboard box.
Construction Area
Fill the tires with dirt or sand for added construction fun.
This fabulous sandbox from Smiling Mama's Blog has a great DIY cover.
Outdoor Seating
A Life We Built Aren't these tire seats from A life we built just so adorable? If you are going to hang out with the little ones, then you need a comfy place to call your own.
ARTICLE-Toddlers as InvestigatorsTune in to children’s interests and extend the play opportunities they love. Responsive teaching inspires lifelong learners.
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About Jamie Reimer
Jamie learned to be a hands on mom by creating activities, crafts and art projects for her three boys to do. Jamie needed the creative outlet that activities provided to get through the early years of parenting with a smile! Follow Jamie on Pinterest and Instagram!
18 Free {or almost free} Cool Features to Add to Your Backyard Playground
Last updated on May 18, 2020
57.5K
Create a fun and exciting backyard playground for your child or your daycare for free or for few dollars! You don’t need expensive toys and fancy equipment to have an outdoor play area that will thrill your kids. These inexpensive ideas for a backyard play space will make your yard the funnest place in the neighbourhood.
The far corner of the backyard draws the children in like a magnet. It’s the play area in our backyard that’s entirely dedicated to the daycare kids, and it’s where the most care-free and magical moments of our day take place.
The old-fashioned simplicity of our outdoor play area makes it an enchanting place for kids to play, explore and learn.
There’s our play-house, and sandbox, which are popular for sure, and there is a myriad of other inexpensive play features that entertain, challenge and engage the hooligans for hours every day, all year long. It’s these play features I’m going to tell you about today.
Having an extraordinary outdoor play space doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
You may be thinking “But, how much does it cost to create a backyard playground like this?”
Well, that’s the beautiful part!
Aside from the playhouse and sandbox, which my husband built, most of the play features in our backyard cost next-to-nothing. In most cases, I’ve used items from around the house, thrift-shop finds, and various bits and pieces from nature to create this outdoor play area for the hooligans.
Tight-ropes, pulleys, water walls, balance beams… all just pennies to make, provide countless hours of fun and learning.
They spark the imagination, challenge gross motor skills and co-ordination, and encourage critical thinking and creativity.
If you know anyone who’s having a tree cut down, see if you can score some play logs! They’re one of the most versatile and popular features in our backyard. Click here to see ours in action, and to find out more about them.
A backyard “abacus” is simple to make and provides lots of fun and learning. The toddlers love this one. Click here to learn more about our pool noodle abacus.
RE-PURPOSE AN OLD WHITE BOARD
Got a white board that’s too marked up to use anymore? Move it outdoors! The hooligans got a couple of seasons of outdoor art out of this white board that was headed for the trash. Here, we’re painting with mud on International Mud Day.
BACKYARD BALANCE BEAM
A few scrap pieces of wood make a toddler balance beam for a budding, young gymnast. It provides hours of pretend play and exercise and I can tuck it out of the way at the end of the day. Click here to see more of our outdoor balancing activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
A ROPE AND A BUCKET
Without question, this simple contracion is one of the best things I’ve ever added to our backyard play area. The hooligans play with it all year round. Not only is it great for strengthening muscles and co-ordination, it also fosters team work, critical thinking and co-operation. See how I rigged up our Bucket & Rope Contraption here.
HOMEMADE WATER WALL
I made this water wall out of recyclables 4 years ago, and the hooligans are still playing with it. It’s provided them with hours and hours of fun and learning over the years. See how I made our water wall here.
TIRE SWING
Our tire swing is another one of the most loved features in our back yard. An old tire, hung horizontally is perfect for one or for a bunch of kids to gather on. If your vehicle is due for new tires – perfect! If not, check with a local garage or service station. They may happily donate one to your backyard project. (photo only/no link)
KID’S CLOTHESLINE
I rigged up this simple toddler clothesline years ago. Secured tightly so it’s not a safety concern, it’s just at the right height for the hooligans to use.
Our clothesline provides lots of opportunity for pretend play, and it’s great for teaching life skills, and developing co-ordination and fine-motor skills. Read more about our clothesline activities here.
ROCKS AND STONES
We’ve picked up loads of rocks and stones and even pebbles at the beach over the years. The children always have access to the rocks and stones in the yard, and they play with them daily. They’re kind of our backyard version of the building block – completely open-ended, they can be whatever the hooligans want them to be. See 10 ways that we use our stones and rocks here.
SAND WALL
Much like the water wall, our sand wall is also made entirely out of scraps and recyclables. It’s positioned in our sandbox, and it’s provided loads of entertainment over the years. Read about our sandbox and sand wall here.
ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS
Pick up a bunch of artificial flowers at the dollar store or at a thrift shop. Ours played with every single day. The kids hold “weddings”, they decorate the playhouse with them, they “plant” them in the sandbox. Not a day passes that these don’t get used in some creative manner. Check out one of my favourite artificial flower activities here.
DIY WATER TABLE/SENSORY TABLES
Water tables are awesome, but there was no way I was going to spend big money to get one when you can make your own so easily. I pull one of these together almost every day when the weather is nice. A storage bin set a top a bench or patio table or even an overturned (larger) storage container are all you need for all your water and sensory activities. If you don’t have storage containers, no worries – a child’s wagon also doubles as a water table for a group of kids to gather around. You can check out the way we use it for our water activities here.
BACKYARD TIGHT ROPE
Best thing ever! This is right up there with the tire swing and the rope and bucket contraption. We’ve had our toddler tightrope set up in the yard for years. The hooligans use it every day, all year long even when the snow practically buries the bottom rope. It’s the best for co-ordination and gross-motor development. I’m not kidding when I say our tightrope has provided hundreds of hours of fun for kids from ages 1-7 over the years. Read all about it, and see how to make your own here.
HOSES AND FUNNELS
A couple of old pool hoses (or vacuum hoses) pushed through a chain link fence provide hours of fun and learning. Pop a funnel (or the top section of a water bottle) into the top each hose, and little ones will be kept occupied and entertained for ages. Read all about our hose and funnel runs here.
THRIFT SHOP COFFEE TABLE
One of the best but least expensive investments I ever made for my daycare was this thrift shop coffee table. I got it for 6 dollars at a second-hand shop a couple of years ago, and we use it every day. In summer, it’s our backyard activity table, in winter it’s our art table in the craft room. Big enough for a crowd to gather around and water and paint spills don’t matter at all. See it in action here.
DIY WATER SLIDE
For the price of an inexpensive camping tarp, you can give your kids a whole day of wet, water, slippy-slidey fun! ! We’ve been doing this for years here in my daycare, and the kids never tire of it. See how to make your own waterside here.
ADD “RUNNING WATER” TO YOUR OUTDOOR PLAY SPACE
Lastly, my inexpensive trick for adding a source of running water to your child’s backyard play area. A camping jug! Theyr’e in abundance at the second hand-stores around here, so if you don’t have one of your own, you can probably scoop up a used one for a couple of bucks! See some of the ways we use ours here.
And there you have it!
18 inexpensive, super-fun, super-cool things you can add to your outdoor play space this summer! Your kids (and your neighbours’ kids) will love you for it!
