With the summer upon us, some parents suffer feelings of panic when trying to figure out just how we can keep our children occupied through the long days. People can’t afford to go out on day trips constantly, and living on the main road may mean the children are confined to the house or back garden. Demanding little creatures aren’t they?
Well, panic no more! Here are six top ways to keep your children occupied in the garden while you chill out.
Water
Put water in your garden. Whether it is a hosepipe with a sprinkler attachment, a paddling pool, swimming pool, or bucket. Water is the answer for hours of happy play. A cheap water pistol suddenly becomes worth more than an ipad. Relax and listen to the sound of laughter as your kids make the most of their summer. Remember to protect them from the harmful sun’s rays though, or they will not be quite so happy later.
Building
Pop out to the local DIY store and buy corrugated plastic sheeting and some timber in various sizes. Leave it in a pile on the lawn but don’t tell the children. Next time you take a look, a house will have appeared, or a boat, or a space rocket. You get the idea. Let the child’s imagination do your job for you, and never underestimate the power of the empty cardboard box.
Bring the Inside Out
Any table based activity that is usually done inside the house can now be done outside thanks to a vast selection of outdoor furniture. Colouring, painting, and cake making are just a few of the things your children could be doing while soaking up that vitamin D.
Gardening
Give your children their own section of the garden border to look after and plant. They will soon find out that weeding is fun, and a trip to the garden centre for a selection of flowering bedding plants will soon follow. Get your weeding done for free, what a result.
Bugs and Frogs
Get your children interested in all the creatures that live down at the bottom of your garden with a log pile. They just love the creepy crawlies, and the more legs, the better. A magnifying glass and a jam jar, to take specimen,s are all they need for a daily excursion into the Amazon rainforest, to catalogue new species.
Obstacle Course
Build an obstacle circuit on your lawn, the bigger, the better. Include things like big boxes to crawl through and, if you have a tree, a rope swing over the crocodile lake. A simple plank of wood suddenly becomes the bridge of death over a fiery ravine. All the while they are being hosed down by an evil pirate, you. This is an activity best carried out at the end of the day to burn off the last remaining store of energy. The longer you hose them down, the longer they will do circuits for, brilliant.
If you use activities such as these your children will never be bored. They will come in at night exhausted and, hopefully, filthy. Dirt is a sure indicator of fun. So there will be just enough time for them to eat their tea, have a bath, and cuddle up in front of the television. Before you know it, eyelids will be drooping, and its time for bed. Now it’s your time, after a job well done, so hit some well earned wine or gin. Not too much though, it’s a long summer, and there are many more adventures to be had.
