Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard.
THE IDEA
Create a special place for the kids to play with natural elements in our backyard.
I’ve been enjoying a great series called how to create an irresistible outdoor playspace for children by Jenny of Progressive Early Childhood Education. These inspiring posts got me dreaming of ways to make our backyard more fun for the kiddos – and not by relying on traditional play structures.
The finished result wasn’t anything too elaborate, but cost nothing and took less than 30 minutes to create. Best part? Both of my explorers absolutely love it!
OUR NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Here’s a picture of a fairly unusable plot of dirt in our backyard before we got started.
The soil here is almost completely compacted, making it no good for little diggers. And while we’ve kept upside-down pots here in the past to create a haven for bugs, we haven’t used it for much else.
After planting our first veggies of the season this past weekend, I had a little bit of leftover organic soil and decided to “toss it” in to this previously unused space. Then I grabbed some of the explorers’ favorite toys that had found their way into the backyard, including a little red wagon, cones, cars and farm vehicles.
My idea was to create a little slice of play space just for the kiddos by appealing to something they both love – cars and trucks.
But then a funny thing happened.
The explorers joined me and had their own ideas. We wound up adding a border to the space using a bunch of rocks we’ve been collecting around the neighborhood. Then the big explorer grabbed a birdhouse we made several months back that had been recently destroyed by the squirrels. He said he wanted to recycle it by reusing it as a bughouse.
And that’s when “Bug World” was born.
The little explorer lent a hand rounding up sticks and tossing them inside the red wagon and on the bughouse.
The big explorer decorated his house with chalk, flowers, leaves and other things he found around the backyard. He even added trucks to the house’s garage, so the bugs would have a way to get around, of course.
The kids spent quite a long time in their new space. And every day since then, they’ve been back to check on what their bug friends have been up to.
And what was once a completely unused, unloved little plot of dirt is now a world full of imaginary friends and adventures waiting to happen.
TAKE-HOME TIPS
No matter how big or small your outdoor space is, you can and should carve out a place for your kids to play, explore and dream. Here are a couple things to keep in mind:
- Combine natural elements with recycled objects. What makes our “Bug World” unique is that it relies on a combination of nature elements and long-forgotten toys reborn with a new purpose.
- Let the space evolve. I anticipate this space will change a lot over time, which is perfect for my growing kids. I’m excited to know they have a space all their own where they can let their imaginations run wild.
MORE IDEAS FOR OUTDOOR FUN
There are a ton of wonderful outdoor play ideas this week. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Go on a beach treasure hunt with some help from Kari at ActiveKidsClub
- Create a zen garden like this one from Kinder’s Corner
- Play a game of camouflage tag like Lisa at 5 Orange Potatoes
- Watch a sunrise – Marghanita and her Little Humbugs did!
- Build a shelter just for kids like Jenny at Progressive Early Childhood Education
- Or try one of 7 outdoor fun must-do’s from Bethe at the Grass Stain Guru
Whatever you do, head outdoors and see what nature has to offer!
That looks like GREAT fun, what a way to make use of a seemingly un-usable area.
Melissa, thanks for visiting! This was such an easy, fun activity & the boys took it over with their enthusiasm. Doesn't require much space, either!
That looks like a great play activity, and it's wonderful how your kids got involved & added their own touches.
Danita, would you believe the turned over pots idea was a complete accident? Funny how you discover things sometimes! :)<br /><br />Sherry, thanks for stopping by!<br /><br />Crystal, loving your site. Always nice to meet a like-minded nature lover. Look forward to reading about your adventures.
What a wonderful way to find a new use for a previously unusable space! I love this idea…and can already think of a space where my little guy & I could do something similar! <br /><br />Thank you for stopping by my blog. I agree with what you said — the last thing I want is for my son to grow up fearful of nature! Thank you so much for your comment on playing with sticks, you helped
Love it! 🙂
i like the idea of using turned over pots for bug houses! i will try/suggest that to my kiddos! my daughter is working on a fairy garden and she definitely has her own ideas, too! i tried to build a rock garden in it, but she asked "when am i old enough to have my own ideas?" wow! time for me to take a step back!
Christie, thanks for creating such a wonderful place to play.<br /><br />Marghanita, always so nice to have you stop by! Watching my 5 1/2 year old come up with the idea to recycle the birdhouse warmed my soul. Proof that some of my lessons are being heard. :)<br /><br />Juliet, what lucky kiddos at your preschool! Nice to know you're out their support their play.<br /><br />Melitsa, it's
What a lovely way to use an unused space! I love how you let the space evolve.
Hi Debi<br /><br />You've had SO many RTs on Twitter about this posting! It's great! Quite by chance I spent this morning at a lovely nursery where the children got into digging…in a big planter with lots of plants. The nursery teacher has decided to transfer these plants to give the children a bigger place to dig and use the soil. <br /><br />Wishing your children many happy hours of
Lovely Deb. You know how much I love bugs-wonderful to see your boys making it their own, love how they recycled the bird house.<br /><br />Thanks for the Little Humbugs mention!
What a great way to revive an unused space, I love that you initiated the changes and then the children took ownership and made it their own. What fun they will have in bugworld!<br /><br />Thank you also for linking 🙂