By Jessica Smartt, Contributing Writer
First, a disclaimer: I’m sure these activities would be enjoyed by girls AND boys alike. However, I only have boys! (Until this summer … when we expect a little girl!)
I don’t know about your family, but with my boys, when it’s nice outside, we spend nearly all our waking hours outdoors.
We don’t have a “huge” piece of property by any means, but I’m always amazed that my little ones are never bored! I guess that goes to show that I was right about my hunch – kids need the simple life more than anything.
I’m sure you’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of warm weather. Even in North Carolina where I am, this has been the coldest winter! Once it finally starts to feel like spring, here are some of the outdoor activities we’ll be doing again and again:
1. Morning Nature Walk.2. Ice-Sculpting for Kids (you can read a brief description here). This one takes some planning ahead as you freeze small toys in buckets of ice, but it’s totally worth it!
3. Hosting a backyard Bible club for the neighbors. Definitely one of the highlights of our summer! If your house and yard often have little neighbor visitors, this is a must-do. It was so special and fun for our family, and our neighbors. And anyone can do it; see my extensive post on Hosting Your Own Frugal Backyard Bible Club.4. Painting cardboard boxes. (Don’t laugh! I save my Amazon shipping boxes and these, and a few bottles of washable paint literally keeps the neighborhood occupied for a good hour!)5. Digging for worms. If you don’t have a high-quality spade or shovel, add this to your child’s Meaningful Easter Basket.6. Collecting sticks for a real fire. Collecting sticks = boring. Collecting sticks for an actual fire = awesome.7. Painting wooden crafts from the dollar store or craft store. These make great Father’s Day gifts!
8. Hunting for treasure in a pile of dirt. This is the best idea ever, and I have to credit my mom. She threw an “archaeologist” birthday party for my nephew by dumping some bags of dirt and “gems” (stones for a fish tank from the pet store). The boys had a blast “digging” for treasure with shovels. When they find all the gems, we can hide them again. Brilliant, I say!9. Creating fishing poles with sticks, yarn, and paper clips, and then pretending to fish.10. Painting with water on the sidewalk and driveway.11. Make a museum with “treasures” from the yard. My son got this idea from The Boxcar Children, incidentally. (Definitely one of our top books for boys!)12. Eat homemade Popsicles. Who wants all those icky dyes and fake flavors? We found some Popsicle molds at the dollar store, and right now I’m simply using a yummy fortified juice blend from Trader Joe’s (my favorite store!). I plan to freeze my smoothies in them next.13. A brown-bag outdoor scavenger hunt. Each child gets a brown grocery bag with a pictorial list of items pasted to the front. I simply created a pictorial chart using Clip Art.14. Playing sports. You knew it was coming, right?15. “Car Wash” for plastic vehicles and bikes.16. Weeding the gardens. (See my recent post here on children and work if you need some motivation).17. Drawing with wet chalk. If you haven’t tried soaking your sidewalk chalk in water, I recommend it. Bright colors and more fun!
18. Hammering golf tees into blocks of foam. (I purchased a sheet of foam from the craft store, but you can also hang on to packing foam if you get it. I got a bag of golf tees very inexpensively on Amazon.)
19. Make a treasure map and hunt for treasure. (The map can be very simple. Draw your house, trees, driveway, with an “x” marked for the treasure.)
20. Make a “Happy Spring/Happy Summer” card for the neighbors, and deliver with a homemade treat (like my Morning Glory Muffins).
21. Collect and paint rocks.
22. Have a picnic with stuffed animal friends in the backyard.
23. Make a collection of various leaves.
24.Create your own bird feeders.
25. Running. It can be as simple as racing in the backyard … just let them stretch their legs and run, run, run!
What are some of your favorite frugal, creative outdoor activities for boys … and girls?
Original article and pictures take keeperofthehome.org site
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