Here are some cheap and simple ideas you can use in your garden to create an outdoor area kids will love.
Sandpit in a box – you don’t need to dedicate a large corner of your yard to make a permanent sandpit.
Instead, get a polystyrene box with a lid from the fruit shop (or a large plastic container with a lid from the cheap shops) and fill it with a bag of sand. You can buy the sand from a nursery or landscape supplier.
Give the kids a few plastic cups and a spoon or two and they’ll create their own fun. Add a bucket of water for extra experiments.
Bugs and slimy things – every Brisbane garden has all sorts of bugs and beasties kids love.
You can buy a bug catcher or just give them a jar or clear container for them to watch the insect for a day or two. Most kids will love the ghastly job of squashing grasshoppers and snails that are eating your plants.
Or, have an evening hunt for cane toads! Put on rubber gloves and freeze the toads to kill them humanely. Read more about how to identify this pest and how to make your garden frog-friendly.
Cheap garden art – give the kids a box of chalk and let them write and draw all over the fences, paths, deck or tree trunks. It will easily wash off next time it rains. Join them in a game of outdoor noughts and crosses.
Tree fun - Got a big tree? Lucky you!
Hang a swing from a strong and sturdy branch. A knotted rope becomes something to climb. Build a platform for kids to play all sorts of imaginary games on. Let them climb to a safe level.
Hanging a swing under a high deck might also work, but make sure the structure is strong enough to support the added strain.
Kids’ spaces - Give the children a space to make a fairy or dinosaur garden or whatever they want to call it. Under some stairs is good, or hidden behind some plants.
They can drag out some of their plastic toys and build imaginary places. Building blocks, flowers, leaves and string can all be used to make extraordinary things. Pet rocks can make it their home.
If you can, allow a space in your garden to be left a little wild. It’s in the unmanicured spaces that kids have the freedom to play with leaves and sticks and dig holes for mud pies. If every part of the yard is neat and tidy then kids can’t play without getting in trouble for messing stuff up.
Got a good patch of grass? Just for fun, mow a few running lanes of equal length into it. The lawn may look funny for a couple of days but the kids will develop all sorts of races.
Plants - Don’t have much room? Let the kids plant some seeds or seedlings into pots or boxes.
Cheap terracotta pots painted by the kids look good. Or you can use a polystyrene box as a planter. Choose plants that are quick growing and bright, such as sunflowers, pansies or herbs.
And if you want to encourage your children to eat more fruit and vegies, try planting strawberry plants, cherry tomatoes or beans. They all grow easily in pots and for some reason kids prefer to eat them from the plant rather than their plate.
Backyard animals - Even if you’ve only got a balcony space, you can hang a bird feeder and watch who visits.
For thousands of clean and quiet pets, consider getting a worm farm. They get rid of all your kitchen waste and the kids will like watching them squirm around. The liquid and castings make excellent fertiliser. You can buy a worm farm from hardware shops or else make your own out of boxes.
Try silkworms in a shoebox for easy and quiet pets. The kids will need to find mulberry leaves for the silkworms to eat but otherwise they are low maintenance (and only live for a couple of months!).
With a few simple ideas and a bit of creativity it's easy to make your garden an area the kids will want to spend lots of time in.
Nice article.