Written by Jennifer Johnson | Parent Map

It’s after school, and you have a bit of time before you have to start dinner. Or you’re in between appointments and have some time to kill at a local park. What can you and your kids do outside in half an hour to connect to nature, de-stress, and get some fresh air? Lots! Read on for 11 fun activities that will help your kids explore and learn from the wildness that’s just outside their back door and down the street.

Check out 11 Fun Ideas for Exploring Nature with Kids

Photo by Sanbeiji

Written by Anna  | The Imagination Garden

With Spring finally here, breathing a wonderfully sunny warmth and life into everything, we have been out in the park and the garden for longer each day. When we painted flowerpots and planted some primroses last month, I realised we were going to need a proper little patch of the garden for the girls to call their own where some playful and fun learning can take place.

Our fabulous Pampa came over last week and helped to turn over a little semi-circlular patch of the lawn next to (a very empty!) flower bed. We moved the bricks that had been there and used them to mark out the edges of the garden area. Next, Cakie and I went on a big-girls-only expedition to the garden centre where we picked out some low fencing on a roll, a bag of compost, a few plants and some kiddie tools.

We put the fencing around the semi-circle and left a little gap for getting in and out. She told me “you forgot the gate Mummy.” Mud overalls on and straight into the patch to dig and make “mud castles” using the bucket and new trowel!

Check out the rest on  Making a Play Garden

Photo by Traaf

By Tried & True

A couple months ago I came upon a tutorial on The Artful Parent for Kool-Aid Dyed Playsilks. I hadn’t really heard about playsilks before that but upon further investigation found out that they’re awesome. They can be pretty much anything your child wants them to be: capes, dresses, blankets, scenery, tents and the list goes on and on.

So, seven of us got together with our seven toddlers (all under 2 years) and dyed 42 playsilks in total. We started around 11 am and didn’t finish until about 5 pm. We did six scarves at a time, with the other mothers pitching in to watch the child of whoever was working on their playsilks. It was a blast seeing so many babies toddlers (oops) running around the house!

Here’s more (and an infographic) about  Kool-Aid Dyed Playsilks

Photo by Amber Strocel

By Chris McLaughlin | Kids Safe Landscape

I’ve been leading kids in gardens for many years and I can promise you that it never gets old. Gardening takes on a whole different meaning when kids and curiosity are added to the mix. When you garden as a family, it becomes very obvious that kids and gardens are made for each other.

They may not be able to do the heavy lifting, but kids (even the wee ones) can do a lot more than you think they can. Plus they excel at creativity and we here at Kids Safe Landscape.com like that in a garden. If you’re looking for even more family fun in the garden and yard, I’ve got just the book for you!

“Project Garden; A Month-By-Month Guide to Planting, Growing, and Enjoying All Your Backyard Has to Offer” by Stacy Torino is one book you won’t want to miss. Torino has organized her book in monthly sections that have recurring categories:

Grow It – This first section is made up of plants that the whole family can enjoy. The plant profiles offer general guidance on planting, growing, Top Secret Tips and other fun facts. At the end of the Grow It sections there’s a box with extra planting ideas.

Plant It – This is a nice touch as it builds on the first section by offering a small “mini garden plan” of the plants that were discussed in the first section. Here’s where Torino offers a more in-depth look at a garden scheme and with a healthy pinch of fun.

Eat It – Recipes, of course! Torino has several recipes that revolve around a main crop. For instance, March’s Eat It theme is potatoes, so there are four potato-related recipes. At the end of this section are extra tips for growing potatoes.

Recycle It – Four creative activities are found under the these sections. January was one of my favorites for the Recycle It sections because it’s all about reusing seed catalogs — and I just adore seed catalogs. There’s directions for making Flower Bookmarks, Valentine Cards, Custom Garden Plan, and  a Flower Frame.

Make It – There’s usually a couple of “Make It” project sections for each month. From constructing a mini-greenhouse, to creating a spider seed mat, to pressing flowers; there’s something in here for every kid at every age.

This is a great book filled with clever ideas and bright images. Check out Stacy’s website for more kid-friendly garden ideas such as these Biodegradable Seed Mats and don’t forget to leave a comment on her blog for a chance to win a free copy of Project Garden for you and your family!

Child watering photo by NatalieP123

Written by the NurtureStore

Warm, sunny weather gives a great opportunity to take your play outside. How about some outdoor painting? Even if you’re usually reluctant to let the kids do messy play indoors, when you’re outside you can relax a little and let them get creative.

Get creatively messy with Outdoor Messy Play

Photo by Steven Depolo