Round and round the garden

Doesn’t the sun make such a difference?  You may have noticed a strong theme in many of my blogs about my love for getting outside.  I have to admit, however, that I hate the cold and get fed-up when it rains all the time, but I try not to let that stop me.  I think it’s so important for our wellbeing and headspace to get out in the fresh air.  And, particularly, as parents.  Not only is it a good habit to install into our kids, I find it actually relaxes me and Poppi (my three-year-old daughter) and we get on better.  Just last week, we’d had a bit of a frustrating start to the day.  Poppi had bought herself some chick hairclips (something she had her eye on for at least two months (yes, Easter stuff was in the shops as soon as January arrived)).  The clips, as clips are, were quite fragile, so the spring fell out of one of them.  I tried to fix it but could see it was going to take some time so went to put it somewhere safe to have a go at later.  As I did so the spring rolled out of my hand and through a gap in the floorboards.  Bother.  In the process of looking for it I managed to knock off a china pig I had painted on a school trip one year.  Bother again.  And still no spring.  I suggested to Poppi that we headed out on the scooter for a walk/scoot and a stop at the playpark.  As soon as we were out walking both of our moods improved.  We had a lovely time just watching nature and being outside.

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Anyone up for a challenge?  The Easter holidays are approaching and there’s always the question of what are we going to do to entertain the kids?  Well, here is a very simple, totally free, get-you-out-of-the-house activity.  I remember doing this as a kid myself and enjoying the creative side of it as well as the outdoor aspect.  So, how about having a go at constructing your own Easter garden?  You could have a competition within the family or work as a team.  Poppi’s garden was quite traditional, but why not include a swimming pool, a football pitch, or a fairground ride?! Endless opportunities for the imagination…

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Easter Gardens (please do share your gardens with us too)

You will need:

A seed tray/empty shallow tub (some mushroom tubs work quite well)

An outdoor space

That’s it.

To add an extra layer of challenge (and to make it slightly more educational) I asked Poppi to have a go at writing a list of all the things she wanted in her garden.  The activity then became a scavenger hunt as well.  The list was a family list, with Poppi as scribe, and each of us added three items.  We then set out to a local destination to start collecting. 

Must just say here, please do respect nature and try and only pick things that have fallen from trees or are in abundance (forget-me-nots and wild garlic featured in our garden and had to be picked).

Poppi collected everything and checked off her list.  We then returned home and assembled the garden.  A morning’s activity.  Boom.