With so many places closed and activities canceled, it’s becoming harder to figure out activities for your kids that don’t involve staring at a screen. But with a little imagination, your backyard can be all you need in order to say ‘goodbye’ to your child’s boredom. Here are five activities you can do just outside your back door:
Build a Box Fort
This is for all of the times you’ve given your child a present, then found yourself saying “They like the box more than the gift!”
If you’re like every other American during the recent pandemic, you’ve experienced an increase in online shopping in your household. Here’s a chance to put those cardboard boxes to good use! This means your child has ample building material for the perfect fort. With some creativity and a whole lot of tape, the possibilities are endless. You can even get out some markers or paint and let them decorate the outside for further entertainment.
Diet Coke and Mentos
What’s summer without a little science? In your own backyard, you can recreate the classic ‘Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and have a blast (pun intended)! All you need is a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke and a sleeve of Mentos and possibly a poncho if you want to avoid getting soaked. Here are some detailed instructions on how to conduct this experiment. Look up the science behind it afterward to add an educational touch.
Water Fun
Everyone, at one point in their life, has run through the sprinklers to stay cool when the weather gets hot. Why not make a day of it? After the sprinklers, you can fill up some water balloons and declare war for some extra splash-tastic fun! We recommend making homemade popsicles to use as bait when you need the kids to come in for their next coat of sunscreen.
Plant a Family Garden
Gardens: a way to promote eating vegetables, while getting your hands dirty. Purchase a variety of seeds and/or seedlings, pull out your gardening tools, and let the kids know where to dig! This is not only an activity for the day but for the whole summer. You can even create a schedule to let your kids know whose turn it is to water and tend the garden. Your family will be so excited at the end of the summer when you all can enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Picnic
Why not move lunch outside for a change? Something as simple as having your food on a blanket in the sun can feel like an adventure when you’ve been eating at the same table for several months straight. With this little shake-up in routine, you can make an ordinary day just a little more special, all while getting some much-needed vitamin D.
These are just some of the many activities you can do in your own back yard, making this a summer to remember!
