Are your little ones itching for the outdoors? Summer might mean warmer weather and cravings for adventure, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave your home to enjoy the great outdoors. Pitching a tent in the backyard gets you and the family a change of scenery without all the heavy lifting of a traditional camping trip — after all, you’re only lugging supplies out your backdoor.
For inspiration, I checked in with the folks at Zolo and am sharing 4 different camping activities for you to try with your family. These activities are safe and fun for all ages while being a bit educational too!
Host a Nature Hunt
Help your kids see your neighborhood from a whole new light by sending them on a nature scavenger hunt. Rather than collecting the items on the list, take photos of them on a disposable camera or jot them down in a camping journal. This will teach your kids how to discover without disrupting living creatures and things in their natural environment.
Opt for a Coloring Sheet
Backyard camping is the perfect way to introduce quiet meditation and mindfulness into your child’s life. Encourage them to use this coloring sheet to entertain themselves in the stillness of nature. All you need to do is print it and pack some crayons or markers.
Connect-The-Dots At Night
Tell Stories Around a Campfire
End the night with everyone’s favorite activity — smores and campfire stories! Use the storyboard printable to turn storytelling into a game. All you’ll need is a die, printed copies of the worksheet, and a crayon or marker.
I hope these activities have inspired you to create your own DIY outdoor adventure. You don’t need to go too far to feel the camping experience, so why not try it in your own backyard! For more inspiration, explore Zolo’s guide to backyard camping.
Jeanine
Who's getting into the patriotic spirit?
I've already started decorating for Memorial Day. Most of these are DIYs. My favorite is this vintage badminton racket. I simply cut off the handle, added a fabric bow and some vintage images using magnets. Literally a DIY in under 5.
I found a ton of free printable on Pinterest to frame or display around the house. If it's free, it's for me!
Everyday should be Memorial Day in my opinion. Most of the decorations will likely stay up until after July 4th.
Jeanine
'Tis the season for gardening! And I've found the perfect book to help kick-off my favorite time of year: A Woman's Garden: Grow Beautiful Plants and Make Useful Things* ($24.99) by Tanya Anderson.
Tanya's gardening repertoire is quite extraordinary. Not only is she an organic gardener, she's also a soap maker, beekeeper and beauty producer in the United Kingdom. Impressive!
A Woman's Garden features "seven categories of useful plants, and introduces you to inspiring women gardeners from around the globe." The book shows "how to grow dozens of plants and then transform them into gorgeous items to nurture yourself or gift to others." You'll learn how to:
- Use onion peels to dye wool;
- Make lavender soap and bath bombs;
- Prepare a healing calendula skin salve;
- Create paper mache leaf lanterns;
- DIY a rose petal facial mist, and more!
The book is filled with a variety of helpful gardening ideas and step-by-step how-tos for creating over 35 inspiring projects, edibles, and art from your garden.
Don't just take my word for it. A Woman's Garden is available by visiting Amazon.com (or clicking the link above).
Jeanine
* Note: I received a sample copy for review. However, all opinions, text, images, etc. are honest and my own. This blog does not contain any content that might present a conflict of interest. Affiliate links and/or monetary compensation will always be disclosed.
Today I'm sharing how to DIY your own little red succulent wagon. Everything you need can be found at Dollar Tree (minus the wagon, which I got from Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago).
Seriously, this is so easy. Simply grab some faux succulents, a bag of faux moss and Glue Dots from your local Dollar Tree. First, arrange your plants in the bottom of the wagon. Then use the Glue Dots to hold them in place. Spread out the faux moss, and then sit back and marvel at your gardening expertise like I did!
See what I mean? Easy peasy.
Jeanine