How to Create a Child-Friendly Garden in a Weekend
Want to get the kids off the devices, out of their rooms and enjoying the great outdoors? You need a child-friendly garden, and today, we’re going to share some tips on how you can do this. But before you start imagining that it will cost the earth and be well above your level of gardening expertise, relax. Our child-friendly garden ideas are affordable and easily implemented within a weekend.
Child-Friendly Garden Ideas for a Weekend Project
If you already have a garden of some shape, form or size, then you are halfway there already! A child-friendly garden is easy to accomplish when you understand that it must be:
- Safe and inviting
- Fun and entertaining
- Engaging activities
- Well thought out
- Made up of child-safe and/or edible plants
With those things in mind, you can begin to make a plan of specific areas or activities you would like to include within it. As our aim is to help you do this within a weekend, keep things relatively small and achievable. Some of our best weekend child-friendly garden creation ideas include:
- Places to explore – behind the hedge, in a tepee, up a tree; there are plenty of magical areas to explore in a garden. You could even hide a little swing under a tree or a statue behind the fence to find. If your garden is devoid of shrubs or trees, a Tea Tree or Camellia tree would be hardy trees to plant.
- Vegetable garden – you’ll find that even the fussiest eater will most likely try a mouthful or two of something they have grown in the garden. If you start with seedlings rather than seeds, you will have an edible crop much earlier. A bean tepee would be a neat feature in a vege garden for kids!
- Playhouse – now, we’re not talking about grabbing some two by fours and building a playhouse from scratch, but rather a much easier option – giant cardboard boxes! Sure, they can’t sit outside 24/7, but they could live in the garage when they are not being played with outside. Your kids could even spend time decorating and painting them too.
- Running spaces – once again, this doesn’t need to be huge, but it does need to be free of hazards. Things such as timber, rocks, garden edging and hoses are trip hazards. Keep the area flat and clean.
- A mud kitchen – what child doesn’t like playing in the mud? Grab yourself an old pallet, a few bowls, pans and spoons for the ultimate outdoor kitchen. Pinterest has tons of ideas on what the mud kitchen could look like, so is well worth a look. Of course, you will need plenty of dirt for the mud kitchen, and a nearby hose would come in handy.
It’s no surprise that we love trees, and we’d be thrilled if every child in New Zealand became passionate about them too. The next time a child you know needs a present, why not give them their very own tree to care for? A lemon, a lime or even some seed bombs to let them grow their own little piece of green outside.