The ways in which you can make outdoor improvements to your home are many, and a great deal of them are even fantastic activities for the whole family. Whether that is because the process is child friendly, your kids can learn something from watching you do it, or the end product is something the entire household will benefit from, the following tasks are must-dos when you get the time, money, and good enough weather.
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Gardening
Gardening is an activity which can be used to entertain young children but also to teach them important lessons about growing plants, wildlife and where food comes from. As well as asking for your children to help you with planting up the flowerbeds or vegetable plots, you could also reserve a part of the garden as a conservation area. This will introduce children to bugs and small animals such as snails and frogs and inspire them to have a care and interest for wildlife in the future.
Painting fences
For spending time outside in the sun, it doesn’t come much more therapeutic than painting fences on a sunny day. This is a fantastic task for teenagers who want to help out around the home – or even those who don’t – as it teaches a certain level of precision and patience. Then with your newly painted fences complete, you can approach experts to produce custom made wooden gates to match and finish off the look.
When painting together, you could make it a race to the middle, listening to the radio in your back garden and breaking only for drinks and ice creams.
Building a shed
It is a slightly more arduous task than painting a fence, but building or renovating a shed is perhaps the most ambitious and rewarding outdoor improvement that your family could do together. It is recommended that at least one of the group has some experience of DIY on this scale, as shed building is not for the faint-hearted.
Sheds should be designed together (their purpose decided on as a family) and, if you are avid builders, put up as an ensemble. The process of taking a small drawing to a physical shed will bring your family closer together.
Make bunting
If you have children who are into textiles or arts and crafts, making bunting or another form of outdoor decorations will not only allow them to be creative and imaginative, but it will also adorn the outside of your house beautifully.
Bunting can be made for special occasions such as holidays or sporting events and demonstrates a community spirit to passers-by. If you have a large front wall or a spacious garden with high trees, there will be space for many different strings of bunting, meaning each family member can design and make their own.
Leaf blowing
Finally – the most fun of all the cleaning tasks – leaf blowing. Children will love chasing the autumn leaves as you blow them around, as will pets such as dogs. Challenge your children to rake up the leaves into piles as you blow the fallen foliage into the corners of your garden in order to turn the game into a productive bout of home as well as Outdoor Improvements.
