If you are staying at home this summer and need to keep the little ones entertained, there are many activities you can do in your garden, which will not break the bank.

Wildlife activities

Wildlife spotting

There are over 70,000 species in the UK. A lot of these won’t be found in your garden, but there are many different creatures that you can try and spot! Fewer than 1% of British insects are garden pests, so why not encourage the kids to welcome the little beasties into your garden and create a questionnaire to record how many and the different wildlife you spot. Be ready with the camera phones, for a lovely pictorial record.

Bug hotel

Entice the wee beasties with a bug hotel which will provide shelter and a safe space for visiting wildlife. You can buy ready-made bug hotels from shops, but it will be so much more fun (and cheap) to build your own. You can gather materials from your garden such as moss, dry leaves, logs, soil, sand, bamboo canes, pinecones, old pots and twigs, pallets and slowly create a strong structure on firm ground with many different cubby holes for the different wildlife.

Planting – wildflower gardens

Encouraging bees to the garden is crucial due to the decline in our bee population. Bees are attracted to colourful flowers. You can buy seed packs pretty cheaply from most supermarkets and buying the wildflowers will provide an essential source of nectar for the bees and butterflies.

Adventurous activities

Camping

Why travel to a campsite when you can do it in your back garden? Just as much fun and in case of rain or a need for a midnight dash to the toilet, you just need to step back inside to return to comfort! One night-time activity while outside is to try and spot the nocturnal visitors, such as bats, foxes and hedgehogs. If you haven’t got a tent, you can buy a tent for a reasonable price. And if you don’t want to spend much money, how about creating a den.

Build a den/shelter

This may be slightly wilder than sleeping under canvas, but exciting for the kids. All you need is to think about the structure and the roof. How about some chairs and a sheet? Obviously, check the weather first! If you have a few more items in your garden, then bamboo canes are strong, tent poles and branches will create the structure. You will need to keep your structure fastened so string, rope, part of an old sheet, cut into strips are ideal. Fill your den with cushions and blankets for a cosy feel.

Arty activities

Chalk drawings

If you have a patio, let the kids get creative with chalk drawings. You can play a ‘Pictionary’ type guessing game, ask them to recreate their favourite painting, ask them to imagine the inside of a spaceship for them to fly or good old-fashioned hopscotch – exercise too! All this creativity for just the price of a pack of chalk.

Paint a pebble

This may sound like an activity that fills a short amount of time, but it can be stretched out with the pebble prepping. First of all, hunting for the perfect pebble or rock could take some time, then it’s a good idea to wash and dry them, and sand the surface with sandpaper. Ask the kids to design/sketch on paper first, then draw with pencil their design onto the stone and the fun bit of painting. All this could be a whole afternoon’s worth of fun. Acrylic paint is best for the task and can be bought quite cheaply from both craft shops and online.

Sports and leisure activities

Obstacle course

It may take longer to set up than play but if there are a few children together, set up a garden tournament with teams, invite the neighbour’s kids to play against for a bit of healthy competition. Great obstacle courses must include water elements, so get the paddling pool out and fill balloons with water to throw at your rivals to put them off. Use the sheet from the shelter for the kids to crawl under, create tunnels, shoot some hoops, use hula hoops to jump through. What about juggling tasks and wheelbarrow races? Use the chalk to mark out the course. Get the adults round to join in and have and then finish with a BBQ!

Sports games

Keep the healthy competition going with some good old-fashioned sports games. Badminton, short tennis and boules sets can be bought quite cheaply and again, put together a tournament. If the kids feel short-changed with activities in the garden, why not venture out to a local park, wood, forest, village green and bring some of these ideas with you? You can’t beat a game of rounders – invite others to join in.

Have fun but be safe

If you are spending a lot of time outdoors make sure there is plenty of water available, hats all round and keep applying sunscreen. If you are a MedicAlert member, before you embark on some of the more strenuous activities, always make sure you’re wearing your medical ID. In the event that you could become ill, the correct treatment can be administered to you in case of an emergency and your nearest and dearest will have the peace of mind to enjoy the summer activities together.

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Further reading

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/other-garden-wildlife/ https://www.edenproject.com/learn/eden-at-home/how-to-build-your-own-den