Kids Can Help Do Yard Work Too
Kids Can Help in the Yard Too
So often, you will find that parents do not teach their kids how to take care of the lawn, garden, flowerbeds or trees. Eventually these same kids grow up to have homes of their own and do not have a clue of how to take care of it, so they call mom and dad for help.
Lawn care not only gets them out in the fresh air, helps you with the work, but also gives them exercise without them knowing they are getting it. Just imagine all of the bending, stretching and walking that is done in one afternoon of yard work.
The hint is to make it fun for them and they will look forward to helping every week. Make a game of taking care of the yard, add some educational benefits without them knowing it and teach them about wildlife and how to respect it.
The smallest of kids can do yard work. Even a three year old wants to help. My grandkids all have there own rakes and shovels and are right next to me when we are outside doing the lawn…..because we have fun! My granddaughter says that, "Grammas' yard is more fun than Mom and Dads!" So in reality, you get out of it what you put into it; if it is fun, your lawn and garden will blossom in many ways.
How can kids help?
- Pull weeds
- Plant bulbs and seeds
- Rake around bushes and tree's
- Water the lawn and garden
- Feed the birds, squirrels and rabbits
- Rake up mulch
- Make a scarecrow
- Help to build a water garden
- Clean out the bird bath
- Pick up sticks and branches
- If you have pine trees, they can pick up the cones so that you can make something out of them. They make great birdfeeders!
Pine Cone Birdfeeders
- Tie a rope or string around the cones on the biggest end of the pine cone
- Take a handful of peanut butter and rub it all over the pinecone, making sure to get in all of the tight spots.
- Roll the pine cone in bird seed and pat onto the pine cones to make sure it is stuck on the peanut butter
- Then take outside and hang in a tree near a window (so they can watch the birds come to eat.
Create a Bird
1. Place a Plastic container that is shallow on one of the posts
2. Pound a nail threw it to attach it to the post. When the nail is about an inch from the surface of the container, put a bead of caulking in the area around the nail.
3. Pound the nail the rest of the way in.
4. Fill with water
Create a
1. Use an oversize flower pot
2. Add dirt (miracle grow) and fertilizer for gardens
3. Add the seedling (tomatoes work really good)
4. Add a climbing stick
5. Fill about 2 inches with remaining dirt
6. Water and wait for it to grow.
'Yard Work' Games
Set a timer for a certain project and you two have to work together to get it finished before the timer goes off—if you win you get to have ice cream.
Plan a flower garden and go through the seed catalog to find how many varieties of flowers that you can pick in the colors that you choose. You only have 30 minutes until the timer goes off. If you succeed---the winner gets to pick a TV. or CD to watch at night.
Rake around the trees
You have 15 minutes to rake around the trees so they can drink water faster. It has to be a good job because they get really thirsty. If all of the trees are done in 15 minutes---the winner gets—to run through the sprinklers all by themselves for 15 minutes.
How Many Weeds Can I Find
Everyone gets a small plastic bag to put his or her weeds in. The timer gets set for 15 minutes. The idea is that when the timer goes off the one with the most weeds in their bag WINS. The prize for this game is------a chore they do not have to do.
All of these things can be done with kids and make it fun for them to help. The age of the child does not make any difference, the job or rather the accomplishment level of the child will vary according to age. You will find that if the yard work is fun, they will be waiting to help the next time around.
Jan Hayner is creator of Easy Home Organizing at http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com. Her site is filled with tips and hints for parents, grandparents and kids on home organizing, house cleaning, and maintenance shortcuts, accomplishing the tasks the easy way. Newsletter and Checklists.
