I sometimes get a little worried that we don't get out as a family as much as we should on weekends. We don't have a special outing or favourite place to visit each weekend…..we don't have family living close by to gather with for family….in all honesty we are a bit boring and blatant homebodies i think!
Is this a bad thing? Don't get me wrong….we do go on outings….we aren't actually hermits but i do think we prefer to just hang out and keep busy together in our own little environment sometimes…there aren't bags to pack, prams to load, snacks to sort and tantrums travelling in the car….we just walk outside our front door and because Miss Teen and Daddy are home we can do a few more interesting things than when i am on my own with the toddler twosome during the week!
After another wave of guilt this afternoon when i realised the weekend had passed by again i began to think about some of the positive aspects to staying home and exploring our own backyard!
I made a little list of my 5 favourite reasons to stay home sometimes and explore and appreciate the environment just outside our front door! Perhaps some might resonate with you too!
1. My absolute favourite would have to be THE GARDEN
I love showing the toddler twosome how to plant seedlings and flowers, explaining why we need to water plants to help them grow and involving them in growing and tasting our own food. I love that they can already name so many vegetables at 2 yrs old (eating them is another topic!) and they are gaining an understanding of where food originates and how it gets to our table.
I love that Miss Teen can wander out to the garden to pick herbs and vegetables for her Food Technology lessons…and then write in her assignments that she sourced many of the ingredients for her recipe from the backyard.
I love that all 3 girls…and their parent's get such a sense of satisfaction when picking food we have grown and nurtured.
Do you have a vegetable or flower garden? Perhaps you might have just a few little pots by the back door….no matter the size a garden can provide so many learning as well as fun experiences.
2. Then there are ROCKS!
We have a lot of rocks around our house….some are smaller, some are larger…the more we dig while landscaping the more we find…we are sitting on a very rocky slope of land! The great thing about rocks is that there are so many ways to use…and play with them.
We have been working them into our landscaping and while we work they are providing endless opportunities for the toddler twosome to challenge their gross motor skills and use their imaginations.
I let them explore in their own way…always conscious of safety but not wrapping them in cotton wool.
You might not be lucky enough to have the bushrocks we do but even a little bucket of small rocks and pebbles collected from a walk or trip to the beach can provide endless fun when arranged in a little spot in the garden or courtyard!
3. NEIGHBOURHOOD WILDLIFE
We live in suburbia although we are lucky to have a few acres to indulge our dreams! Since we moved here i have constantly been astounded with the wildlife living right under our noses….we just need to take the time to watch for it.
I love that the twins don't have to visit an expensive wildlife park to see some of our much loved Australian animals.
There are the wallabies….sometimes our back paddock can look just like a wildlife sanctuary and i wonder where they all go! We are learning to live with them rather than against them….there are now quite a few more fences around than we would like but the trade off is standing on the front verandah and watching these interesting animals close up.
This weekend we were all lucky enough to see a koala in our front yard high up in one of the gum trees….It was so wonderful to be able to see one on our property and it was the first time the toddler twosome had ever seen a live koala (or teddy bear as they called it!) How privileged we are to be able to stay at home and see this cute and cuddly animal in his own territory.
There is abundant birdlife to watch and name and recently we have been entranced by the baby birds all beginning to emerge from their nests and calling for their mothers each day! Our current favourites are the Kookaburras, the parrots (when not eating my fruit trees!) and magpies!
I realise that not everyone is lucky enough to see wildlife on their doorstep but perhaps you might like to take a closer look at that butterfly flying past the window or snail slowly creeping past the back door…..sometimes it might take a look through some fresh eyes to see the beauty surrounding us.
4. THE JOY OF DIRT!
Because we are in the throes of landscaping every weekend (and will be for some time to come due to twin 2 yr olds slowing us down!) there is dirt exposed everywhere right now. A toddlers dream play material.
Dirt is just so exciting to dig, to water, to make mud, to squelch…to track red footprints throughout the house…..but mainly just to explore. It certainly is a toddler's paradise to rival any fancy park at the moment…although not always my favourite!
Do you have dirt at your place? Often even the tiniest backyard has a spot just ready for a little digging and dirtplay!!
5. AND FINALLY…..JUST HAVING FUN
When you are at home exploring you can wear your boots and old clothes (or tutu), do a….
And I could go on but regular readers will be familiar with the messy fun we have outdoors…for those newer readers you might like to read my 90 Frugal Fun Ideas for Outside Play post!
Do you like to get creative outside…whether for yourself or with the kids?
When i sat down and really thought about the opportunities that are presented each time we explore and work in our own environment i began to see that we as a family aren't missing out on ‘quality time' together….we are creating it in our own way.
Warm Wishes…
Beautiful post. Such amazing critters living so close to you. Thanks for sharing.
I hear you big time….BIG TIME…lol….
We have a joke around here that we are antisocial…but we arnt really. Its just that we like being home…simple as that.
We have a great child friendly backyard, with all that kids have ever needed …sometimes we go to a playground but not often…we have it all here…
Our family has never been the sort to head off to somewhere special every weekend, or to a cafe for breakfast or any number of the ‘things’ that I know alot of families do around my area…..we are just happy here….
We have lots to do around here on the weekends, with the garden and general up keep of the yards and lawns etc, so the kids play around us and what we are doing…
I think thats what has changed over the years, people have small yards or no yards at all and HAVE to head out to the park or out of the house because there is no outside opportunities in their own homes….where as we have a large block and dont have the need to find grass elsewhere, its right outside my back door.
I do, and have always had activities for the children during the week, playgroup and kindergym for example for their social interaction with other children…but weekend time, well, thats right here at home …………….chuck the guilt and enjoy your beautiful space…………….I doubt they would want to be anywhere else…xxx
Thanks so much for your thoughts…exactly how i was feeling!We brought this house and land with the intention of making it a kid friendly space to grow up in so we should be using it a lot!You have a great point about yards…i know i have been in that position so very thankful and appreciate what we have now xx
If I weren’t an independent publisher I’d say you just wrote a children’s picture book! WOW! (Oh, wait, I am an independent publisher!). Seriously, Jode. The activities, the photos, your narration… Awesome!
Me? We are homebodies, my hubby works outside for a living, commutes 45 minutes to an hour to work, so he likes staying home.
And as you know, having a ‘special’ child can make family outings a nightmare.
I did do a lot of outings with my son when we lived in an apartment (until my son turned four, then we bought a house). I did mother’s clubs, playgroups, play dates, the beach, the park, the playground… And it helped that we lived in the center of town! Library, farmers market, parks, and just walking up and down main street with my son in a stroller.
Now that we have a house, we stay home and enjoy it! Although we try to do family outings several times a year with our Down syndrome group of families (whom we’ve known since Jason was six months old).
P.S. Let me know what you think if my idea of a children’s picture book!
what a lovely comment Lisa…you made my day, thanks so much. Yes, Ruby is another reason why i am not that keen on going out each weekend…it can be hard and sometimes really not worth the effort i find!
Always been my dream (since early days of working in child care) to write a childrens picture book…so many ideas but never the courage to make it happen! So thank you for your inspiration and kind words..Wouldn’t a book with wonderful outside fun pictured be just great?? xx
What an amazing home you have Jode, it’s no wonder you are all happiest when you are there! So many wonderful areas to explore and things to do 🙂
My Mr 7 says doesn’t matter where we are as long as we are together, which is fab as we are very happy at home and spending time i our garden. love your photos
Jode, this is an awesome post, you live in such a wonderful environment and I can see you make the most of it and appreciate it everyday. You should take Lisa up on her offer of turning this into a book – it would be lovely.
Wow! What an awesome playground your backyard is! I am very much a ‘stay at home’ to have fun kind of person. I love getting all the jobs done, working in the yard and just having down time together!
Since moving to our rural location six months ago our fun at home has changed and become better and better! 🙂
Thanks Bek…you make me feel so much better x
Who would want to leave the home when you have so many amazing features. I just love those huge rocks.
Would you believe we were a bit stressed at having all those rocks at first but they are working well for everything now lol!
I love being home too, and when our home’s are wonderful it’s worth stopping and appreciating them, so many are not so lucky. A day in the garden with my family is bliss.
I think so too Kirsty! I often remind myself of how lucky we are to have this space to call home x
great pics jode….love the rocks….reminded me that as a kid my dads amusing way of entertaining us was to get us to count rocks….even tried it on us as teenagers.
im a northern nsw gal too. glad i found your blog.
allison 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Allison…lovely to meet a ‘neighbour’!I think i remember my Dad doing something very similar…bit of Dad humour! I sometimes think we are using way too many rocks…but theya re free!!!
We don’t go out very often if we don’t have to on the weekend (besides Julia’s sewing class or Luca’s soccer in winter). I agree that you would have to look hard to get as good entertainment somewhere else, all with the convenience and comfort of being at home. Weekends in the garden are just the best kind I think.
I love the sound of Julia’s sewing class Tania!We are certainly on the same page…i am so glad i am not alone in this thinking!!
This would have to be one of my favourite posts Jodie. It shows people that they don’t need to get out of their home environment to find meaningful learing activities. Nature is just the best and you use your home environment to its fullest!
Thanks Penny…such a lovely comment and exactly what i was trying to express with this post x
With the girls being older we do go out and do some exploring but for me I enjoy being home the most and I think the girls do too, to just chill out after being at school and work all week. You live in an amazing spot there Jode, I think your girls are very lucky to have all of those wonderful things to experience right at home. xx
What a beautiful post, thank you. It is a great reminder that we don’t need to venture far to find somewhere special. I absolutely love this and look forward to taking greater advantage of my own backyard with my little one.
What an amazing home you have Jode!! I love how you turned a negative thought (guilt) into a positive one with this post. When I look at your photos, I can see all the magical memories you and the kids have made in a safe and beautiful place your girls call home. I wouldn’t want to leave either 🙂
Thanks Janice….i do believe we are creating some lovely memories…just have to remind myself we don’t need a fancy outing to achieve them!
What a beautiful and amazing backyard you have – how lucky your kids are to have so much to explore and enjoy!
Thanks Jennifer…we do consider ourselves very lucky indeed!
Wow, what an amazing back yard you have! We had a roo once in our back yard – literally a suburban back yard! It was very odd, the poor guy (or girl) was a bit scared! We have koalas regularly, but we’ve never had a roo again 🙂
You have an AMAZING backyard! I wouldn’t want to leave if I lived there either! What wonderful family time you have together in your yard. Aren’t vege patches the best? R and his Daddy can spend hours outside together working in the garden and R will want to go out every single day to check on the progress of his latest crop. Thanks for linking up to the Sunday Parenting Party. Featuring you this week. 🙂
Thanks so much for the feature Ness x
If I had such an adventure filled backyard I don’t think we’d ever leave either, lol. Thanks for sharing and reminding us that the simple things in life that nature provides us with, are often the best.. and certainly invaluable for learning experiences.
Our back garden is a bit like yours, if half way across the world! Coombe Mill is a 30 acre farm with river, lakes streams, play areas, animals and gardens. We have more farm days than days out and in 10 years still haven’t stopped finding new ways to enjoy the farm. We are lucky and it makes home days so easy. We even have wallabies here so not so different at all! Thank you for linking up with Country Kids.
I have to say that if I had a garden and scenery like that from my own home then I wouldnt worry too much about going out anywhere else either! So many amazing experiences to share with your children and special memories to share.
Lovely post x
Thanks so much for stopping by Jenny and leaving such a lovely comment…you made my day x
Wow, with such a beautiful back garden why would you ever leave? It’s brilliant that you have so many wonderful opportunities for your children to explore & embrace nature. Thanks so much for adding this to the outdoor play link u this week. It’s lovely to see sunshine as we enter winter here, Kierna
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