I am so excited to share this little project with you…..we finally finished it this weekend and I can't tell you how overjoyed I was to see the toddler twosome playing in it ALL DAY!!!
I do warn you that there are even more photos in this post than I usually overload you with but with these sort of projects I think it is better to tell the story visually rather than with lots of words (although knowing me there probably will be lots of words anyway…sorry)!
If you are a regular reader of The Empowered Educator you will know that we are creating a natural play space in our backyard for our twin toddlers as well as for my family day care business. You might like to read through our Creating a Boulder Sandpit and Landscaping with Toddlers article if this is your first visit!
We are so lucky to have the space that we do but it has been a long road to get some landscaping completed with twins ‘helping'…so it is especially exciting to finally see some of the projects in my head come to fruition!
Here's how we created our rock quarry for kids…..
I also wanted them to have access to various loose parts materials to add to their play so I fastened a few old garden pots I found in the shed to the retaining wall. I drilled a hole in the bottom so water can run out and then filled them with coloured rocks, sticks the girls collected, some shells from a recent beach trip, a few of our tree blocks and other bits and pieces from around the yard.
They were very popular and started off all kinds of imaginative play….
A few smooth river rocks offered a different texture to the red bush rocks and the coloured stones were like little treasures waiting to be found. There were even a few little peg people who seemed to be hiding in the rocks!
But no one was getting Tara out of her quarry….once she found the end of the road held even more rocks of all shapes and sizes she was intent on rearranging her trucks and loads numerous times!
If you would like more ideas and inspiration like this and to also connect with other early childhood educators from around the world why not join the Empowered Educator Community on Facebook!
A Little About Me
Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.
Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.
Oh Jodie, this looks so amazing & I can’t wait to see how much fun your girls will have with this space over the coming months/years. I have loved following this project from the start & thanks for sharing it with us all.
What a lovely comment Kierna….thanks so much for staying and following along. Am sure i will be sharing lots of fun ideas from out there!
Love it. We are slowly revamping our garden and this is added to my list of things we could do. Having the half baskets for loose parts is great. It reminds me how much fun I had with some big construction toys I won as a kid that we must get some for DD.
Thanks crafty elsie…lovely of you to leave a comment. The half baskets are working really well, they have been sitting in the garage unused for years so i am happy they finally have a purpose!
This looks amazing, can’t wait to see when it’s finished – and what good helpers.
They have been such good little helpers…another project planned for this weekend!
Amazing, kids love a good rock climb, your girls are going to have a ball
Thanks Kirsty…they are loving it so far!
Wow! This turned really cool.
Love it! I stumbled upon it via Pinterest and it looks like a fantastic adventure my boys would adore! Thank you for some wonderful inspiration. Now just to convince hubby to dig up a patch of his precious lawn… xx
Ah yes Ashley, convincing the hubby can be the difficult part! Thanks for your lovely words…so glad to offer some inspiration for outdoor fun!
That looks so fun! I know my girls would have a great time playing there – great job!
Would be lovely if your girls could pop over for a visit…bet they would all love a big play together 😉
It’s turned out amazing, you’ve done a brilliant job. I’m sure the girls are going to have endless days exploring and being creative. Thanks for sharing your project and great photos with Country Kids.
oooh this is SO COOL!!!!! Those kids of yours are going to spend their entire life outside playing, the lucky things!
Oh and I have to say… those passionfruit look huge! So envious!
Ah yes…that is my evil plan Kate!! And trust me those passionfruit ARE huge, not sure what to do with them really, lot of pulp freezing coming up!
Beautiful! I love everything about this! Such a great job of encouraging loose parts play!
Thanks Stephanie…just love our loose parts play!
What a great idea! My kids are always playing in an unfinished landscaped area at my Mum’s house (complete with cat poo in the sand!) How they would love this.
Kids always find those little patches don’t they Kate? Hoping we manage to keep the cat poo out of ours!!
How magnificent! I’m sure they will be enjoying it for years to come! Hannah @ Paint On The Ceiling
Thanks so much Hannah!
Oh Jode I knew it was going to turn out amazingly and it did! How fun would that be. It’s just wonderful. You should be so proud of what you guys have made. I love that you have planted flowers and things for the girls to pick and play with. I’m hoping to make a playful garden for Jack and Sarah too…when we ever get the horse sorted 🙂
Thanks Kate…am hopeful the flowers will be lots of fun! I am really proud of what we are creating although i have way to many ideas in my head to get done out there i think hehe!Don’t worry, you will get there soon enough!
There’s no ‘girl play’ ‘boy play’ here. Absolutely LOVE it!
Imagine the play dates! So much space and ways to express themselves.
As I always say to you Jode, your children are so blessed to have
such thoughtful and creative parents. And we all are lucky to be able to
read and be inspired in what you get up to.
Thank you once again.
Aleta x
Actually Aleta i have sadly had a few comments about being surprised ‘girls’ would want to play in the dirt and rocks…bit of a shame really, they know no different here and love it…all kids should have that same opportunity no matter what their gender i think!
You always write such lovely comments and they brighten my day..thankyou lovely lady x
Oh! And is it just me, or are those passionfruits enormous?
They look incredibly delectable 🙂
They are and we have at least another 3 baskets worth to be picked…not sure what to do with them all!!!
This is amazing! Great way to encourage out door play & imagination.
I wish I could do a rock quarry for Dimples, he’d want to play in it all day
Maybe you could do a small one in a tub for Dimples? Thanks Rez!
Awesomesauce! Really what else can you say? Such a great idea and wonderful seeing it all come together.
So glad you liked it Sabrina…thanks so much for being here to see it all come together!
I like that everything surrounding it becomes part of the play environment. Great job!
Thanks Linnae…how kind of you!
Looks amazingly fun. You did a great job.
Just too awesome for words!
That-looks-AWESOME! What a fun. Look forward to hearing how they enjoy it.
What an amazing space you have created for them! Hours of fun 🙂
What a fabulous idea!! I love it. Your twins are gonna have so much fun with it 🙂
Thanks Leila…they are out there everyday at the moment!
Stopping by from the Sunday Showcase! I already have the wheels turning. Such a great idea and I love lots of pictures too!
Thanks for stopping by Sarah…so glad to find another who loves lots of pictures!!
Well, I was positive I’d already commented on this inspirational post..? Oh well, lucky I’m back to tell you that I’ve featured it this week on Tuesday Tots. Such a fun idea and I am totally making (a much smaller version i’m afraid) one for my kids. 🙂
I thought you had to Deb…silly blogger probably swallowed it! Thanks so much for the feature and your guys will love a smaller version just as much!!
Oh my god thats amazing 🙂
can we come and play! my tyler would love it. he loves his diggers. Wish I had the space for something like that.
well done 🙂
My son would be so jealous if he saw this!
Amazing! You have thought of everything. So many opportunities for exploration and imaginative play. Is there any way you could incorporate a little water? I was just thinking how fun it is to paint water on to rocks, see how it changes colour and explore the feeling and even the different smell of the stones.
Wow! What an amazing project! Your kids are going to love playing with that space for a long time. thanks for linking to the outdoor play party.
This is so fantastic! Right up my son’s alley! Thanks for the inspiration…the wheels are turning now as I think about how we could do something similar…:)