It's been a busy month here and I haven't had a chance to share many weekend wanderings with you lately, but hopefully I am finding my rhythm again with blogging after beginning work as a family day care educator.
This weekend was about slowing down a little….we have done some huge projects over the last few months and our weekends just seem to fly by so sometimes we need to give ourselves permission for a little time off!
We are making real progress in the backyard playspace now although it is still looking rather bare without any grass! But the plants and kids vegie garden are growing and we are finding ways to incorporate more shade as we enter one of the hottest Springs we have had for quite awhile here.
His patient self made another shade area for us by throwing some leftover shadecloth over the clothesline…works really well and I'm also not getting sunburnt while hanging out the washing…you might laugh but after hanging the third load for the day in 35 degree heat (Spring?!) you start to feel a little toasty.
The children have been picking cherry tomatoes, yellow squashes, strawberries, peas, parsley and green beans in the last week and enjoy helping me water and weed and feed a few morsels to the chooks.
The DIY outdoor chalkboard was brought down from the top paddock and given a new home under the chook house so family day care children can use it as well now.
His patient self finally completed the chicken house….something he has been trying to do for ages but instead winds up creating my play area ideas every weekend!
They now have a comfy little house with a view and a sheltered spot under the coop. The children can see them easily and there are openings on the back to collect eggs and give scraps if we don't want to walk up to the top gate.
I don't think they are as happy about not free ranging the whole yard as I am (you do grow tired of the poop everywhere and your vegie garden disappearing!) but they have their own huge yard to explore. We do let them out at the end of the day for a little free ranging too.
Another little project finished off on the weekend was a gate for my outdoor equipment shed. This stops the toddler twosome and the family day care kids from pulling everything out and also possibly injuring themselves.
I did a little tidying inside too…a few more shelves and pegs for hanging and I think it will be sorted….yep I even like to organise outside 😉
Toys are now divided into smaller baskets instead of a few huge ones so it is easier to find what we need for each day…water play, cooking, spades/rakes, watering cans etc. It also makes packing up easier and faster for the children to participate in.
Daddy built this wooden gate in one afternoon…so lucky to have such a handy partner although he is a little concerned that he is making work for other husbands out there with all these projects to inspire you!
We were so excited Friday afternoon to come home and see our new play mats from Ecoviva Australia…of course we had to give them a try outside straight away!
Fantastic for running, rolling and building with….
Hiding in….
And doing acrobatic tricks with Miss Teen! I get the feeling I have another 2 gymnasts in the household now…not sure I can take the stress of watching all those gym comps again.
One of the reasons I wanted these mats is because the green ones can be joined together in various ways with velcro to make longer or wider mats in an instant. No slipping apart when active little bodies jump, roll and run either.
We had fun finding a few different ways to use them and they are so easy to just fold and carry with the handles too.
A little sister love….
This isn't a sponsored post…I didn't receive monetary payment for telling you about these mats….I just think they are a fantastic product for such a reasonable price.
Often these sort of play mats have been out of reach of home educators due to the high costs in the educational catalogues so I think it's wonderful to have an affordable, quality alternative accessible to educators, parents and carers.
On Sunday we decided to go on a little road trip to the Gold Coast for a visit to one of our favourite spots for children.
We live about 30 minutes drive from beaches so it's not an every weekend thing for us and therefore quite special.
It does take a bit of patience to get Ruby settled though as her sensory system can get overloaded very quickly and she is quite scared of the water. I'll be doing a blog post about some tips on how we handle this soon.
I'm thinking we are perhaps the only family that brings a saucepan to the beach…the toddler twosome chose their toys to bring and this is a favourite!
Daddy also had a wee bit of fun building a sandcastle which he assured me was for the girls although they didn't seem as interested as him! Nice to see him getting a bit of relaxation in on a weekend for a change though!
There were treasures collected to take home…
And more treasure play in our own sandpit when we got home….
There was discovery and bravery in the ‘pirate ship' park…..
And some fun with the instruments on the Bumpa mat when we got home…
During the week we did some spray bottle painting with the family day care kids and on Saturday the toddler twosome decided they needed to repaint their wooden log.
This activity kept them busy for ages as they squirted and watched the paint change colours and froth a little on the wood. There was a lot of concentration and important work going on.
Tara had fun with her treasure tub again, pouring and scooping her golden pebbles over and over…
Ruby kept going back to the log and the paint…a different experience to enjoy each time!
What did you do on the weekend? Is it getting hot or cold in your part of the world now?
Thanks to those who are still reading after my erratic posting over the past month…just trying to work out how to fit everything in with going back to work!
Have a great week all x
Warm Wishes…
I love all these little tours of your play spaces and I am so envious of your warm weather!
As I was reading this it started to pour with rain again and it is blowing a gale here too… ah well I know the rain is good really, it’s just the mud I hate!
Thanks Kate…it has been like the middle of Summer here so I am envious of your cooler weather 😉 We have the wind though and it has wrecked both my umbrellas so not happy about that!!
I’m so happy your girls got some slowing down time this weekend. So lovely they can pick veges and wander round your wonderful big garden. I love it that you take a saucepan to the beach!
Thanks Lesley, we love our wanders to pick the vegies and I knew someone would understand the saucepan 🙂
OH MY GOODNESS! You are amazing 🙂 What a fantastic job, you’ve done in your yard. Your hubby is a rock star!!!!!
Aww, you are so kind!! We are working him pretty hard at the moment I must say 😉 So sorry I haven’t been by lately, life seems never to slow down enough at the moment and I miss visiting all my favourite blogs!x
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What a great insight into what’s going on in your world. Your backyard is looking amazing! My little miss wants to know if we can come over for a playdate. 🙂
I so wish she could come for a play Danya!! Thanks for stopping by and your lovely words x