Get out into the garden this summer!

We adore being in the garden and play in it in all weathers. We make rain gauges to see how much rain has fallen (hopefully it won’t be used this summer) and down at the veg patch the boys have a little vegetable garden of their own. We dug it over and have planted up the seeds we grew earlier in the year. 

Warn them though if the
fruit is a little sharp :D

If you’ve left it too late to grow from seeds you can easily pot down to your local garden centre and get ready to play veg. From Pumpkins to grow for Halloween to Strawberries and cherry tomatoes! There are some great easy to grow flowers and veg around and it’s a great way to get your children used to where their food comes from – and to eating veg!

Why not even grow some flowers you can eat? Flowers that you can safely eat are nasturtiums, borage, violets and scented geranium flowers. Flowers of cooking herbs are also safe to eat. Coloured flowers are very nice in salads. Try some nasturtium and borage flowers. It's also fun to sip the nectar from nasturtium flowers. To do this you need to nip off the very end of the long spur on the flower and then suck the nectar out. (Make sure there aren't any bugs inside first!)

Another great activity to do in the garden with the children is to paint some clay pots. It’s a great time waster if you only want something to do for a little bit. Its also a great idea for partys! Grab a clay pot, some suitable paints (we just use poster paints) small paintbrush, a container of fresh water and lots of newspaper if you don’t want multicoloured grass!

Bug Hunting! A great favourite
in this house!

Wash the clay pots first to ensure they are clean. Cover the ground in newspaper (or table if you’re feeling brave) and start painting! Allow each layer of paint to dry before adding in the top one and finally allow the pots to dry! A great way to jazz up your garden and also keep the kids busy!

We also change the style of our wendy house each summer. This year we’re having a beach hut theme with table and chairs outside and the sand pit nearby. We’ve included a little shop for them to buy lollypops and drinks (a great way of getting liquids down a stubborn drinker) and leave them to their imagination! It’s the past its been a safari hut, expedition lodge and tree house…

Not ours but it just shows what you can
 do with a simple Wendy house

You can enter to win your own Wendy House thanks to Waltons. Write a post on your favourite ways to keep the children entertained over the summer out in the garden. You can write about your favourite activities or even about designing your own dream playhouse and how you would use it. Please state in your post that this in an entry to Waltons blogger comp and make sure your tweet your entry to @Waltons. 2nd prize is £50 worth of vouchers! Fabulous & Good luck!