Summer is upon us, and before you know it school will be out
and kids will be restless. While vacations, sporting events, camping, fishing,
and hanging out with friends are probably on the list of things to do there are
other alternatives. In our quest to get kids outdoors I’ve compiled a list of
DIY projects for kids this summer. Most of the required items can be found
around the house, which means they won’t break the bank.
Birdhouse
One of
the most basic projects for kids to do with their parents is to build a
birdhouse. How many projects can combine family time, creativity, conservation,
and great memories? Birdhouses can be simple or challenging, depending on the amount
of time and effort you want to put your kids though. What I found with my
oldest is that it has become a tradition for him to put the birdhouse out in
the Spring. He made his first house in 2012, and it has survived hurricanes and
squirrels while still holding strong. Last year, we had a Robin take residency
in our birdhouse, the year before it was a finch. We hang ours on a shepherds
hook in the yard but we put it in a different spot to mix it up. Birdhouses run
relatively cheap as well, we bought ours in the craft section of Walmart for 10
bucks.
Bird Feeder
Birdfeeders
are great because they can be made out of practically anything. Ive seen
feeders made out of bagels and milk cartons, but my favorite kind to make with
the kids is made from a mason jar. I bought 12 mason jars from Walmart, a roll
of twine, and some wooden dowels for under twenty dollars. We made ten of these
with my sons Cub Scout group. The simple and rustic look was very popular, and
one scout told me he used leftover sun catcher paint to make his unique. Homemade
birdfeeders are a great way to bring wildlife into your backyard, and seeing a
bird feed out of it gives a feeling of a great deal of accomplishment in
children.
Pond in a Planter
For a few years now I’ve wanted
to put a small pond in the yard. The pond inserts are expensive, a 10 gallon
preformed insert can run upwards of 100 bucks. If you had a pump, fish, and
live plants you are talking another 100 dollars on top of that. I recently
found a project on Pinterest that saved me hundreds of dollars and cured the
pond itch. The new trend consists of making an ecosystem in a planter pot. I
found a 30 gallon planter in the woods near our new home. I cleaned it out and
filled it with rocks and water. The kids and I then went to a park where there
was a pond, and dug up a small bunch of aquatic plants. After a week of acclimating
the water, we went to PetSmart and bought a 5-15 gallon pump for $7.99 and
comet goldfish. These fish can survive the winter temperatures as cost 14 cents
apiece. The end result was a nice pond on our patio that the kids enjoy
watching and the wife enjoys hearing while she reads outside. I’m going to buy
LED lights for the inside, to help the atmosphere on the patio for the summer
nights. My kids learned about fish care, how the plants filter the water, and
the importance of upkeep in the pond.
Soda bottle Barometer
As a cub master for 60 kids,
I’m always looking for cost effective projects to do with the kids. I had to
find a project related to wheather, and came across a barometer made from a
soda bottle. The project was simple, cut the top off and flip it around, use
masking tape around the edges to keep the top on and create a seal. Lastly take
a ruler and a permanent marker and make a line for every hald inch of water.
The scouts had a meeting every two weeks, and we would start off by discussing
the amount of rain we recorded at each house. There are also numerous websites
such as the National Weather Service where you can get your towns average
rainfall records for every month of every year. This fun and simple project can
be made for less than 5 bucks, and the amount of information the kids learned
about the weather was priceless.
Balloon powered car
This
project can be completed either indoors or outdoors, but my kids loved playing with these on our
deck. The car is lightweight, and the air from the balloon propels the car
forward. We made our cars using a piece of cardboard for the body, bottle caps
for the wheels, wooden dowels for the axels, and a balloon attached to a straw
by a rubber band. Glue or tape the straw to the body and have the kids blow up
the balloon and let the car go. They raced these for hours, created a racetrack
on our deck, and even made little jumps that required some repairs after.
Again,
these projects are simple and cheap but they allow children to use their imagination.
The time spent making these will be more memorable than any video game or board
game, and it gets kids outside and exploring something new. It’s one more way
to help us Plant your Roots outdoors.
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