Discovery and Play
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One of my favorite things about our new yard is all the little places to play. For a gardener, it’s a wonderland of paths and plants. Sure, there is plenty of work waiting for me around any corner but it’s also impossible to be bored. The other day I decided to mix things up from the ivy battles out front and work on trimming our boxwood hedge over in the side yard. That part of our yard is really fun for the kids. They enjoy the trails and all the secret hideouts. I love listening to them make up games and adventures. This type of play doesn’t seem as common as it was when I was a kid. I grew up in the “go outside and play” era. If we were bored, we’d make up things to play. Now days, kids seem to be so scheduled with activities that they don’t seem to be bored enough to make up games. My kids are forced to join me in the garden on a regular basis so they have no choice but to entertain themselves! The fun thing is that every now and then, they’ll break from their adventures and tell me about things they have found in the yard. Here are some of this week’s discoveries:
This nest was found in one of the shrubs I was pruning. It was an abandoned nest and a fun thing to find!
While running through the paths, Gavin discovered some broken eggshells where a robin had hatched. They were on the ground beside a huge cedar tree. We looked up and found the old nest way up high in the tree. I love the conversations that result from our discoveries. Kids have a wonderful point of view.
Olivia loves this little hideout. She gathers leaves and fills them with other yard debris to make her famous “crunchy tacos.” She can spend an hour creating culinary specialties. I remember doing the same thing as a little girl. I love this kind of play so much that I have been researching outdoor playscaping. The first thing I’d like to do is create an outdoor table out of a diseased cherry tree that we need to cut down. I think we can add a table top to the stump and it will make a great little place for the kids to play restaurant or have little tea parties. Do you have any special places for creative inspiration in your yard or garden? Tell me about them!
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