Stay at Home Moms
SallyAnneS
member
what do you do outside all day?
SallyAnneS
member
I know from other posts that a lot of you spend most of your day outside now that it is so nice out. What do you do all day? I am trying really hard to enjoy the outdoors and spend a lot of the day outside but we get bored. We have a sandbox, playhouse and swingset in a small yard. Do you bring a lot of your indoor toys out? Do you do crafts? Help me be a more fun mom outdoors please. 
Twins:
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Re: what do you do outside all day?
If your kids aren't asking to be outside the entire day, and you don't really like it, I wouldn't stress it. My kids beg to be outside all day during the summer. I like being outdoors so it works, but I wouldn't feel guilty not being outdoors if they didn't care.
I think the older your kids get, the better they are at entertaining themselves outdoors. For toys, we have...
A cedar play house that has a kitchen and phone in it, which DD loves.
A sand and water table (both sides are filled with water) that she's obsessed with.
A little slide with a platform at the top.
A walker that has lots of fun buttons and noises and a doll stroller (we oftenbring out a favorite stuffie or two for her to push around).
A little tikes car (probably the all time favorite outdoor item)
I do a lot of gardening and yard work, and she's right in there helping me. She especially loves helping with the vegetables, but most of all, anything (ANYTHING) to do with the hose and/or sprinklers she's absolutely thrilled about. We also go for long stroller walks around our neighborhood.
For bigger stuff... we do a lot of big bike rides with her in the trailer. Day trips to various beaches and lakes (tons of swimming). Picnics in parks. Visits to water parks and petting zoos. Many many hours at local playgrounds. Hikes all over the place with her in a hiking back pack.
There's so much to do outside! It's inside that's boring! Haha.
Uh, my kids are happy with sticks and rocks.
DS1 is 5, and is really into "exploring" - he got my old exploring toys for his bday (like a telescope and a compass), and a vest and magnifying glass. DS2 has some outdoor trucks and general sand toys that he really loves. They both will follow me around and hang out or help when I'm doing yard work, but other than that, they just do their own crazy kid games.
Once in awhile they will take indoor toys out - I let them take some dinosaurs outside last week, and today DS1 wanted to "fix" our deck, so they took the play tool box out.
In all honesty, I am pretty hands-off when it comes to them playing (indoors or out), so I'm not sure what they come up with to entertain themselves. It is a lot easier bc DS1 is a bit older, and they play together well most of the time.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Toys - sidewalk chalk, t-ball set, sand and water table, bubbles, sprinkler, tricycle...she also plays with Fisher Price Little People outside with our neighbor's dd
Activities- looking for bugs, art projects (making bird feeders, painting, etc.), walks around the neighborhood at least once a day, trips to the park, trips to the pool, picnics, treasure hunts, hide and seek
Usually we do a walk in the morning to the playground or elementary school. DS#1 rides his scooter or bike. That takes about an hour and a half round trip with playtime. Then we come home and have lunch outside on the deck. After lunch is quiet time inside. After quiet time we spend about an hour in the front yard where they can play with cars, bikes, scooters in the driveway and do sidewalk chalk. Then we move to the backyard where they kick balls, hit golf balls and do the pool if it is sunny. I need to get our sandbox filled because I think that will be fun.
I must admit, I kind of just sit back and watch them play. I will play baseball or soccer with my DS sometimes, but mostly he just rides his scooters and bikes while I watch.
We also plan to visit some different farms to shop the outdoor markets this summer for fruits and veggies, but haven't done that yet.
I really don't do much when were home. I have two kids and they're getting older so they mostly play together. If I were having to constantly provide entertainment to my child I'd probably not sit out in our backyard that often. I don't think there's anything wring with spending time inside if that what suits you and lo.
Most of our outdoor time is spent away from our home-we do the splash pad, zoo, park, playground, pool, beach, bike rides, etc.
DD keeps herself pretty busy outside, but the things that are available to her are:
sandbox, swingset (I have to help her with this), cozi coupe car, chalk, water table, baby pool, beach balls and just roaming around looking at stuff, she does that a lot.
We also go for a walk every day and stop at the park so she can play there. We also go to the zoo once a week and that's all outside typically. She also really enjoys the splash park and we stop there once a week or so.
Ha ha ha yes, this! My nearly 7yr old loves to play-pretend, dig up earthworms, bird-watch with binoculars, help me harvest our spring garden & trim the flowering plants. She also loves to play "school" on our outdoor chalkboard and race around in the sprinklers.
My 2yr old loves pushing his trucks, bubble mower, cozy coupe, and plasma car around the patio. He loves chasing bubbles I blow for him, splashing in the water table, throwing all the sand out of the sandbox, and being pushed in his swing. He gets bored easily so we take a LOT of walks, especially down to the beach, and to our local parks so he can be around other kids. His favorite.
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11