A week in the garden

It has been a great week for garden activity.

The weather has been continuously sunny and we have been able to open up our french doors which allows for free movement between inside and outside. Consequently, the garden is utilised to a much fuller degree.

We have a large picnic table and benches on a decking area.

This week it has been used by Miss 5 and Miss 8 as they cut sponges into various shapes and painted them. Miss 8 created an entire collection of bakery items and Miss 5 made “Mr Sponge.” The table has also been used to create doll accessories. This has involved lots of experimentation using different forms of sticky tape. We have also sat and looked at books together. It is also the base from which we watch various small creatures enjoy our garden, including our own rabbits, and passing flying things, such as buzzards, murmuring starlings, butterlies, birds, microlights and gliders. It also tends to be the place where we sit and eat together.

There is an array of toys in our garden.

This week has mostly been about using equipment for physical movement. We have counted how many turns we can each do with a hula hoop and become increasingly better at it as the week progressed. Miss 5 and Miss 8 have both improved their skipping skills with a rope and worked out how to make the rope the ultimate length for themselves to have maximum success with. All four children use the trampoline intermittently through out the day, repeating various tricks and flips on it, as well as inventing games unique to each sibling pairing or all four together. The tyre swing is used in various ways depending on who is using it, spinning, swinging, climbing, flying or pushing various toys, are the most popular uses.

The warmer weather has inspired a lot of water play.

Barbies have been to the swimming pool and Peppa Pig and Bing have been on multiple boat rides. The sprinkler has been used to cool off hot children, as well as water the vegetable garden. We have frozen bottles filled with water routinely placed these into the rabbit hutch and used ice cubes in everyone’s drinks, inc the cats’ water bowl.

We have picked and eaten wild strawberries from the garden and are eagerly watching our courgettes growing and tending our tomato plants.

We have rescued moths from our paddling pool and watched bees turn white with pollen as they collect nectar from our flowers.

The teepee has been reinstated, and mostly used as a shady spot by rabbits and cats alike, but been home to barbies and a shady place for watching on tablets.

It is fair to say that, in our house, the garden is used a lot more during fairer weather and warmer seasons but it is used all the year round and each seasons brings new possibilities. We have all enjoyed the sunny weather and its warm invitation to spend more time in the garden together this week.