Our children are so creative and love to be included in our projects. Well, at least up until the teenage years...!

Get the kids outside with you to help in some outdoor projects while adding some new creative touches to your home!

Remember with the kids there:

KEEP IT SAFE

CONSIDER THE KIDS SHORT ATTENTION SPAN

SIMPLICITY

USE GLOVES AND PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR IF APPLICABLE

Below are a few ideas to consider!

1. Plant some shrubs that attract butterflies or hummingbirds. Keep the digging to a minimum. Just one or two plants

the children can call their own. Let the kids fill the hole with potting soil and insert the plants/bulbs. Give them the responsibility of daily watering. Some cool nectar-producing shrubs include Lantana, Hibiscus, Chaenomeles, Buddleja, and Potentilla. All these will attract either butterflies or hummingbirds which the little ones love!

2. Make a Tipsy Pot Plant Tower that creates a great optical illusion. Your kids will love this. Put a half-inch in diameter copper pipe or wooden dowel firmly into a big pot. You can just use the ground as well. Put clay flower pots of different sizes onto the pipe by using the pot's drain holes. Fill the pots with some soil and flowers. Then tilt the pots at different, crazy angles. The rod you use will support the pots upright. A neat project for all!

3. Make some stepping stones for your yard. Kids love these. You can make your stones with ready-mix concrete. Aluminum cake pans, etc can be used as forms for the stones. Your little ones will love getting messy with this. If preferred, you can purchase already-made stepping stones to use.

4. There is such a huge variety of solar lights sold today. Consider this an easy project. You and the kids can line the sidewalk with solar lights or put unique ones in some flower beds. Everyone loves the glow after the sun goes down.

5. Let the kids paint and/or decorate your mailbox. Be sure to take it down and clean the overall surface first. If using paint, be sure to put on a coat of metal primer. Let the kids take over painting. They can use stencils to help in their work. Remind them to add your house number to the mailbox for the postman!

6. Have the kids take charge of building a fairy garden in a larger pot or pan. There are tons of small items one can buy that include figures, grass, mountains, houses, animals, etc. to use. The children will love using their creative instincts to create this miniature fairy garden. Just add dirt into the pot and go! The kids may already have some pieces of older toys to add. Or they can consider making their miniature items to keep costs even lower.