Parent’s Guide to Summer Fun in the Sun

School is out, which means your kids are home. Get them off the couch with these fun outdoor activities!

Butterfly feeder:

1. Start with two plates in different sizes. Glue the smaller plate inside the larger one with epoxy adhesive.
2. Once dry, put some pebbles or stones in the smaller plate, to give the butterflies a place to land.
3. Next, use a plant hanger to hang the feeder from a branch or place it on the ground on top of an overturned garden pot.
4. Lastly, fill the small plate with old fruit and the larger plate with some water.

Don't have decaying fruit? No problem, make some butterfly food by mixing 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of boiling water. Stir and cool this mixture well before putting it into the large plate of your feeder. It's important to remember when deciding where to place the feeder that rotting fruits and sugar tends to attract insects too, so keep the feeder away from doors and windows! Refill your feeder as needed and enjoy your new butterfly visitors!

Outdoor Tic Tac Toe

1. Cut a slab of wood into a 14X8 inch rectangular piece.
2. Next, create a tic tac toe design on the left side of the wooden board with white paint.
3. Collect 10 rocks with a smooth surface and paint them with 5 'O's and 5 'X's.
4. Once the wood and rocks are dry, seal them with a coat of polyurethane.
5. Glue a bowl on the right end of the board. Once it's dry, you can use it to hold all the rocks.

Your end product should look similar to the one in the picture. Outdoor Tic Tac Toe is a fun game to make with your kids and a great way for them to spend time outdoors this summer!

Kid's garden

1. Pick a spot to create your garden.
2. Together, choose which flowers and plants you would like to include in your garden and teach them how to plant them in the marked area.
3. Put up a short fence around the plants. A quick and easy tip to hold the fence together is to use plastic zip ties on each end.
4. Help your kids to create signs out of boards or rocks to indicate where each flower or plant section is.
5. Encourage them to regularly care for and water their flourishing garden!

A garden is the way most of us spend time outdoors, so why should it be any different for kids! A kid's garden is a great way to instill the values of care, creativity, and responsibility in your child all while having fun!

Photos:
https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/gardening/make-a-butterfly-feeder-for-your-winged-friends
https://tatertotsandjello.com/diy-tic-tac-toe-game/
http://simplesisterblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/quick-and-colorful-kids-garden.html