What Things Can Keep Kiddos Busy in the Backyard While I Do Yardwork?

Splash balls are a lot of fun :) If you don't have a pool you can fill buckets of water and they can soak them. Sidewalk chalk, bubbles, jump ropes, jacks...bikes, roller blades... i am trying to think of everything my kids pull out of the garage...lol!

Also sending out a picnic lunch with some crayons and coloring books.... set up a big blanket... it will buy you some time...lol!

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do a treasure hunt of things found in the backyard(brown leaf, rock, 5 blades of grass,etc..just make it a fairly long list) that should keep them busy for a while!

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A small pool, sprinkler or slip and slide. I also love to set up a paint table outside. I use an old door set on top of two coolers or something like that. Cover it with paper - I get used blue prints from my hubbys work. Dress the kids in swimsuits or playclothes or cover them with an old shirt like a smock. I save a couple of egg cartons to put paint in, they like to mix paint colors too. My daughter likes to bring barbies outside to "camp". My son likes to bring action figures outside and build forts for them.

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My daughter turns 6 this summer and since she was old enough to walk and wanted to help momma she has always had her own set of rubber boots, garden gloves and tools - she helps me in the yard. I use the lopers and she rakes and picks up the grass and puts everything in the recycling brown bags and "helps" put things to the curb and so forth. She sweeps up grass - helps plant flowers, everything that I do she pretty much at least attempts to help me with.
She also has a sand box, mini trampoline which she gets lots of exercise on, she has a birdbath she makes sure has water, a water sprinkler to play in while the grass gets watered - she has a watering can to water my flowers and more...

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Fill up a few buckets/bowls with water and provide some cups/strainers/pitchers, etc. That should keep them busy for at least an hour or until the buckets need refilled. Or what about a sprinkler or a slip-and-slide?

My children are about the same age 4yr old girl, 6yr old boy and 10 yr boy.

1. waterfight
2. set up a hose. I just purchased a really cool one at Kohl's the hose shoots in 15 different directions at the same time.
3.Leave a bag of Aqua doodle stuff by the front door then its there when you need it. We love aqua doodle.
4.get a paint brush and a pail of water have them paint the garage doors with water.
5.draw with chalk in the driveway
6. buy a hammock..if you have trees close together last yr 5 below sold hammocks for $5
7. crab race
8. kick the soccer ball
9. play hide-n-seek
10. make homemade popsicles and eat them outside

I don't know how you feel about a yard full of holes, but my little boy (6) loves to just dig with a small shovel. Sometimes we get a plant to put in the hole. We have a small veggie garden also (check out the Square Foot gardening book) they love to help with. We also have a trampoline that gets lots of use. My kids keep themselves happy looking for bugs and climbing trees. A beach ball is also great fun, and they are really cheap if it gets lost or popped. My little one (3) loves bubbles too. I have a little set of speakers for the ipod that I put outside for them to listen to while they play. Sometimes, they will sing along. Our yard is really small, but they have tons of fun!

my kids love to garden, especially if they have their own tools. They love to pick herbs and even eat the cauliflour they grow in their garden.

The trampoline never gets old, either. They also have a tree house, climbing wall, hammock, bikes, balls, a tire swing and a dog. We built the three house and climbing wall, so they weren't too expensive. Since we don't have a television, outside is the most fun place there is. Sometimes you have to get rid of the inside options. :)

Enjoy your summer!

You could get 2 of those cheap plastic pools from walmart fill one with sand and go to the dollar store get some sand toys or cheap tupperwasr znd kitchenware(we have a 99 cent store whichcwas perfect for this
then fill the other with water. Rinse the water one every day when they are done so it doesn't get the slimeys and create a buggie breeding ground. Another thing I do each year is buy a box of summer toys from oriental trading and make double sure it arrives before they get out of school and inlet them open one or two things a week. Keeps things exciting save a couple things foe closer to the end of summer.
Also you cal let your kids build a little vege garden. Print out a layout buy some seeds and should need very little supervison. I could go on and on. I feel a littli rambly though. Let me know if thee anything else I can do for you
K.

make a bowl of bubbles and tie a piece of light weight string in a circle, about as round as a rubber ball. Dip the string in the bubbles and it makes HUGE bubbles. When I was a kid this was my dream and I loved doing it. If the bubbles pop too easily, then add some more dish detergent.

Sandbox, sidewalk chalk, playhouse, swingset. When my daughter gets her cast off we'll set up the inflatable water slide. They love it! Or, you could just turn on the sprinkler!

My kids love waterfights with squirt bottles. The squirt guns dont always work that great and run out of water fast. My son also likes to build tracks out of sand for his matchbox cars.
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