Water Wall

We've been trying to add more interesting components to our playscape...aka our backyard. As much as I love taking my little ones on adventures there are days when we must or I like to just stay put.  Having some fun interactive elements in our yard always helps passes the day away. Of course, if water is added to anything, it is sure to be a blast.

All over Pinterest are tons of ideas for water walls.  I had a ton of recyclables in the garage and a husband willing to put up with yet another project.  We started with this...love a project that costs us nothing!

This was a perfect project for the Wise Owl to help Daddy put together.

On an old piece of board my DH and the Owl simply screwed in various plastic containers.  Check out my Pinterest board Outdoor/Summer Playfor many water wall tutorials. 

The water wall has become a favorite component in our backyard.  Owl and his friends figured out if they put a bucket at the bottom of the wall they could capture the water and recycle it to use it over and over again. I love that I'm not filling buckets every few minutes.

We also decided to make a water ramp using gutters.  We simply purchased one piece of gutter and cut it into three equal pieces.  My husband then screwed it into the wall, making sure the angle was enough to have the water run down all three sections. 

The Owl loves not only pouring water down these sections as well as racing his cars down as well.

For less then $10 we cleaned out my recyclables in the garage, created a new component in our playscape and created some fun water play that will keep my little ones entertained for hours this summer!  

Car Wash

The weather has FINALLY realized it is spring.  The rain has stopped and the sun is shining.  For my little ones this means....water play.  I came across this idea at one of my favorite blogs Happy Hooligans. 

First we set up shop.  Warm soapy water, clean water for rinsing and towels to dry.  You can also use  a tray of shaving cream to "wash your cars.  Owl's eyes just about bugged out of his head when he came outdoors and saw this set up.  

We have no shortage of cars, trucks, construction equipment to be washed.

Rinse station - I was surprised at how much water actually stayed in the bucket - he was VERY serious about his car cleaning tactics!

The Owl was mesmerized with the process.  He asked for a sponge, "to scrub the dirt off" and got right down to work.  Winter grime, paint, play-doh was washed right off.

Rinsing his nice and clean cars.....

And lastly, the towel dry....

Owl loved the activity.  I loved getting all of his small vehicles washed after a long winter of use. Hmmm, I wonder if we can rig something up tomorrow for all of his large sandbox trucks which  are now filthy from all of the rain? 

West Rattlesnake Mountain Hike

For Mother's Day I wanted to spend the day outdoors with my little ones so we chose a child friendly hike close to home.  Today we choice West Rattlesnake Mountain in Holderness. It was a perfect hike for our little family.

Information on West Rattlesnake - including driving directions, trail information, etc.  can be found here. 

Sassy Sis started out strong, walking up the well cared for trail.  She lasted about half way of the way up before she rode in trustworthy Ergo on Daddy's back. 

Overall, the trail was VERY well maintained.  During a large portion of the trail there were steps made right into the trail.  It made it very easy for my two to navigate their way up the trail.

Once at the top the views are AMAZING...you can see all of Squam Lake and many of the surrounding mountain ranges.

 It makes a perfect backdrop for a Mother's Day photo.

However....BEWARE....the top is all rock ledge that drops right off.  Our rule quickly became, if you're roaming around, you MUST be holding an adult's hand! 

The rocks are a perfect place to stop and have a snack, enjoy the view, breathe it all in, and then pinch yourself when you realize this is your backyard!!

Overall, this is a great hike for families.  Even though Sassy Sis ended up in the carrier, the Owl did made it up and back on his own, quite easily.  The trail is well maintained and even though it is a steady climb up it is very doable for young children.  The views from the top are breathtaking. From car seat to car seat - with a sizable break at the summit, it took us just under two hours.

Happy Trails! 

Shaving Cream Fun!

Back in the day when I was still a classroom teacher I loved pulling out the shaving cream. The kids always looked at me like I had gone mad. They couldn't believe it - shaving cream during spelling time. Of course! It was perfect for practicing our spelling/site words, working on fine motor skills, and cleaning our desks. It always ended with happy kids, clean desks, a fresh smelling classroom, and a smiling teacher!

I hadn't pulled out the shaving cream with my two yet and with our new easel, thought it was about time. I figured we could use the shaving cream as "paint" for Sassy Sis' new easel.

(See post here.)

First, I squirted shaving cream in a 6 hole muffin pan. Then I added a few drops of food coloring to each container. ( If you don't want died hands use liquid water color.) It was perfect - a palate of shaving cream "paint".

The kids went to town. They loved painting right on the easel.

They thought it was pretty funny to see each other through the "window"......

When they were done with a scene or needed more room, we just hosed down the easel and started painting again. Masterpieces were created over and over again.

After painting, we decided to play a bit more with our shaving cream. It was perfect for driving our cars into and the Owl spent a considerable amount of time with the tray of shaving cream.

Now that I'm reminded how much fun playing with shaving cream can be I think we'll have to try out some of these fabulous shaving cream ideas:

Little Wonders Days shows a step by step tutorial to make these shaving cream eggs here. Easter is over, but I think we'll use the same technique to make some spring flowers or

umbrellas or leaves in the fall!

I Can Teach My Child has a shaving cream cloud activity that is perfect for after reading Eric Carle's Little Cloud.

Happy Hooligans has a great car wash activity that I know both of my little two would love!

Outdoor Easel

A few weeks ago, while visiting a good friend, we were talking about Sassy Sis' upcoming birthday. Of course the topic of presents came along. My friend's DH is a talented DIYer and I threw out the suggestion of an outdoor easel for Sassy Sis. Now, let it be known that Mr. H has a soft spot for Sassy Sis - and a few days later an easel was built and ready to be delivered for her party.

All I showed Mr. H. was this picture:

It is from one Play At Home Mom one of my favorite blogs - so many great ideas!

And this is what arrived at Sassy Sis' 2nd birthday party:

It was perfect!

The "glass" is plexi-glass so you can paint directly on it and then hose it down! Mr. H. used outdoor paint so it will be perfect to spend the summer outdoors. He even included a paint holder on each side so both the Owl and Sassy Sis can paint at the same time.

Now don't worry, if you are like me and need DETAILED instructions to make anything! There are numerous examples of these outdoor easels online. Take a look on my pinterest board for more ideas and detailed tutorials.

Mud Pie Kitchen

Ok, I'll admit it. I L.O.V.E. Pinterest! I'm a visual person and love all of the ideas! Lately, we've been working to create more play areas for our little ones in the backyard. I've noticed lots of ideas on how to create a mud pie kitchen. Perfect. The Owl LOVES mud!

We had play house that wasn't getting too much use. I was actually contemplating selling it to make more room in our backyard. Then I realized it was perfect to convert to a mud pie kitchen.

All it took to transform our playhouse to a mud pie kitchen was a quick trip to the dollar store and my cupboards! The Owl helped me hit some nails into the inside walls to hang some of our new spoons and measuring cups. We added a bucket of play sand, some bowls, a bucket of water, and some old cake and cupcake pans. Easy peasy.

Seriously, less than $10 and it brought new life to a forgotten "toy". My two have spent HOURS in the last few days pouring, scoping, mixing, making, decorating mud pies.

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They have worked together in their kitchen - chatting away about their creations. I love listening to their little escapades. It is times like this I will cherish forever.

Mud pie anyone? They are delicious....

Now don't worry if you do have a play house-they are many easy ideas on how to make a mud pie kitchen in your own backyard. Most just require a little space, a rummage through your garage and a trip to your local thrift store.

Check out my pinterest outdoor/summer play board here for mud pie kitchen ideas as well as other ideas for back yard fun!