No one can deny that having an outside space is a blessing. The chance to get out on a hot day is the best thing of all, especially when you have kids in the house. That garden space can play host to some amazing learning benefits for your children and some fantastic family days.
But, a shocking amount of us with this benefit fail to use the space half as much as we should. When you don’t have the option of sitting outside, it may well be all you think about. But, when the lawn is there, and your life goes on, it’s not unusual to go months without setting foot outside. After all, you have so many other things to do, and there’s no pressing reason for you to head out there.
If this sounds all too familiar, it might be time to consider a few of the ways you can turn your yard into a valued space. After all, the addition of a garden will have affected your house price. And, given that you’ve paid for it, it seems only right to use it. Admittedly, a blank lawn isn’t the most inspiring. After sitting out there for five minutes, you’re sure to get bored. But, there are plenty of ways to inject fun, and thus inspire yourself to get outside more. Read on to find out about a few of them.
Pave a patio area
Many of us are reluctant to put patios in our gardens. After all, greenery looks best, and you might worry about ruining the view from your windows with this. But, if you aren’t using that greenery, is it really worth getting precious about? Of course, we’re not saying that you need to pave the whole garden. But, a small patio space backing away from your house could make a huge difference. Here, you can place anything from sofas to tables. You could even invest in a barbecue and keep it safe on that paved space. These may seem like small additions, but you would be amazed how much difference they can make. With these in place, you’ll even be able to eat outside on beautiful days. And, just sitting out for an hour or so each day is a whole lot better than keeping that back door closed all the time. You’ll also find you’re more liable to sit out with a drink or have conversations with friends at your patio table. Just like that, your garden will get the use it deserves.
Turn to animals
As already mentioned, having an outside space when you’ve got kids is fantastic for education. Through exploration, they can learn about everything from plants to wildlife. And, that’s all essential stuff. Only, your blank lawn is hardly an educational oasis right now. Your children are unlikely to learn anything more than the fact you don’t cut the grass enough. But, to rectify that, you could always turn to animals here. For one, transforming your yard into a haven for wildlife could work wonders here. That way, your kids will get first-hand knowledge of native animals. And, when there are animals to see, you may find yourself much more inspired to head outside. You could go as far with this as you want. It may be that you invest in bird feeders. Even just heading out to keep them topped up is better than not using the garden at all. Or, you might want to go all out with hidey holes, bird boxes, and flowerbeds to encourage insects. Suddenly, there’ll be a whole load to look at in your otherwise dull outside space. You could even take this further by buying animals like chickens, which will give you a pressing reason to head out. Collecting those eggs each day could be the ideal chance to breathe in a little of that fresh air!
Grow a vegetable patch
When it comes to reasons to get outside, few things are better than a garden vegetable patch. As well as working wonders for family health, your path will need daily care and checks to ensure that all is well. So, you’ll really have no choice but to get outside every single day. And, once you’re out there, you may find that you’d like to stay a little longer, or perhaps fiddle with some new seeds. You could get the kids on board here, too, by buying them something like these garden gift ideas, and letting them get stuck in themselves. If all goes well, you might even catch that gardening bug. And, before you know it, the whole family will spend more time outside than they do in the house. We’d say that’s a pretty fair exchange.
Splash into a swimming pool
If you’re willing, it’s also worth considering a swimming pool somewhere on your lawn. Again, this does bring the risk of ruining that greenery a little. But, a well designed pool could enhance rather than destroy your yard. And, once this is in place, it could be the ideal kick to get you into regular outside use. You certainly won’t have any trouble getting the kids outside with this baby on board. You, too, are more liable to make a daily effort to get swimming once you’ve spent this money. You could even go all out with garden parties. Pair this with a patio, and you could have barbecue swimming pool parties the whole summer long. Your garden might even get so much use after this that you forget it was ever neglected in the first place!
Conclusion
Taking time to get outside isn’t easy. If we’re honest; the majority of us would admit to neglecting our yards far more often than we should. So, don’t be afraid to give yourself a little motivation to get out. Even if you’ve never considered these options, they have the power to transform your backyard. And, that might be all it takes to push the whole family into using that outside space.