Recently, one of my neighbors sent out a group text asking if anyone had logs from cut-down trees for a friend who had some cool plans for her backyard. It immediately reminded me of the Natural Play Spaces series we did a few years ago and I sent it to her. Looking over it, I remembered how wonderful it was and wanted to share it with you guys with summer being here. I hope it inspires you to look at your backyard in a whole new way this summer! I've written before about how much I value … [Read more...]
Natural Play Spaces: Children’s Veggie Gardens
You guys! It has been the rainiest season in Seattle in the history of ever (literally) but the sun is out today. And - of course - it's making me want to plant all the things. If you're feeling me, here's a post we did a few summers ago on one of the coolest kinds of gardens out there; the kids' garden. Enjoy and happy planting! Now that the bark has been laid, we've made one more major addition to our backyard natural play space. But don't get too excited - I haven't had a chance … [Read more...]
Play Theme Cheat Sheet #6: Fall Fun!
It's fall! My absolute favorite season. So, of course, I had to make it into a Play Theme Cheat Sheet. And really - cool weather, gorgeous leaves, pumpkins galore - what's not to love? I have always wanted to take my little family apple picking in the fall. (I've never actually been. Sad, right?) But since apple farms are few and far between where I live, I decided to bring apple picking to us–with a little educational value built in. We've been working on our numbers at home, so I thought … [Read more...]
Play Theme Cheat Sheet: Space
Even though it's not quite August yet, we just couldn't wait any longer to post our latest Play Theme Cheat Sheet. We just know you're going to love it!... I am so excited about this month's playtime cheat sheet, just because of the theme alone....SPACE! I don't know why, but I was somewhat overly fascinated with space as a child (nerd alert). I simply couldn't get enough of it. I even asked for a toy planetarium for Christmas one year, which I've now passed down to my son. P.S. It still … [Read more...]
Play Theme Cheat Sheet #4: Exploring Our World
We're past due for this month's play theme cheat sheet. Ready for another stellar list of ways to play all month long? I chose learning about the world around us for July for two reasons: It seemed like a great educational theme to cover while school's out and so many families are hitting the road for vacation. We've been watching Discovery Channel's new series, North America, with C and have all been learning a ton. (Sidenote: I love this program for teaching kids about the continent … [Read more...]
Playtime Cheat Sheet No. 3: Warm Weather Play
It's June - Hello Summer! This month's playtime cheat sheet is all about playing in warm weather and it's got something for everyone. Without further ado, here's Alli with a fun DIY sprinkler project and 24 more great ideas. I'm so happy to be back sharing some of our favorite ways to play in the warm Summer weather! I love Summer. But then again, who doesn't? Kids do... for obvious reasons. But adults too (because I have a theory that Summer actually brings out the kid in all of us). We … [Read more...]
How to Build a Sandbox… Finally!
Hey friends. We're still working furiously to get our home ready to put on the market this week, but I haven't forgotten about you! Since I didn't get around to posting about our DIY sandbox until the end of the summer when it first debuted - I thought I'd get ahead of the game this year and post it now. You know, so you could build it and actually enjoy it all summer. It's a good project - you should totally do it if you have the space. Young House Love even based their sandbox on … [Read more...]
Playtime Cheat Sheet No. 2: Sports
Another month, another play theme cheat sheet to get you through. Did you guys enjoy trying out all our nature ideas from last month? Alli's back today with another stellar list of activities, books, etc. you can refer to all month long. This time our focus is sports - so grab a ball, get outside, and get those little ones running! May is the perfect month to get outside and get active with your family, which is why it's also the perfect month to focus on sports. When I first started … [Read more...]
Ways to Play with Nature (Inside & Out) All Month Long
Ever noticed how much kids love a good theme? A central topic is such a great way to get little ones engaging in all sorts of things - reading, writing, art and (best of all) new types of open-ended play. Plus planning a few weeks of play around the same topic gives the kids time to come up with deeper questions and learn more. Announcing MPMK's latest venture: Play Theme Cheat Sheets! As we said, playing around a theme is a great idea - the only drawback being that it requires a bit of … [Read more...]