11+ Backyard Stations

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Last year I had an epiphany that has really changed my life:  Backyard stations are the solution to all my problems.

Well, maybe not all my problems, that's a big ask, but they do encourage prolonged outdoor play and who doesn't want more of that?!

Following are the stations I've been setting up for my kids.  

Now that I have collected all the items for the stations, it only takes a few minutes to set them up, and they result in hours of extended play.  They also promote an active lifestyle and healthy child development (Australian Curriculum, Health and PE).

We went 'screen free' these past holidays so it was good to have some outdoor ideas in my arsenal.  The transition to 'screen free' turned out to be really easy for us.

1.  Digging / mud pit

This station has shovels, buckets, a pick axe and trowels.  We're big fans of these Ames shovels.

Once in a while I leave the hose on for a bit to create a mud pit.  

It's great fun to bounce straight off the trampoline into knee-deep mud... and my kids love digging for 'treasure'.

Muffin pans and natural items make nice additions to this station.

2.  Water play

As well as putting out measuring equipment and water toys, I snip some flowers and herbs for this station.

Chalk, a hammer, mortars and pestles offer extra play possibilities.  The chalk can be crushed and mixed with water to create paint or used straight on the pavers.  

Sometimes my sons ask for cloth to dye with flowers or spices to grind up.

3.  Trestle table

On a table I put some easy art or science activities, such as our DIY science kit, watercolour paints, a nature tray with magnifying glass, playdough, or seeds for bird pizzas.

4.  Small world play

My kids are really too old for this, but they can still be enticed... the trick is to call it 'diorama creation'. *Smug smirk*  

Both my boys have enjoyed making biomes and habitats for plastic animals at different times.  You could add dinosaurs, diggers, fairies... 

5.  Gardening

My sons are sometimes in the mood to earn extra pocket money by pulling weeds.  They also LOVE cutting up large pieces of garden waste with loppers and the saw.

6.  Rugs and cushions

If I leave out a picnic rug, my oldest will invariably bring out his current book to just chill.  As well as rugs and cushions, I have a double sleeping bag dedicated to outdoor use.

I'm into meditation at the moment and quite enjoy using these cushions and rugs to meditate outdoors.

7.  A strategy game

We keep a congklak board outdoors.  (My son is making these to sell so if you want one message me through the address in my profile.  Post coming soon about congklak).

8.  Whittling

This is something we're only just getting into:  For Christmas my son Roo got some whittling books - Forest Craft by Richard Irvine, The Little Book of Whittling - and an Opinel No.7 knife.  You can also get an Opinel with a round tip, but we went with the sharp tip. 

9.  Fire

We have an antique Italian brazier called a frascera which we use when the weather is cold.  The kids love to toast things on it or occasionally cook in it.  We also sometimes share poetry and stories around it.

When it's hot I have been known to put out block play instead.  We have some tree blocks (similar here) but be warned, they make much more mess than regular blocks!

10.  Painting

I usually only set up our easel when we have younger cousins or friends to visit.  I put a low table next to it with paints, sponges, trays, brushes, sticks and rubber bands for making nature brushes.

11.  Nature study

Just inside the door I sometimes put a bowl with basic nature study tools such as a microscope, motion camera, guide books and a bug box.

We have a terrarium inside for little critters like snails that the kids find in the yard.

Shelley is a guts

Plus... our yard also has some permanent features:

• a cubby with a rope ladder
• a tree to climb
• a trampoline
• bikes
• a box of sports equipment
• a box of loose parts (like tarps, sheets, ropes, pulleys, tubes...)
• a hanging xylophone
• an insect hotel
• logs and stumps
• our 'corner office'.

And of course we have fruits, veggies and herbs that my youngest son loves to tend and eat.

The best thing about these 11 backyard stations is our increased connection with the natural world and with the elements of earth, fire, water and fresh air!

I'd love to know what you do outdoors.  Please tell us in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by.  Looking for more outdoor ideas?  Try these:

• Epic Kids' Outdoor Bucket List (100 Things!)
• Nature Study Backpacks + Tassie Nature Apps
• Quest for the Best Birdfeeder
• Easy, Cheap and Fun Way to Learn to Tell the Time 

New to the Afterschooling Blog?  Try my A-Z of Afterschooling!

x x Zoe

Epic Kids' Outdoor Bucket List (100 Things!)

Here's a massive list of 100 things for kids to do outside that don't involve electronics, but DO involve lots of great learning and physical development!  You're welcome.

1. Make a fort
2. Make slingshots
3. Toast marshmallows on a campfire
4. Whittle wood
5. Cook bracken tips to eat
6. Cook sea lettuce to eat
7. Use hand-held nets to catch little fish
8. Crab-hunt on mud flats
9. Create a seaweed collection
10. Make a nature mobile
11. Make a bottle with layered sands
12. Press flowers
13. Make an ocean viewer from a clear plastic tub
14. Play card or board games outdoors
15. Read books outdoors
16. Birdwatch
17. Play catch
18. Climb a tree
19. Lift heavy rocks and logs
20. Shovel
21. Rake
22. Dig
23. Dig with a spoon
24. Write in chalk
25. Run through a meadow
26. Play flashlight tag
27. Ride a scooter
28. Ride a bike
29. Swim
30. Do cartwheels and handstands
31. Brachiate in a tree
32. Hang from a rope swing
33. Climb a jungle gym
34. Roll down hills
35. Squat and look at the ants
36. Jump off things (rocks, stumps, raised garden beds)
37. Spin in a circle ten times with eyes open then with eyes closed
38. Rock hop at the seaside
39. Go upside down on the monkey bars or swing
40. Twist a swing up then let it spin you in circles
41. Use a screwdriver and hammer to make something outside
42. Play beach cricket
43. Bodysurf
44. Balance on logs and ropes
45. Play tennis against a wall
46. Bushwalk and bushbash
47. Go orienteering
48. Spot nocturnal animals with a flashlight
49. Identify plants
50. Explore rock pools
51. Collect specimens
52. Take photos
53. Hop and skip
54. Wrestle
55. Pop popcorn over a campfire
56. Crawl through a homemade tunnel
57. Splash in puddles
58. Race gutterboats
59. Make sandcastles or sand sculptures
60. Listen to birdsong and copy it
61. Blow and chase bubbles
62. Play flags
63. Play tag
64. Play hide-and-seek
65. Play kick-the-can
66. Skip rocks
67. Catch insects in a net
68. Run over sand
69. Slide down dunes
70. Climb fences
71. Shoot Nerf guns at toilet roll targets
72. Haul buckets of water
73. Climb a boulder and be king of the castle
74. Pull each other on a large sheet of cardboard
75. Plant new flowers
76. Walk up the tallest hill around
77. Be swung around in circles by Daddy
78. Go barefoot
79. Pick fruit or berries
80. Play hide-and-seek in the dark
81. Bring a guitar, light candles in the dark and sing
82. Collect pipis or mussels
83. Get and give piggybacks
84. Use sparklers in the dark
85. Pop fuchsias
86. Make a gnome house
87. Mark trails creatively with rock arrows
88. Make leaf rubbings
89. Go geocaching
90. Play charades outdoors
91. Play 'mosquito bites' (stick a red dot sticker on each other if you say a particular word)
92. Play water pistols or water bombs
93. Make maps using a compass
94. Learn knots
95. Search for things starting with each letter of the alphabet in order
96. Make and bury a time bomb
97. Create an obstacle course (including reciting funny poems or songs)
98. Knit
99. Stargaze
100. Go on a scavenger hunt to find a funny-shaped rock, a tiny shell, something orange, a piece of garbage, an animal scat, 2 kinds of seeds, and something pretty.

All Inside and no Outside turns this mama into Mister Grumpy, but the above list will fix it.

Time in nature rejuvenates, connects us to the Earth and to each other!

What's on your outdoor bucket list?  Please do share in the comments, I'd love to see this list grow.

If you like these ideas, maybe you want to pack yourself a Nature Backpack and get out there with our Leaf Hunt Printable.