Guest Blog Post, written by Debi Huang
My family enjoys spending time in nature. Which can be challenging when you live in an urban jungle like Los Angeles. Although we love heading out to the trail, mountains or beach, we don’t always have the time to get away from it all.
The good news is that getting your fill of nature play can be as simple as heading out the back door. How? Set up some fun backyard play spaces that make taking a recess break anytime simple. The best part is that each of these ideas is low-to-no cost and can be made with little-to-no building skills.
Short on space? Pick one or two of these ideas or rotate from one season to the next.
1. Dirt pile
For kids, a dirt pile is a mound of possibility. They can dig; bury rocks, fossils and other treasures; add water to make rivers, puddles and mud; add toy dump trucks, bulldozers and the like; add other elements like tree stumps and wood planks to create bridges – or just climb to the top of the pile and run down it.
If you don’t happen to have any unused dirt lying around, buy some at a local garden supply store. You don’t need much – a small mound will do the trick.
