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Date: June 21, 2024
10 Summer Backyard Activities to Enjoy Your Lawn
One of the best things in life is being able to grab a lawn chair and lay back under the clear, blue summer sky. Listen to the bees buzzing in the raspberries and watch dragonflies, sparrows, and hawks dart by, all on the hunt for their next meal. Savor the smell of freshly cut grass, roses, a neighbor's barbecue, and your dog–who needs a bath.
Aside from relaxing (or chilling, or chillaxing) though if you have a backyard, you'll want to make the most of it over the summer.
Summer Fun in Fruitland, ID
A Superior Cut provides lawn care and maintenance services so that our clients can enjoy their space.
Whether you have young kids on summer break, teenagers, or if it's just adults in your home, there are a lot of fun things you can do outside. But it can be hard to come up with ideas for what to do. So, here are some suggestions to beat summer boredom.
Whether you have young kids on summer break, teenagers, or if it's just adults in your home, there are a lot of fun things you can do outside. But it can be hard to come up with ideas for what to do. So, here are some suggestions to beat summer boredom.
Backyard Activities to Make the Most of Your Summer
1. Host a Lawn Game Tournament: Cornhole, croquet, kubb, bocce, volleyball – the possibilities are endless! Organize a friendly competition and showcase your lawn care expertise. We can offer tips on keeping your lawn healthy despite high foot traffic from friendly competition. This might include:
- Mowing the lawn to an appropriate height for comfortable movement and preventing tripping hazards.
- Aerating compacted soil after the tournament to improve drainage and airflow, especially in high-traffic areas.
- Watering strategically to replenish moisture lost during the event and from the summer sun.
- Reseeding any bare patches that may appear due to concentrated activity.
2. Grow a Fragrant Herb Garden: Elevate your summer meals with fresh herbs grown right in your backyard. We can provide expert advice on choosing the best location for different herb varieties in your yard and proper watering techniques to keep them thriving.
Many herbs can be planted at this time of year. Some great choices are:
- Sage
- Summer savory
- Basil
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Lemon verbena
- Thyme
- Chives
And, if you keep herbs in containers, you can bring the annuals inside over the winter.
3. Practice Essential Survival Skills: Embrace the outdoors and learn valuable skills like cooking over a fire and filtering water. A Superior Cut can advise you on creating a safe fire pit area and suggest fire-resistant landscaping options around it.
4. Backyard Identification Treasure Hunt: Identify plants, fungi, and animals in your yard and keep track. This can be a simple, one-day activity, or you can do this periodically over the summer.
We suggest making a chart so you can list the identified species, where you saw it, how many there were, and any observations you might have. This can be a simple way for kids to learn scientific skills, but it's also good brain work for adults, and helps you to recognize and appreciate what's around you. (Or to figure out what weeds are in your grass and which beetle is eating your flowers.)
5. Design a Backyard Movie Theater Experience: Turn your backyard into a magical cinema under the stars with a projector and screen. We can help you create a comfortable and functional outdoor space for movie nights. Here are some tips -
- Choose a strategic location: Consider the natural slope of your lawn for optimal seating placement. If necessary, level a designated area for comfortable movie viewing.
- Projector screen setup: We recommend using a sturdy screen stand to minimize any impact on the lawn. If using a sheet, secure it with weights placed on weed mats to avoid damaging the grass.
- Seating arrangements: Blankets, pillows, or lawn chairs are all options. Consider using eco-friendly recycled blankets or suggest guests bring their own seating.
- Lighting and ambiance: String lights can add a magical touch. Opt for solar-powered options to minimize your environmental footprint.
- Post-movie maintenance: After the movie, use a leaf blower to remove any popcorn kernels or debris that may have fallen on the lawn.
6. Make a Home Movie: Big, bulky cameras that recorded onto tapes might be a thing of the past (a thing that your kids won't believe was real), but video technology and the desire to create are not. You can indulge in nostalgia and capture a little bit of your life right now to look back on later. Or you can make a very silly short film to look back on later. Either way, it's a win.
7. Organize a Backyard Obstacle Course: How far can you hop? Or army crawl? Get creative and use pool noodles, hula hoops, and other props to build a fun, challenging course for all ages.
8. Create Garden Decorations: Your backyard isn't just about activities; it's about creating a beautiful ambiance. We can help you craft stunning decorations that complement your lawn and enhance your summer experience. Here are some eco-friendly ideas:
- Painted Rocks: Unleash your creativity and paint designs on smooth stones. These can be used to make decorative borders around flower beds or pathways, adding a pop of color without disturbing the soil.
- DIY Bird Feeders: Attract beautiful birds to your yard with homemade feeders crafted from recycled materials like pinecones, plastic bottles, or wooden scraps. Strategically place feeders in trees or on poles, avoiding areas where spilled seeds might attract unwanted pests.
- Natural Wind Chimes: Create a calming atmosphere with wind chimes made from seashells, bamboo sticks, or even recycled glass bottles. Hang them strategically from tree branches or shepherd's hooks, ensuring they won't cause any damage to your lawn when swaying in the breeze.
- Upcycled Planter Crafts: Repurpose old boots, teapots, tires, or even bathtubs into unique planters. Fill them with colorful flowers or herbs, adding a touch of whimsy to your garden. When placing these planters, choose spots with proper drainage to avoid harming your lawn with sitting water.
- Scarecrows: While they're associated with fall, and they don't often work on crows, scarecrows are a classic bit of garden decor. If you want to scare away some pests, you could create scare-hawks or scare-snakes; these can be effective against squirrels and a few other critters.
9. Create a Fairy Garden: Spark imaginations and add a touch of magic to your backyard with a miniature fairy garden. Here's where you can get creative! Use natural elements like moss, pebbles, and small twigs to create a miniature landscape. Tiny houses built from bark or stones, and miniature furniture fashioned from bottle caps or corks, can provide the perfect dwellings for your resident fairies.
Lawn Care Considerations for Your Fairy Garden:
- Choose a location: Select a spot with partial shade to protect your fairy garden from the harsh summer sun.
- Base it on a container: A large terracotta pot, a hollowed-out log, or even a repurposed shoe can become the foundation for your fairy garden.
- Plant choice: Opt for slow-growing, low-maintenance plants like succulents or miniature ferns.
- Watering: Use a spray bottle to gently mist your fairy garden, avoiding overwatering that could damage the delicate plants and surrounding lawn.
This tiny wonderland will not only bring joy, but also showcases your attention to detail and ability to create a harmonious balance between whimsical features and healthy lawn care.
10. Play in the Mud: At some point over the summer, if you find yourself with a bare patch of ground, indulge in the human desire to get down into the mud. We can recommend creating a designated mud pie area, like a sandbox or play kitchen to minimize any mess on your beautiful lawn.
Summer Lawn Services
Keeping your lawn ship-shape throughout the summer season is important so you can enjoy it. Contact A Superior Cut online or call us at (385) 227-4452 for a free quote on our regular lawn care services. We work in the Fruitland, ID and Salt Lake City, UT areas.