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Parent Prep for Spring and Summer: A Guide to Outdoor Safety

Prepping your home and lawn for warm weather is more than just mowing, cleaning, and planting; it’s also a good idea to make sure everything is safe for your little ones. Making plansnow to get everything in order will help give you peace of mind and allow your kids to have fun outdoors when the sun is out. But where do you start?

Parent Prep for Spring and Summer An OUtdoor Safety Guide

Think about what your kids will be doing most often during warm weather. If you have a pool or other water-based area in your yard, Swim University advises making sure it’s clean and has plenty of safety equipment available, such as flotation devices, life jackets, and slip-free surfaces. Grass should be kept short to help prevent biting bugs and snakes. It’s also a good idea to think of some fun, safe outdoor activities that your little ones can do in your own backyard once school is out for summer. 

Here are a few of the best tips from NMC Coaching on how to prepare for spring and summer outdoor play.

Children safely exploring outdoors

Lay the Groundwork

Hours will be spent in the front and back yards, so get your lawn and landscaping ready for action. Inspect the grassy areas and remove hazards like fallen limbs, and Allstate suggests filling inany holes that may have developed over the months. Overgrown hedges or dying plants should be taken care of or changed out. You may consider using decorative landscaping using shrubs, tall decorative grasses and trees to create a safe place for kids to play; the goal is to create privacy and contain the kids in the yard and prevent them from wandering off.

Child exploring mushroom.

All of the prepwork can be completed quickly and competently by a professional landscaping company, so start your research now. Online service directories are very helpful as you search for companies that specialize in backyard landscaping, as ratings and reviews are available for many of the companies listed. As you narrow your search, be sure to look for those who are insured and bonded, and ask for a detailed estimate up front.

Keep Sunscreen Handy

The first rule of outdoor safety is sunscreen. Teach your kids that even on cloudy or overcast days, or days that don’t feel so hot, it’s still important to slather on the sunscreen for outside time. Keep a bottle handy in the garage or on the back porch so it’s always accessible, and read the label. Some brands require a few minutes on the skin before they’re effective, so it might be necessary to put it on before the kids head outside.

Water Safety

Water safety is imperative, no matter how old your kids are. If you have a pool, make sure everyone in the family has a life vest that is in good shape and that the pool itself is clean and has the right amount of chemicals to keep bugs away. This is especially important when it comes to mosquitoes, who love standing water and can spread several types of disease when the weather gets hot. If you have a deep, in-ground pool and young children, consider investing in a motion sensor alarm that will alert you when someone gets too close.

Backyard camping is a safe outdoor activity

Prepare Some Fun Activities

Giving your kids some fun activities to do when it heats up outside will keep them entertained, and if you make them family oriented, you can turn this summer into a bonding session for all your loved ones. Bird watching, building and painting a birdhouse or feeder, backyard campouts, nature hikes, outdoor treasure hunts, bike riding expeditions, and setting up a lemonade stand are all great ways to spend time together while staying active. 

Preparing your backyard for all the fun activities your kids can do this summer can be a big job, so make a list of all the things you’ll need so nothing gets left out. Get the kids involved and have them help you clean up and get things ready. This will keep them motivated to play outside when it warms up rather than staying in to play video games, and it will also remove some of the burden from your shoulders. This way, everyone can have a fun, relaxing summer.

How to keep your children safe outdoors

Are you looking for balance in your life? Do you feel lost after becoming a mom? NMC Coaching is here for you. Book a Discovery call today for more information!

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Activities For Kids, Motherhood

40 Family Quality Time Activities that Won’t Break the Bank

Recently, it has become clear that Rosebud has way too many toys. We often argue about cleaning up the toys, it takes so much time to keep them organized and she is starting to get bored with most of her toys. She has reluctantly agreed to give some of her toys away before Christmas, but we’ll see what she is willing to part with.

40 Quality time Activities for the Family on a Budget

I have realized that maybe I should focus more on experiences and quality time instead of buying toys. I’m a gift giver at heart. It’s my love language, so when I see something she’d like, I get it. The other part is my mindset. Somewhere along the way, I’ve gotten the message that providing lots of material things for your child equals good parent. In my head, I know that it’s not necessarily true. Some parents buy lots of things to make up for not spending enough time with their children. Others do it simply because they can afford it. I know I have to get out of that mindset because lately it’s not serving us and it is the inspiration for this post.

Family time activities that won’t break the bank

I know I can’t be alone! It’s easy to get sucked into this mindset with our culture of consumption. This is especially important with the holiday season fast approaching. To help you mamas out, I’ve created this list of 40 family quality time activities that won’t break the bank.

The great thing about many of these is that you will be making memories with your children and not spending a dime!

Family Time Activities

  1. Have family game night,
  2. Watch a family favorite movie together and have popcorn,
  3. Camp out for a night in your living room,
  4. Play shadow games with flashlights,
  5. Go camping in the wilderness,
  6. Bake cookies or a cake,
  7. Have kids help with meal planning and create a menu,
  8. Make a grocery list and go grocery shopping,
  9. Play I-Spy, (This works no matter where you are)
  10. Have a family photo shoot,
  11. Watch old family videos,
  12. Take a walk together,
  13. Go on a nature scavenger hunt,
  14. Make a collage with what you found,
  15. Look at the clouds and talk about what you see,
  16. Take a walk on the beach, build sand castles or go for a swim if it’s warm weather,
  17. Jump in a pile of leaves,
  18. Play in the snow, (Snowball fight, make snowmen, sledding etc)
  19. Make homemade play-dough or slime,
  20. Create or look through photo albums,
  21. Have a dance party,
  22. Do yoga or some other form of exercise,
  23. Draw a big picture together as a family,
  24. Read stories or make up stories of your own,
  25. Clean rooms in the house and make it a game, (Who can pick up more items the fastest etc)
  26. Drive to a place in town where you’ve never been,
  27. Have a picnic in the back yard or park,
  28. Go to the nearest playground,
  29. Create a family mission statement,
  30. Create a family vision board,
  31. Make greeting cards for friends and family,
  32. Make a homemade game or toy,
  33. Make forts out of pillows and sheets,
  34. Decorate the house for the holidays,
  35. Paint or draw on pumpkins,
  36. Make homemade Christmas ornaments,
  37. Decorate gingerbread houses,
  38. Create a family playlist of songs you love,
  39. Make paper airplanes or kites,
  40. Create a gratitude or kindness jar.

40 Quality Time Family Activities that won’t break the bank

How are you spending quality time with your kids this year? Do you struggle with the amount of toys in the house? Tell me in the comments!

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