Fun Family Garden Ideas on a Budget

It’s quite hard to believe that spring is on the way, isn’t it? We’re nearly out of those dark and wet winter months! So, it’s time to stop ignoring your outdoor space and figure out what fun things you can do to make the most of the better weather we have ahead.

The first thing that I would like to mention is that it really doesn’t matter how much outdoor space you have, it could be a small balcony or a few acres, it really doesn’t matter. There are plenty of projects that you can do as a family to create a fun and enjoyable outdoor space.

Give nature a home

Why not get the kids involved in taking care of your local wildlife?

There are a few different things that you could do to give nature a home in your garden that hardly costs anything and that doesn’t take up a lot of space.

One of the ways that you can give nature a home in your garden is by making a bug hotel! This can look however you want it to and you can be as creative as you like, all you need to do is make sure that there are plenty of different nooks and crannies for insects to make their home in.

If you have a good sized area that you want to dedicate to bugs and bees, then why not source some local tree stumps and logs and create a fun bug hotel where you can also plant flowers and shrubs in amongst the tree stump that will attract the insects.

If you don’t have enough space to do that, then you could either make or buy a cute little bee and bug hotel that you can hang on a wall, fence or tree trunk? If you don’t fancy making your own and are thinking of buying one, then you don’t have to worry about them being expensive as you can pick one up online for as little as £7.00* and they come in all sorts of wonderful designs and colours that will create a lovely feature in your garden.

Give nature a food source

Another way that you can look after your local wildlife is by providing them with a food source. You can check what type of food source would be helpful in your area by looking on websites such as www.rspb.org.uk*. Not only does this charity look out for the welfare of birds but they are hugely helpful in showing you how to look after all of your other local wildlife too, insects included.

One way to provide a good and beautiful food source is by planting a variety of flowers. They don’t have to be expensive, even a bag of mixed flower seeds such as the popular ‘cornfield annual seed mixes* will create a wonderful variety of colours and scents that both you, your children and the pollinating insects will enjoy. You can buy a packet of seeds from your local garden centre or online for a small amount of money and don’t worry if you don’t have a large area of grass that you can turn into a beautiful meadow, a good sized flower pot will do a great job too!

Take care of your birds

Another great way to turn your garden into a fun and exciting place for children is by trying to attract your local birds into it. Again, the RSPB* can help you to learn which birds are in your area and what type of food they need.

Depending on how much floor space you have (and whether it would be at risk of having a football booted at it) you may choose to buy a bird table. This is again something that has many options, you could grab a bargain and buy one second hand, you could treat yourself to a new one, or you could even make your own. I was amazed to find that brand new ones can be found for less than £12 including delivery on eBay*.

If this option wouldn’t suit your family or outdoor area, then why not have a look at some hanging bird feeders* instead. They also come in many different shapes, sizes and prices. So, do a bit of research and see what would be the most suitable feeder for your local birds.

It’s also a nice idea to give a bird a home where they could spend the night and even raise some chicks. This can be completely adapted to what type of bird house you like and also how much you would like to spend. So, why not head down to your local garden centre or pet shop and see what they have in store. If you would rather buy one in the comfort of your own home then why not check out the huge range available online*? You could pick one up for as little as 99 pence! Personally I love all of the quirky ones in the design of a red post box or a cute little cottage.

Cheap family fun and memories!

So, there we go, a few fun ideas on how to make your garden a fun and exciting place this spring that the whole family can enjoy. The great thing is that you don’t have to spend a lot to make it a beautiful and interesting garden, and you also don’t need to own a few acres to make it special, just be creative and have fun.