Why Your Kids Need A Summer Den

Warmer weather brings lighter evenings and with that brings lazy summers spent in the garden. When the kids are off school and you’re stuck for project ideas, getting them in the great outdoors is usually favored option in the heat. Kids get easily bored during the long summer vacation and trying to find ways to entertain them can get boring!

What better way to start the summer by asking the kids what kind of den they would like, then allowing them to help you build it? Every child should have an outdoor house or tree house in the garden where they can use their imagination and play.

A summer house is a garden luxury, but if you have a knack for DIY and have the budget to scare up some great materials, you could be on your way to an awesome shady summer hangout for the little ones. A summer den is a great project and a fun way for the kids to learn how to build and some of the benefits of growing up with an outdoor fun house are as follows:

More time spent outside, burning energy and breathing the fresh air.

The act of building the house with you encourages education and exercise.

Teaches your kids to problem solve by designing the new den together.

Choosing the materials that you use for the summer den can help to educate your kids in terms of the most sustainable, longest lasting and sturdiest. You can go for a totally brand-new den by using new materials from stores like this, or you can teach your kids to scavenge the wood from dump sites and second-hand wooden pallets. Make sure you give these a thorough clean and check and if you have any concerns about termites or other pests in the wood, check out this website for some help. It’s common that off-cuts of wood are contaminated, and it’s an excellent learning opportunity for the kids to understand the importance of using the right materials.

The next important issue is the color! Once you have built your summer den, you need to make it look beautiful. Every kid loves to get mucky and paint, so hand them the paintbrushes and let them have creative freedom to decorate. Every summer is full of opportunities to learn with their hands and their imaginations, and giving them the keys to that is something they’ll always carry with them. Childhood obesity is at a high and encouraging the kids to be active every day and using their brains every day is going to help keep them healthy and happy.

Building a new den for the back yard is going to strengthen the bond that you have with your kids. Spending time with them and getting into their heads to understand their imagination is an experience you’ll cherish. Not only that, but you can really use the time in nature to pass on a little wisdom and give them some memories they won’t get from anyone else.