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paddling pool!

i check the garden for security but the children are supervised at alltimes anyway

We don't have a very large garden so general maintenance as usual. Wipe clean table & chairs. We tend to keep to games that can be played in a smaller area like croquet & handball, for the football we would take them to the large green area nearby. The younger ones like bubble blowing or playing with water and nothing fancy is required, just a big bowl and plastic cups/toys are good on a hot day. BBQ's are always fun and they like to help (depending on age and ability) and it is now obligatory to have toasted marshmallows at the end.

Where to start, plants, plant pots, garden furniture, paddling pool and play house

New plant pots, plants, garden furniture and paddling pool and play house for my GS

Prune thorny bushes so they are out of reach and mow the lawn so the kids can run around and play on the grass.

We get a couple of growbags and put them along the patio and my boys plant soem tomatoes and various other vegetable plants in them they love to check the progress when they visit, and then harvest the crops when they're ready. getting them to actually eat the vegetables is another thing completely though

i dont do anything as the garden is already child friendly and i always watch them when they play

Mow the lawns, fill the pool and get the BBQ out (after arguing over who will be the one to clean it that is !)

Our grandchildren spend a lot of time at our house and the garden is their favourite place to be all year around. It is important that we keep the lawn in good condition as it has to work very hard for it's keep and never more so, than in the summer months when it becomes a football pitch, a gymnastic arena, a dance floor, a camping ground and just occasionally a peaceful place to sit.

We also have shed which is gaily painted in seaside blue and white complete with bunting and was supposed to be for my gardening equipment but has recently been requisitioned by the grandchildren as their pirate hideout complete with skull and cross bones on the door warning everyone to KEEP OUT !

My gardening equipment has now been relegated to a metal container hidden around the back.

The children all love the outdoors and this year are enjoying growing their own potatoes and carrots to eat. My little lean-to greenhouse has been taken over by "fairy gardens" in various states of development.

Happy days.

We have a magical section to our garden where my grandson likes to dig. We have helped him dig an island surrounded by a moat which he fills with the hose pipe. The water runs down a 'river' past a ' volcano' then down to the daisy bank , under a bridge, past the stone wall and pine cone heap and down the waterfall into the moat. All of this was created by him and is very basic and muddy, but he loves it and we are now making ' houses' with mud and stones.
I found this boring at first but now I see how much pleasure he gets from it I enjoy our time outside and he responds with such enthusiasm and joy. We are making some wonderful memories.

Hide all the breakables away

This used to be a large pond with a smaller pond next to it. Although I had a safety grid installed, it was always a worry when GC visited. Lots of labour and a little expense later and we now have extra patio for summer fun and also a home made water feature. All child friendly and loved by the birds too.

Lots of little paths to follow. Birds to feed. Hedgehog house to study. Lots of dressing up clothes for outdoor plays. Just need the sunshine!

I grow peas in a large pot and when the peas are ready, give the pot to the grandchildren. It keeps them busy for ages, finding the pods, getting the peas out and then eating them. The seeds germinate better if I cover the pot with cling film until the peas start to come through the compost.

I wash down the patio furniture and put out the seating

We have a couple of garden beanbags for the children to sit on in the garden, and they love helping us to water the plants when they come over. We also have a couple of trees they love to climb, and have used a couple of old sheets to make dens with under the branches. To be honest though, the work usually begins when they have left!

This is our first summer with grandchildren old enough to toddle in the garden. We always cut the grass before the children arrive, make sure all the tools are away and the shed locked. Then we get out the sand and water shells various toys and the fun starts.

We make sure there aren't any sharp stones, or upright canes that don't have something safe on top of them ( plastic flower tops) and that the shed door is kept locked.Two of our DGC are young, so very important.
We keep the lawn well mowed, and make sure the paddling pool hasn't developed any holes/splits, as being in water is their favourite thing.
We always grow sunflowers from seeds for them, and they like to check the progress, we also grow cherry tomatoes and runner beans for them ( they eat them raw.)

We cut the grass and make sure the fence at the bottom is secure as we have a stream there.(And in all this hot weather it has never dried up!)
DGD aged 9 likes to dead head the marigolds.

Not much additional things required for GC coming round. Usually come round and help with any new planting. They have their own wee plots. We just make sure we have cold juice and ice lollies!

I live in a sheltered housing scheme and we have a beautiful internal courtyard garden of lawn, hedges, fruit trees and flower beds. Unfortunately for everyone's DGC, it's strictly for residents only However, we do each have a small patio space at our back doors so DGS and I are able to eat outside if we want. There is also a wide walkway between the cottages and the garden where we can have plant pots etc, so I have a 'trug on legs' where DGS and I have recently sowed lettuce, spring onion and carrot seeds. The intention was to show him how vegetables grow and that they don't just appear in supermarkets. What I didn't reckon on was that he would jealously guard his seeds, inasmuch as I'm not allowed to touch them I've had to tell him the squirrels have eaten the lettuce (sorry for maligning any squirrels reading!) but I haven't yet worked out how they're going to be able to pull the onions or carrots from the earth

Our garden is only small so it would not need much

my gardens always in top nick so just a general check nothings been lying around and the sheds are secured

I make sure the area is tidy and we have a lot of games for them to play