Tell Homebase how you will get your kids in the garden over the summer - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

It’s a common worry that our DC don’t spend enough time outside, especially with teens glued to their phones and toddlers insisting on watching their favourite movie for the 1000th time. Homebase would like to find out how you will encourage your DC to get out in the garden this summer.

Here’s what Homebase has to say: "No matter how big or small your garden is, you want to create a haven that can be enjoyed by your family all year round, especially in the summer months. You don't have to be a professional gardener to plan your own landscape, which is why we have put together useful advice guides and top tips containing plenty of garden ideas to give you the inspiration you need to begin.”

So how will you get your DC in the garden this summer? Will you get them to help you plant fruit and veg so they can get excited watching them grow? Perhaps you’d like to recreate activities you did in the garden when you were a child? If it rains will you be determined to stay outside and play games in a shelter or craft decorations that can be put in the garden when it’s dry again?

Whether you want to create a play haven by building a mini playground or make the perfect space for eating alfresco please post your ideas and plans below and you will be entered into the prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £300 Homebase voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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It's not to hard to get my DC in the garden, they love it! We haven't done as much as usual this year due to limited funds but they help with tidy up and pruning and have had fun chalking up the patio and 'washing' the patio doors.

My DD is a teenager now and asked to do chores to earn pocket money. We asked her to cut the grass. Never again. She actually did a better job of mowing the beds than the actual grass as she struggled to turn the mower at the end of each run and cut the tops off all my marigolds. The lawn had mohicans of uncut grass . I paid her £2.00 and spent another £10 replacing all my bedding plants # memories

Water always gets the kids outside. Intend to adapt a pergola this year to provide shelter in the rain, but gives enough room to play.

We will be looking at the sunflowers and growing veg - although I have to admit, excitement for that isn't exactly fever pitch.

We also have a swing and playhouse so they're another attraction.

Open the door - that's literally all I have to do!!

DD is 11. She is encouraged out to the wildlife pond at the top of the garden to look for frogs and newts. She also comes out and feeds the fish in the fish pond. We eat outside as much as possible.

Despite being a bit 'eugh' at bugs, she has an odd obsession with woodlice and is quite happy playing with them and letting them run over her hands.

We were out picking up the tiny baby frogs earlier and putting them back in the pond and I accidentally stepped on a slug. She called me a murderer. :o

We are putting the house on the market, otherwise I would be starting allsorts of projects like painting the fence rainbow colours & planting sunflowers. When we move, we can hopefully do lots to the new garden & my daughter will get out in it a bit more. She loves barbecues & picnics & running her " snail hotel"

We bought a green house lots of flower seeds and got given loads and loads of plant pots so we planted flowers and everyday we go to the green house and water them! My little boy loves it! We also built decking with a gate so when the grass is wet he can't go on it and we put his slide, play house and climbing cube on it so he has plenty of entertainment!

Usually not many problems getting them outside, I've put bubble mixture in a small paddling pool and a ring with some wire and make huge bubbles

We've put in a playhouse this year and that's really encouraged my daughter to spend more time in the garden. Also playing with water and anything messy can be done outside which is a big draw for her (4 years).

We also built raised beds and we're growing pumpkins, peas and beetrooot with her as well as some edible flowers. The beds are made with sleepers which she loves balancing on as she walks round checking her veg and flowers.

Most importantly though I'll be outside with her. She stays out much longer with company so I'll spend time in the garden too.

My dh encourages the kids to help him out a lot in the garden - my dd (9) recently helped him make a raised bed from scratch and helps with growing vegetables. My ds (7) is intrigued by our bee hotel and regularly goes to check to see if there have been any more bees checking in. I also find they they will play outside more if we are out there with them rather thean getting on with jobs indoors.

My two love creating obstacle courses for each other in the garden..usually involves a bit of scooting, weaving in and out of things and a bit of crawling under things !

As a family we love our garden and are often changing things. We are currently getting outdoors by offering being able to help with multiple constructions taking place. My eldest has a tortoise so we are currently in the midst of making that from reasonably cheap alternatives but still to a high quality. We are also growing our own vegetables and my eldest who is 18 again encouraged her younger siblings to take part in helping out with those. We have all sorts of veggies in the garden and she seems to be taking over inside with herbs too! Getting them out for me is just a matter of giving them something productive to do away from the screens

I love family gatherings, outside if the weathers nice. Not only do the family love helping me plant things, especially if they're edible, but we often eat outside, I have a nice patio area with a table and chairs, lighting, and a large sun shade. Lunches al fresco are a favourite family event, and this often leads on to outdoor games, family catch ups on what everyone is doing, and nice relaxed conversations. It's a chance for us all to chill out together as a family which is sometimes difficult when everyone is busy.

My little boy is so fussy with food the only way we could get him to eat fruit andvegetables was if he grew them in the back garden. He absolutely loves it planting seed's watching them grow and harvesting. He loves finding pretty flowers that attract bees too. He's only 7 now and has been doing this since he was 4. Bless

Easy. Either stick the sprinkler on or tell them they can eat ice creams outside. Although to be fair they are helping me with weeding!

Mine love the garden. A few years ago we doubled our patio size using some recycled council paving stones and we got 2 garden swing seats from Homebase and a garden bench. We already had 2 wooden picnic tables. As soon as the weather is good the kids love to go outside to play and we use the picnic tables for crafts and eating and the adults and more grown up children like to sit on the swings watching and chilling out. The little ones love sand, so we need a quick trip to Homebase to get some more play sand for the sand pit. At the moment, water is the biggest attraction for them and they play for hours with it while we watch! We also plan on getting another charcoal BBQ as the older kids (17,15 & 14) love to be "in charge" under our watchful eye of the cooking and preparing the food. It all keeps them off their computers and makes them more interactive with each other while learning some new skills!

I want to get a overhanging parasol to provide some shade for baby so I can go out with older children. We now have a warm tap adaptor so paddling pool won't be so freezing!

I can't keep mine out of the garden! Even in the rain she is running around out there!

My son loves being outside in the garden. He loves his sandpit and outdoor toys and also enjoys helping us in the veg patch.

If it rains, we put on wet weather gear and carry on.

Anything to do with water! Water balloons, buckets, cups, my toddler spends hours in the garden if she's allowed to splash around

A bit extreme, but we've bought a puppy! She needs regular toileting and play/exercise and the DC enjoy going out into the garden with her. They don't even notice the wasps!

Im happy to say our 3 don't need too much encouragement to head outside, though a bit of fair weather (or wellies & waterproofs imperative) certainly helps! Giving them a 'reason' or incentive to head out rather than staying in works well though - food of any description is always a pull so a picnic or barbeque will do it every time, as will the prospect of beating me or their dad at swingball or badminton. Water play is a big winner too, so a hose to prevent running in and out of the kitchen soaking wet is a must, and my youngest (6) in particular also jumps at the chance to 'help' with the gardening. We're planning to make the kids a 'den' in the garden this year, so they have a space to head out to that is all theirs (& means they can plot their adventures 'independently' in most weathers and have some shade...)! They're vying for a trampoline of course, as my mum has one, and they will play on it for hours...

He has gone football daft this summer. Wants a football strip and wants to do football courses in the summer hols so I'm putting up a set of goal posts in the garden for him to do his training.

They sometimes help me in the garden, planting seeds etc but mostly if I'm out gardening they soon drift off and start making potions in buckets with old sticks and anything they can rip of flowers and bushes when I'm not looking - it looks like a muddy bucket of water with grass and flowers in to me but to them its a magic potion!