Day 100 - Portrait of Play

All work and no play is definitely not on our agenda. We are a playful family. Whether it be through art, board games, music, and/or nature, we do our best to be as playful as possible. We knew that purchasing a farm would open up new avenues of play for our kids. With a much bigger backyard than our previous suburban neighborhood could offer, we were excited to see how we could enhance our playfulness in this new setting. While future plans include a nature play area, mud kitchen, and so much more, we had to start small. 

Luckily, Mother Nature gave us a beautiful canvas to paint a portrait of play. Beyond the fenced in yard we had a larger piece to utilize. What started as a larger patch of boring old grass would be transformed into a creative outlet for our kids energy and enthusiasm. Just beyond the grass, we had a line of large trees that marked an unofficial dropoff into the wetland. Near these trees were rock piles to climb, and plants to explore. There were also plenty of medium and large-sized sticks the kids could collect and build with. It didn't take long before a stick shelter had been created around the trunk of one of these trees.

Though nature had plenty to offer, we wanted to add other opportunities as well. We were able to bring the backyard playset from our previous home along with an assortment of outdoor toys including chalk, water balloons, and a sand table with a million accessories. There were bikes, scooters, a mini swimming pool, and sprinkler toys. It would be hard-pressed to say you were bored in our backyard.

Yet, we continued to expand our playfulness. We added a climbing dome and hammocks to provide even more opportunities to be playful and take much needed play breaks.. 

Yet with all of these options, sometimes the most playful moments were unexpected and impossible to create. Maybe it was catching a toad. Maybe it was seeing a bird. Maybe it was a rainbow sunset.

I anticipate many more playful moments for our kids at the farm.

But adults have to have their fun too.