If you have children, I imagine there are times during the school year when you feel caught up in an endless swirl of school activities, car pools and soccer games. Throw in dinner prep, homework and laundry on top of that and it can feel hard to find a spare moment to sit back and just take in the world around you.
This is one of the reasons that I love summer. Besides having more time to enjoy my children, the pace of our family slows down considerably. The television is off because I no longer “need just 30 minutes” to get something done around the house. We are outside almost all day with nothing but our imaginations and a sense of adventure. Isn’t this what childhood is all about - taking the time to notice a bird’s nest high up in an Oak tree, listening to the sound of crickets and catching fireflies in a mason jar?
I generally get away to the North woods of Michigan during the summer where the kids and I catch crayfish and minnows in small nets and where the sound of the waves lapping against the rocks is a welcome change from the sound of traffic and fire trucks. It’s also where nature and our imaginations collide to create things we’d never have the time to even consider doing back home. Hence, our latest creation: a Gnome House.
My daughter has been obsessed with fairies for years and consequently, it has rubbed off on one of my son’s in the form of a fascination with all things Gnome. This project was very simple. All you need is a hot glue gun and whatever you can find around your yard or during a nature walk. As you can see, we started with a large flat stone as our base and built up from there using a variety of smaller river stones, tree bark, driftwood, pinecones, shells and acorn tops.
Tucked amongst the daisies in our yard, we’re waiting for some Gnomes to visit.
What are your favorite crafty outdoor activities?
