Pimp my yard!

My brother and his gorgeous wifey Janet have two little boys, Sonny and Luca...and the 

smallest back yard!

Luckily there are loads of great parks and play centres within a short distance of their house - but we thought it would be nice if they could use their outside space to better effect.

Both the boys had a birthday last month, Sonny turned 2 and Luca 1, so we got together with Nelly/G Kisby and decided to 'pimp their yard' as a joint present. This weekend the family were away with friends, and the forecast was dry (ish) so we set to with gusto!

Now, this was always going to be a challenge....the budget (£100) disappeared fast and the Victorian brickwork did not like the drill. Next doors dog didn't like the drill either. And the weather wasn't as dry as the man on the BBC said. 

HOWEVER...the bacon butties (thanks Granny) and delicious cake (thanks Tracy) kept us going and here's what we did:

As Sonny and Luca are still small we decided to keep all the activities at ground level. The raised border is ripe for making into a larger scale sand/bark pit - maybe next year! So that left us the small rectangle.

Now, Cleggy works in Early Years(abcdoes.com) so had tons of ideas (that the budget didn't allow!) and was really keen to make plenty of provision for mark making.

 We did 2 boards - one fixed directly onto the wall for chalking on, and one on battons so you can use pegs to attach paper on for painting etc. 

 For extra options we chose magentic blackboard paint (B+Q) - which

actually worked! 

It's best to roller it on for a smoother finish (said Mr Clegg)

Next was an area for imaginative water play. There was an old pulley attached to the wall so we hung a bucket from it - hours of fun! The guttering was cut to size and attached using the clips a builder would use, and placed at angles so the water tumbles down. It could be made higher as the boys grow - and can be used with other things such as different sized balls etc if the boys need to stay dry. The bowls,cups and funnels were all really cheap from Asda.

We brightened the opposite wall up by hanging some old buckets from Casa Clegg. They are filled with herbs that the boys can smell (and M and J can use!)

The little gardening set and mini brush are from B&Q.

We filled some big plastic tubs with some of my boys old toys, dinosaurs, cars etc

and no garden would be complete without a chipper nelly sign!

The boys were a big help:

 

(no idea where Alfie was!)

and here's the final ta daa

We all hope your new revamped yard gives you hours of fun boys...

and gives your Mum and Dad ten precious minutes peace now and again! 

Fee x

(yes, I know using the word 'pimp' might attract some unwanted blog visits - kind of think it serves them right!)