Now that you have laid your perfect lawn, watered it and watched it grow, it’s time to do something else with it other than mowing and edging. Here are five fun ways to really enjoy your lawn.
Lawn Scrabble
Who would have thought that the favourite indoor pastime Scrabble could be played outdoors too? If you’re handy with timber and tools perhaps you could whip up your own reusable board and pieces (using the board game as a reference, see picture) for some outdoor mind games. Or maybe an old bed sheet can be used as the board (write the squares on with marker pen) and a spare yoga mat can be cut up and used for letter pieces.
Obstacle-a-thon (with or without a ball)
Ramp up the competition with a backyard obstacle course made from garden furniture and other items you have around your home and yard. Kick a ball around a course bordered by buckets, crawl under chairs, limbo under broomsticks – your imagination and equipment are your only limits. Time contestants around the circuit you devise. Increase levels of difficulty by making participants wear a special hat or sing a song whilst completing the course.
Balloon Volleyball
This game is great for keeping everyone entertained for hours. All ages can participate in this game. Split the participants into two teams. Blow up a balloon. Hit the balloon back and forth between the teams with your hands and don’t let it touch the ground. A team wins a point by making the other team drop the balloon. It pays to have a ready supply of balloons, or perhaps a beach ball, as grass can be sharp to delicate balloons.
Quintessential backyard cricket
How good is playing cricket in your own backyard on a scorching summer’s day! All you need is a bat, a ball (tennis balls are great for this) and some fielders. Create ready-made stumps from a wheelie bin or a chair. Traditionally everyone except the batsman is fielding and everyone rotates and takes a turn at trying to hit some runs! Have some fun developing your own rules and backyard traditions.
Quoits / ring toss
Quoits is a fun game for both young and old. If you have a quoits set, great! However it is easy to make your own for hours of entertainment. You will need about 2.5 metres of garden hose cut into six lengths roughly 40 centimetres long and six dowel lengths about three centimetres long, the dowel needs to fit snugly inside your hose. Curl each hose length into a circle and use the dowel to hold the ends. Next, hammer a garden stake into a clear position in the lawn. Stand about three metres back from the stake, and try to loop the quoit onto it. Don’t have spare garden hose? You could use a bucket and some rice filled balloons instead.
Don’t be afraid to enjoy your backyard now. You are creating memories to enjoy forever.
About the Author: Tony Cross is "great outdoors evangelist" and expert in gardening, landscaping and lawn beautification. His business, Caboolture Turf is the leading supplier of Sir Walter Turf in Brisbane and the largest advocate of healthy outdoor activities for families.