We recently started working on some of the landscaping in the backyard. I wanted to plant more deer resistant, but also bird an butterfly friendly plants, but we also wanted it to be easier to control the grass around the plants. While the baby slept(hooray!), my husband and I got to work planting, mulching, and laying stone boundaries.
Our older boys walked around the property trying to catch butterflies. They came back with toads. Or one road that kept jumping away. They were so excited.
This is the kind of stuff I day dream of. Dad and I working while the littles explore the world and find nature and adventure.
That’s when I knew we needed to make houses for our resident toads. It was the third we had come across in that area in two days. Toads can be very beneficial to gardens by eating pest insects. Plus, it’s just neat to find them hanging around.
We took some terra-cotta pots and after several unsuccessful tries with my dremel, I finally used the handle of a paint scraper and broke a doorway in each one. I used my dremel to soften the edges. My oldest decided that nearly 9 is too old to enjoy such crafts. My five year old and I set to work decorating ours with old tiles pieces I had held onto from an older project and some rocks we purchased. It took several bottles of gel superglue, but we were both pretty pleased with the outcome.
Now the toads have some rockin houses to come home to and I have some pretty decorations in my backyard 🙂
What projects have you been able to get your kids involved in with the garden or homestead?
A Hen and Her Chicks 