I’m so excited to share on of our latest backyard producers of fun and enjoyment! We have a love-hate relationship with our yard, but it seems as though love is winning the more time we spend back there, and the more energy (and money) we put into making it nice.

The hate comes from the fact that it’s A LOT of work! Mowing, trimming, weeding, watering, and praying for the grass to grow into the bare patches of lawn all takes up a great deal of time. We also have a kiwi tree (yes, in Seattle), which grows out of control every summer, that we have to work to control and maintain.

This spring though it just feels different. It feels as though our hard work is paying off, and we are seeing the beauty of having a small patch of green earth that we can spend time in and relax in as a family.

I’m hoping our Bergen (our 4.5 year old) will feel the same way, so in order to create an additional play space for him, we took some time on a recent afternoon to make a mini-rockery together. We both saw the project in Dawn Isaac’s book, “101 Things for Kids to Do Outside“, and were really drawn to the idea.

Bergen loved it because of his keenness toward rocks, stones, and pebbles, and love the idea for it’s simplicity and availability of so many possibilities. And practically speaking, for one reason or another, we have an excessive amount of rocks in certain areas of yard, so I also thought we could put those to good use!

How to Build a Mini-Rockery

With guidance from the book (it’s on page 26), here’s how we went about building our mini-rockery:

1. Collect rocks big and small.

We already had plenty from our backyard, but I suppose you could take some time to build a collection from places you hike and explore. I imagine Bergen will also add to the set-up as he collects treasures on our outdoor adventures.

2. Arrange rocks.

We started with larger rocks as a base, and then filled in the tops and sides with smaller rocks and stones.

3. Add a few plants.

As the author suggests, it’s best to select low-growing trailing plants that will creep and cover the ground. Since we just planted a few days ago, it will be a little while before our plants start to travel, and get more incorporated into the rockery.

4. Bring in additional “characters” for imaginative play.

Bergen grabbed a few of his plastic animals (lion, elephant, alligator, snake, etc), which as given him plenty of material to create some fun stories and situations.

The mini-rockery is just ONE of the ideas in the 101 Things for Kids to Do Outside book (which we received a review copy of). Stay tuned as we share more of the projects that we try out.