Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

When children of today are compared to those of generations past, they are spending up to 60% less time with nature and in the outdoors. The lives of children have become more driven by technology and less driven by climbing trees and hiking on nature trails. There are huge benefits of having children spending their free time outdoors and in nature, including an increase exposure to vitamin D through natural sunlight, increased activity and exercise, as well as exploring and learning about the natural environment.

There are many activities that adults can do alongside children to re-explore the outdoors.

Invite the wilderness into your backyard – Have areas of your backyard include planted flowers which will attract beautiful butterflies. Add a bird feeder to a backyard tree or to your back porch area. Create areas of your yard that will feature prairie plants or shrubs, perfect for hide-and-go-seek.

Use your trees for learning – Trees in your backyard can create a serene and natural learning environment. Instead of having homework time at the kitchen table, or in a bedroom, have it underneath the shade of a tree. Doing so may even spark some creativity.

Create time for outdoor play – By building outdoor play into your home schedule children will benefit from in various ways. Studies have reported that children who play outdoors not only benefit physically but mentally as well. Nature has been shown to stimulate creativity and imagination. Those children who play with others outdoors have been shown to be more successful in collaborative thinking, social problem solving, and even language skills.

Knowing local nature will keep kids safe – Having your child learn about the local natural animals and plants that surround them will keep them safe. Knowing which snakes are dangerous or knowing which leaves can cause itching and allergic reactions can help prevent accidents.

Create a calming place – With all of the sensory stimulation available to children today, some may need a place to go where they can be calm, quiet, and feel free to explore with all five of their senses. Hearing the birds or feeling the grass can do wonders for a child’s ability to self-soothe.

Here are some fun outdoor activities you can do with your child:

Backyard Scavenger Hunt – Create a list of natural items that can be found in your backyard. See who can find the most items, or who can find them all the fastest.

That’s My Tree! – Plant trees from seedlings and watch them grow. A fun twist would be to name the trees and create conversations about the growing and aging of the tree.

Edible Garden – Create a garden of vegetables, fruits, or herbs and use the produce that you grow in the food that you eat.

Children are natural explorers and if allowed the opportunity, can be quite curious about the natural world that surrounds them. Put the wild back into your child and make a re-introduction to your back yard and beyond.

Making your own mulch has lots of blooming benefits for your yard and your wallet.

Mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial practices you can use in the garden. Mulch is simply a protective layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil.

Mulches can either be organic -- such as grass clippings, straw, bark chips, and similar materials -- or inorganic -- such as stones, brick chips, and plastic. Both organic and inorganic mulches have numerous benefits.

Also, think of how many trips to the store you’ll save.

Mulches also improve the condition of the soil. As these mulches slowly decompose, they provide organic matter which helps keep the soil loose.

This improves root growth, increases the infiltration of water, and also improves the water-holding capacity of the soil. Organic matter is a source of plant nutrients and provides an ideal environment for earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms.

While inorganic mulches have their place in certain landscapes, they lack the soil improving properties of organic mulches. Inorganic mulches, because of their permanence, may be difficult to remove if you decide to change your garden plans at a later date.

You can find mulch materials in your own yard. Lawn clippings make excellent mulch. While not particularly attractive for a flower bed, they work wonderfully in the vegetable garden.

The fine texture allows them to be spread easily even around small plants. However, grass clippings are becoming scarce because of the increased popularity of mulching lawnmowers that provide many of the same benefits of mulching to lawns.

Newspaper, as a mulch, works especially well to control weeds. Leaves are another readily available material to use as mulch. Leaf mold, or the decomposed remains of leaves, gives the forest floor its absorbent spongy structure.

Compost makes a wonderful mulch if you have a large supply. Compost not only improves the soil structure but provides an excellent source of plant nutrients.

Bark chips and composted bark mulch are available at garden centers. These make a neat finish to the garden bed and will eventually improve the condition of the soil.

These may last for one to three years or more depending on the size of the chips or how well composed the bark mulch is. Smaller chips tend to be easier to spread, especially around small plants.

Depending on where you live, numerous other materials make excellent mulches. Hay and straw work well in the vegetable garden, although they may harbor weed seeds.

Seaweed mulch, ground corn cobs, and pine needles can also be used. Pine needles tend to increase the acidity of the soil so they work best around acid-loving plants such as rhododendrons and blueberries.

Be sure to call Embark Tree and Landscape Services for all your landscape needs.