Any parent knows that one of the most difficult things to do is keep children entertained. Sometimes, though, it is not just the kids who end up bored. If you had planned a relaxing weekend for yourself, and you find that having nothing to do is doing nothing for you, then it might be time to join the kids in a brainstorming session, especially if they too are lodging complaints about the lack of anything to do.
If anyone feels that the weekend needs a little bit more excitement, consider one of these three DIY weekend projects.
- Home greenhouse.
- Home documentary.
- Easy home projects.
This is one of those ideal DIY weekend projects whether you have a garden or not. You do not need to have an actual greenhouse, or even a sun-room, to enjoy a variety of plant life in your home. All you need is a clear space near a sunny window, and table to start setting up your in-home greenhouse. Take the kids with you to the local home goods store to pick out a variety of fun pots and planters, some soil, and an assortment of plants. Bring everything home and spread out some newspapers on a table and everyone can work together to house the new plants in their pots, and arrange them on the designated table.
You can extend the mileage of this project for the kids by asking for their help in decorating the greenhouse, and finding ways to creatively arrange the plants. Maybe some pots should sit on top of shorts stacks of old books? The key here is to let creativity and imagination steer you to a fun result.
Not all home DIY projects need to be made with paint, glitter, and construction paper. If your children are a little older, then they might be interested in helping you to create a home documentary. For this you will need a handheld camera, and children that have an interest in documenting a day in the life of your family. This activity could take up an entire day, but to keep your children entertained throughout, make a list of certain events or “persons of interest” that should be documented. For example, what does the cat do all day? Is there a baby sibling that could use some camera time? How does the evening meal get prepared?
If a greenhouse or a home documentary are a little bit too work-intensive for DIY weekend projects in your family, then consider creating easy instant abstract paintings. You can find plenty of tutorials online for this, but the basic premise is to create a fool-proof painting that will look good even if it is bad. Limiting a palette to colors that match your decor, and using fun methods to structure the way the painting is created are key. Use strips of tape to mask fun designs onto your canvas, or give your children guidelines. For example, each painting should have one circle, any size, and each painting should have some of the paint gently scratched away to reveal colors underneath.
For a DIY weekend project, the only limits to what you can do are the limits you impose upon yourself and your children. Look online for inspiring ideas, take a fun family trip to the craft store, or try to use only items that you have at home. Most importantly, get in on the project with the kids if you want to truly have a good time.