Fun Outdoor Project

Build a Tree House

Tree houses can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make them, and they're as fun to build as they are to use once they're completed. With the size of the tree as your "canvas" and your imagination ready to fill in the rest, tree houses can range from simple four-walled structures to fully operational playhouses for you and the kids. Tire swings, slides, rope ladders, secret escape hatches, and hammocks are all potential accessories that will only add to a tree house's usefulness, aesthetics, and enjoyment factor.

Plant a Garden

Like a tree house, a garden is entirely a product of one's imagination. They can be used for practical purposes, like growing fruits and vegetables, or landscaping a house for visual appeal, but many people plant a garden simply to enjoy the process and explore their own creativity. There are no formal rules for any garden; they are completely the product of a designer's imagination. Everything from flowers to sculptures to piles of rocks can be used. Explore what you can do with your own unique tastes and the space in which you have to work. The best part is that if you're unhappy with it, you can always start fresh next year.

Build a Backyard Hockey Rink

When the cold weather arrives, it's tempting to shut the blinds, curl up on the couch and wait until spring, but winter has its share of opportunities for fun outdoor projects as well. As long as your backyard is relatively flat, the process is as easy as digging post holes, laying wood boards and plastic liner, and flooding it with the hose. It's a low cost, low maintenance operation that offers hours of outdoor entertainment for you, your family members, and your friends and neighbors. With the exception of the plastic liner, all the materials are reusable next year, too.

Decorate Your House Seasonally

The changing of the seasons provides many opportunities to decorate your house in celebration of their arrival. Each season has its own set of holidays, so perhaps build references to those into your decorating theme. Whether it's red and green lights during the winter holidays, a pilgrim or farm theme during Thanksgiving and the fall harvest, or serving dishes made from seasonal fruits and vegetables to friends at an outdoor dinner party, decorating your home with each new season is a fun way to ignite your own creativity and provide some variety to outdoor tasks.