How to Have More Fun in Your Backyard
Summer may be coming, but your backyard might look more like an empty space than a place to have some fun. But think of it as a blank canvas, with virtually endless possibilities for games, dining, and much more. These are some of the best ideas to ensure that there’ll always be something interesting happening in your yard this summer.
Back to Nature
There are many ways to attract beneficial and beautiful creatures to your backyard. You can plant a garden just for attracting butterflies or bees in one area of your yard and hang bird feeders in another. Whether there are children in the family or just adults, it can be fun to identify different species and learn about their habitats, lifespan, and range.
You can also use your space to repel unwanted pests like ants and mosquitoes, and ensure you’ve got flavorful food, too. Herbs like rosemary, peppermint, garlic, and thyme can all help keep ants at bay. For mosquitoes, lavender, basil, and lemon balm all help to keep them away. Fragrant marigolds are also great mosquito-deterrents.
Host a Dinner or Pizza Party
Mealtimes spent talking around the table seem to be a rare thing these days. But when you dine al fresco on the patio (no phones allowed), you can revive that tradition. In fact, you can move the entire kitchen outside and add an outdoor oven, even if you have only a small space.
The same is true of a bar – instead of having to constantly hit up the refrigerator inside, just hook up a small beer fridge to keep beverages cold. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can build your very own outdoor bar.
But maybe your yard isn’t ready for occupation yet. If that’s the case, you might want to consider making some upgrades first, like adding a backyard pizza oven.
Supersize Game Time
Whether it’s cards, chess, Scrabble, Jenga or Twister, you can buy or make your own life-sized outdoor version of it. Imagine a Jenga tower made of 2 x 4s or painting colored Twister circles on your grass with biodegradable paint. These are just a few of the many things you can do to maximize your time outside in the summer weather – and no, games aren’t just for kids.
Get Artsy
If you enjoy painting and drawing or want to learn how, this summer might just be the perfect time to get started. Now that you’ve added plants and bird feeders, you have plenty in the way of subjects to choose from. The same is true if you enjoy photography and want to hone your skills. Take a picture and blow it up for detail, and get out your easel or sketch pad.
When you’ve finished taking pictures, painting or drawing, set up an outdoor art gallery with some pieces of string and wooden clothes pins. Attach your work to the string with the pins and offer some delicious drinks and snacks from your outdoor brick oven during your showing.
For the little ones, you can mix and make your own chalkboard paint, then apply it to a big piece of plywood. Break out the chalk, and watch your kids get their Picasso on.
Rethink the Backyard Pool
What’s made of galvanized steel that can provide your family with hours of affordable fun? A stock tank pool! Normally used to provide water for livestock, this unique and fun idea will come in at way under the cost of installing, filling, and cleaning the traditional counterpart. Also known as a hillbilly pool, this idea can add loads of rustic charm, and you can glam it up with fairy lights and privacy curtains, too.
Nighttime Fun
Summer means you can take movie night outside, and with simple DIY grass-level lounge chairs, this is incredibly easy to do. Use a shower curtain, sheet or actual screen to show a new feature on the projector every night of the week. Hot night? Grab the floaties and watch from your new hillbilly pool.
If you or your significant other need a bit of space, this can also be taken outside. All you need is a small shed that you purchase or construct yourself. If it’s a man cave, hang up the TV, install some manly lights, and put the brewskis on ice. She sheds can also be decorated accordingly. Doing a bit of nighttime reading will definitely require some lighting and a super-comfy chair. You can even convert that space to an outdoor office for summer days.
Looking to keep your back yard all about getting together? There’s nothing simpler or better for family members of every age than a good old campfire, some roasted marshmallows, and star gazing. If you’ve got musicians in the family, why not break out a few guitars and your voices, and sing some favorites while you’re out there?
Your Own Spot in the Trees
Have you got trees on your property? If so, these can be the perfect locations for hammocks and hanging chairs, both perfect for reading, lounging, and cuddling. Another great idea for adults and kids alike is to build a simple treehouse, and then let imaginations fly; you’d be surprised at what you can improvise.
Throw Some Shade
We mean in the literal sense! Ensuring your back yard has adequate shade is absolutely essential to keeping the summer fun going. For example, if your new stock tank pool is in a really sunny spot, you can create shade with a big beach umbrella.
Any hammocks installed on the ground will benefit from the same strategy, but you don’t necessarily have to stick with just an umbrella; for example, draping a large curtain over an umbrella will not only filter the sunlight, but can also add a chic element to the look of your backyard.
And of course, you’ll definitely want to ensure any dining or lounging areas of your backyard are covered too.
Give Your Patio a New Look
Small changes can be enough to completely transform any backyard. Your patio can get a complete refresh when you install or make space for new patio stones. If you’re tired of looking at your old barbecue and want something different, think outdoor kitchen. Imagine having a space to prepare food, as well as cook, serve, and wash dishes, all without having to transfer anything to the inside of your home.
Add a New Appliance
We don’t blame you if you want to keep your barbecue. Who wouldn’t? But for those times when you want something totally different, outdoor pizza ovens can fit the bill. Not only do they look great, but today’s ovens offer modern materials along with all of the benefits people have been enjoying from these ovens for years.
Pizza ovens are masters at fast cooking, which is nowhere near the same thing as fast food. The sheer heat of the inside of a pizza oven, and the fact that it holds heat so well, means that any food you cook will take only a fraction of the time to make when compared to a traditional oven.
And if it’s nutrition you want, these ovens definitely deliver; because of the shorter cooking time, nutrients and flavors simply don’t have time to leave your food. So you and anyone else who gets to enjoy your culinary creations will reap all of the flavor and health benefits.
Complete Your Backyard Space
When you choose a pizza oven from Fontana Forni, you’re getting all of the heat-sealing benefits of brick pizza ovens, but with the beauty and convenience of modern materials. We use two kinds of stainless steel in our 100% Italian-constructed ovens, and there’s one to fit every backyard space. Visit us online or call now to learn more at 877-842-9822.
