It’s Canada Day weekend, and that means it’s a great time to get outside with your friends and family. After a relatively solid two months of landscape maintenance time, the commercial and residential properties we care for are looking pretty ship-shape. There’s always more we can do, of course, however we are pleased to be able to share our hard work for you and your loved ones to enjoy this holiday long weekend.
Here are some entertaining outdoor activities to celebrate Canada’s birthday this year.
- Draw Canada! Stage a geography lesson while reminding the kids what the Canada Day weekend is all about by having them draw Canada and all of its provinces and territories using sidewalk chalk. Get extra credit for putting in and naming all of the Great Lakes!
- Leaf rubbings. Place a piece of paper over top of the different types of leaves in your garden and rub on top using a crayon. You’ll get a pretty representation detailing the leaf’s outline and all of its veins and ridges.
- Make a nature scavenger hunt: Get the kids out the door and moving with a small nature scavenger hunt. Have them find certain types of trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials to make it a gardening lesson at the same time. At the end, bury the treasure (mostly so it doesn’t get accidentally found), but also to provide a bit of a lesson about dirt, root systems and how things actually grow.
- Set up sprinklers. A classic! Running through a sprinkler is always fun, and you’ll get the added benefit of moisture for your lawn. Just be sure to move the sprinkler around a few times!
- Build a slip n’ slide: These are easily made with a roll of thick plastic, garden staples, duct tape, a hose and some liquid detergent. Hold down the plastic with the staples, and make sure to cover the staples with duct tape so nobody is accidentally scratched or hurt. The liquid detergent works well to add a little slip to your slide.
- Build a mini-golf course: This may seem hard, but it’s not really. You will just need a number of household items such as empty cereal boxes, cans, books for ramps, etc. Anything and everything you can putt a golf ball through, over or around. This article has a lot of good ideas, just make sure the kids know that their clubs are not weapons!
- Soap bubbles: Soap bubbles provide endless hours of enjoyment. We suggest heading to the nearest dollar store for the supplies.
- Lawn games: Dozens and dozens of lawn games exist, with some of the more popular and enduring including lawn bowling, lawn darts, croquet and horseshoes.
Fun Yard Additions for Adults
Adults can have fun in the yard, too. It can just take a little more planning. As landscape construction experts we can help add a whole new dimension to your outdoor space. Some suggestions include:
- Planning a patio starts with deciding its purpose and location. Adding a patio to someone’s yard is one of our favourite projects. We can picture the enjoyment it will bring to the homeowners.
- A deck can be a functional sanctuary for your family and friends. There’s nothing better than dining al fresco on a summer’s night, and a deck can be the perfect extension of your home to provide both comfort and convenience.
- Build a fire pit to provide a nighttime gathering place. Be respectful of your neighbours and follow city by-laws, which include not building within 2 metres of any property line, fencing, structure, or overhanging vegetation, and keeping the fire to a reasonable size of no more than 1 metre in height and breadth. Of course, never leave your fire pit unattended.
Love Your Yard With Mirage Landscaping of Calgary
Experience counts for a lot when you’re looking for a reliable commercial and residential landscaping company, and that’s what makes Mirage Landscaping your choice for the best landscaping services in southeast Calgary. The pros at Mirage have been doing great work at surprisingly affordable prices for three generations.
We specialize in maintaining properties in these southeast Calgary districts and communities:
- Auburn Bay, Chaparral, Chaparral Valley, Copperfield, Cranston, Douglasdale, Heritage Pointe, Lake Bonavista, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, Mackenzie Towne, Maple Ridge, New Brighton, Odgen/Lynwood/Millican, Parkland, Riverbend, Sundance, Walden, and Willow Park.
