Front Porch Getaway

Samedh and I have been spending lots of time on our front porch this summer. Unlike our deck, which faces south and gets so hot and full of wasps during the afternoon, the front porch is the perfect shady spot for outdoor activities. We found a wonderful kid's picnic table at a garage sale this spring, and it is the focal point of many outdoor activities. Samedh has a plastic tub that we fill with water (calls it his "water table") and he can splash around with his bath toys and measuring cups, etc. Or, we have another large plastic container that is filled with dried macaroni, lentils, moong dal, black eyed peas and rice. Samedh calls that his "macaroni bin". He uses cups and scoops and other small construction toys to dig around in the dried materials, and can spend 2-3 hours at a stretch doing so. Another activity we added to the porch recently is Playdough. We got a Bob the Builder Playdough set from one of my cousins last summer, and this quickly became one of Samedh's new favorites. It is so much easier doing these activities outside. Even lunch and snack time are more enjoyable. The only thing we have to keep an eye on is the bumble bee who frequents our porch for his snack time on my petunias.