(BPT) - When summer rolls around, it can be challenging to keep all of your family members busy doing fun activities together, getting everyone away from screens and learning new skills. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy projects you can try that will not only be creative and interesting, but can enhance your outdoor living space for many summers to come.
Here are just a few projects you can do with your kids, courtesy of the DIY experts at Arrow Fastener, the leader in manual, electric and cordless fastening tools, and manufacturer of the world's best-selling staple gun, the T50®.
1. Encourage green thumbs with this simple DIY Pallet Garden Wall
Want to add a pop of color with bright flowers, or create a mini kitchen garden with tasty herbs? All you need to make this project is a wooden pallet, landscaping fabric, potting soil, whatever plants you want to use, plus some extra wood scraps — along with your handy Arrow T50 Staple Gun — and you can create a mini garden wall to grace your outdoor space. This is an easy project for beginning DIYers, and you can let kids of any age help choose what to grow, and learn how to water and care for the plants all summer long.
2. Spruce up your picnic table with colorful Picnic Table Cushioned Seats
If you have an old wooden picnic table or other wooden benches that can be hard to sit on, consider creating these cushioned seats to add a touch of style as well as comfort. Using the T50DCD Cordless Staple Gun, a pretty vinyl or plastic tablecloth and some outdoor-approved foam, you can quickly and easily transform an old picnic table into a pleasant outdoor eating experience.
3. Safeguard your herbs, veggies or flowers with a Raised Garden Bed
You can help protect whatever you want to grow from many nibbling marauders, while at the same time making it easier to tend to your plants by making a raised bed with a fence. This is a little more advanced project, using the Arrow T50 Staple Gun and their PT18G Pneumatic Brad Nailer. The instructions are set to build a 4' x 4' x 2' bed, but you can alter the directions to a size that better fits your outdoor space.
4. Add curb appeal with this Outdoor Flower Box
Could the outside of your home use a pop of color? Learn how to build an outdoor flower box using the Arrow PT18G Pneumatic Brad Nailer and the Arrow T50HS Staple Gun for an easy way to add some curb appeal to your home's exterior. This flower box can also hang off a deck rail or be placed on a garden wall. While grownups or older kids may have to do the majority of the construction, even young children can help with painting and/or planting the flowers once the project is completed.
5. Invite feathered friends to visit with this pretty Birdhouse
Bird lovers everywhere will enjoy creating this home for your favorite winged friends. You'll need an Arrow GT30Li cordless glue gun, a cedar board and some fun dollhouse trim to create this eye-catching birdhouse. Younger children can paint and decorate the birdhouse, and will enjoy keeping an eye out for its new inhabitants. You can hang your birdhouse using eye bolts with a length of small chain or wire, or attach a birdhouse hanger bracket to the back so you can securely mount it to a fence or tree. Be sure to place your birdhouse somewhere everyone can easily see it, such as in the garden or on a tree outside your kitchen window.
Ready to get started? Visit ArrowFastener.com/projects for these and many more easy DIY projects to try with your family this summer.