I've wanted to do this for a long time, and finally did it on Saturday - we all went out and worked in the yard!!! Kids - it's time to go rake Pine needles!
Pros of having lots of pine trees in your back yard:
Shade, beauty, privacy
Con of having pine trees in your back yard:
Pine needles
The kids only complained for the first 30 minutes, then they started to do a lot better when they'd look up from their work and say "Wow, this looks so much better! I like to work!" We all voted and decided to try to work on the yard every Saturday for 3 hours. If we all work together and work quickly, we are hoping we can stay on top of it.
Staion 1: Sweeping off the Patio
Two people at Station 2: Raking up the pine needles
(Lily wasn't very effective at this station, but working is about getting the job done AND teaching the kids to participate, so Lily gets to participate even if she scatters the piles and puts pine needles back on the grass)Station 3: Collecting Piles and taking them to the Pine Needles Pile
(happy that we found another way to use snow shovels during the spring and summertime!)Station 4: Pine Needle Pile Shoveler -
Station 2 raked the needles onto the dirt, and Station 4 Hyrum pulled the piles over to the master pile. I was so happy, cause I thought "This is GREAT!! I don't need a farm to teach my kids work by shoveling hay cause we've got pine needles galore that they can shovel!" So with a pitch fork we had station 4 assigned to Hyrum.Station 5: Pinecone picker upper girl Abi
Station 6: Cheerleader Sophia
I don't feel on bit sorry for your kids;) I lived on 5 acres with over 200 pine trees on it and every Saturday we had to rake and pick up pincones until our fingers were raw. My parents also used it as punishment. Instead of grounding they'd section of a part of the yard and we had to rake and clear it. That's one reason I will never have a big yard. I detest yard work from my childhood. Good job having the kids pitch in and they even have smiles on their faces.
ReplyDeletethat's funny amy - and good idea on using it for a punishment! I don't think we'll ever have our yard cleared, I can't imagine 5 acres!
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