Active Aging Presented by Public Health Seattle-King County
Doing outdoor crafts is a fun way for older adults to be active and stretch their imagination. After spending a long winter indoors, stepping outside to soak up the summer sun and complete some new projects helps you get natural vitamin D and feel a sense of accomplishment. It can also boost your spirits and engage your mind. If you need some ideas, here’s a list of easy outdoor crafts.
Flower Planter
You don’t have to be an expert gardener to make some fun craft projects that will enhance the look of your garden or outdoor space. One easy idea that’s also planet-friendly is to turn an old, galvanized tub, wheelbarrow, or mailbox into a planter. Be sure to install drain holes in the bottom of the tub for excess water to run out after watering.
Old Salt Farm sharesstep-by-step instructionson how to create a washtub planter perfect for holding an array of pretty flowers or even an herb garden!
You can also make colorful hanging flower planters by upcycling, painting, and stringing rope or twine through empty plastic containers. Hanging planters brighten up a front porch, back deck, or even a tree branch in the yard.Get instructions from Hello Glow.
DIY Birdhouse or Bird Feeder
Birds add visual and audible beauty to the yard, and making a cute birdhouse will give them an eye-catching place to perch when they visit. Building a basic birdhouse isn’t too complicated, and they come in all kinds of designs. A DIY birdhouse is also fun to do with a friend or family member, including your grandchild!
Robin’s Nesting Place’sadorable DIY teapot bird feederis made from a dresser drawer!
If you don’t want to build your own, painting a premade or unfinished birdhouse is another craft you can do outdoors at a patio or picnic table. Plus, painting is good for focus and hand-eye coordination.
Suncatcher
Watching the sun stream through a suncatcher is a beautiful way to appreciate nature and the gift of sunshine, and making your own is easy!100 Directions shares an easy DIY suncatcher projectmade with wide mason jar rings, coloring pages, olive oil, glue, and twine. You can use any coloring book pages you’d like and color them with some of your favorites. This craft uses watercolor paints, but you can also use crayons or markers.
Rock and Pinecone Painting
Painting rocks and pinecones is a simple craft that allows you to stretch your creativity in multiple directions. For instance, you can paint a large rock a solid base color and add a word like “Garden” or “Welcome” and use it as a garden stone. You can also paint smaller rocks in various colors and then put them in a clear mason jar to make a pretty picnic table centerpiece. Favecrafts has an example ofDIY Garden Stones that look like vegetables.
Pinecones are also popular décor items andeasy to paint. Some flower shops even pay for bags of them to use in wreaths and flower arrangements. For special events or holidays, dust them in glitter for extra sparkle on a table or mantle.
Mason Jar Tealight Holder
Candles enhance indoor and outdoor spaces, and you can make tealight holders to display them out of mason jars! To start, paint the jar any color you’d like. Fun summer shades are bright—like orange, lime green, yellow, and teal. Cheap Eats & Thrifty Craftshas easy directionsfor this craft, which requires a 16-gauge wire to serve as a base for the tealight when you put it inside the jar.You can dress up your outdoor table with the finished jars and even help repel mosquitos by placing citronella tealights in them.
Crochet Crafts
If you love to crochet, there’s nothing more relaxing than sitting out on the deck, sipping some lemonade, and whipping up a new creation. ThesePink Grapefruit Dishclothsfrom Favecrafts feature cheery summer colors that you can use indoors and outdoors. You can also makesummer placemats, these prettypatio pillows from Winding Road Crochet, and much more with some bright-colored yarn, crochet needles, a fun pattern, and your spare time.
These are just a few of the thousands of summer craft projects you can do outdoors while you enjoy the sun this season. Happy crafting!
Active Aging is presented by Public Health- Seattle & King County. Public Health- Seattle & King County recognizes the important and untold stories of innovation, service, and sacrifice by the Black community and supports efforts to improve equity and achieve social justice. We want everyone to get health insurance and access health care. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/health for health insurance, flu and COVID-19 testing locations.
