Backyard Fun for Canada Day
Our family is focusing on some backyard fun to celebrate Canada 150, so we were thrilled to test out some ideas in advance for the #ECMCanada150 Blog Hop! (Lots of local East Coast bloggers are sharing great Canada Day themed posts this week; check out the links when you get to the end.)
Canada Day is also the eldest Pickle’s birthday, so we tend to have a backyard full of folks celebrating each July 1st. I’ve wanted to do something decorative on the ground itself for parties in the past, but never quite got that far on the ‘could do’ list. So this #ECMCanada150 Blog Hop was the perfect occasion to make it happen. I decided to create a massive Canadian flag on the grass!
This project was seriously SO MUCH fun – and is responsible for adding a new go-to item to my summer must have list – landscape marking chalk!
If you’re not familiar with this stuff, it’s IDEAL for backyard fun, even though the intended uses are construction and landscaping. This spray chalk is safe for grass, gravel, and pavement. It stands up pretty well – two rain storms and a week later, the outline of our project remained, but one good mow of the lawn and it was gone.
It took a little online searching, but I was able to find both red & white “inverted marking paint” in stock at Home Depot. I quickly clicked ‘in store pick up’ and ordered my cans. Then it was off to Party City, where I found the perfect outline of a maple leaf for less than $2. (The paint was just over $10/can, so not the cheapest DIY party element, but I’m happy with what I spent for the fun we had!)
What do you think?
I think with some practice, that maple leaf could get sharp enough to really stand out – and the boys insisted it needed the flagpole to look authentic! I even like it just the outline, to be honest. A winding path of maple leaf outlines alternating in red and white could be quite stylish and ideal for a smaller yard.
I did try to freehand a larger version of the flag; I’d suggest keeping the scale smaller, as it took up most of the paint in the cans to fill in the larger flag – and at $10 per can, it could become a big investment. (I’d also suggest not inviting me over to try to freehand spray a maple leaf on your lawn; perhaps I should have grabbed a piece of bristol board and created another stencil! Maybe I should just start saying the kids made the bigger flag … )
We didn’t just make flags, of course! The landscaping chalk is now on my must-have summer list for long-lasting hop scotches, mini baseball diamonds, and all sorts of backyard shenanigans. Oh, and did I mention it comes in yellow, blue, and green, too?! Imagine the fun your family could have with a can of each!
If you’re looking for a quick, healthy snack after all the backyard fun, try our Watermelon Maple Leafs! These babies are super simple and always a huge hit. You’ll be the talk of the neighbourhood when you share these around. Enjoy them for Canada Day or anyday!
Have you checked out the list of Canada’s 150 Coolest Playgrounds yet? So many amazing places to play in this country! We’re thrilled to have helped feature Salisbury’s Highland Park as one of the great places to play in Canada.
Looking for even more awesome ways to celebrate Canada150? Check out these links from our fellow East Coast Bloggers – and search for #ECMCanada150 on social media!
I’ve never heard of landscape marking chalk. What a fun idea!
Now I totally want to spray-paint our yard! Love it!