Bring the Farm to the Suburbs

I am an Illinois Farm Families blogger and receive compensation in exchange for my posts. All opinions and discussion starters are my own!

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One of the greatest elements of the Illinois Farm Families and their programs to incorporate City Moms is that we get an insider’s view of what it’s like to do life on and raise a family on the farm. Even though my husband and I don’t plan on starting a rural life, there are still ways we can bring the farm to the suburbs by making subtle changes and incorporating more natural elements into our every day life.

1. Start by prepping your garden indoors – use a recycled soda bottle make a mini greenhouse!

I love this idea because it serves two purposes – recycling and starts you on the path to incorporating green elements back into your every day living. Plus, this is a project the kids could definitely enjoy watching progress.

2. Prep your garden and monitor your “crops” with painted rock markers.

Kids will love getting creative using natural elements to create garden markers to monitor what’s growing where. Whether you stick to flowers or add in fruits and vegetables, these painted markers will help you monitor their progress.

3. A Mason Jar Herb Garden is perfect for recipes & at-home cooking.

These simple spice creations will assist in adding fresh oomph to your traditional recipes and are easily transferrable outdoors. I also love this idea because you can start on these indoors until the weather cooperates enough to move things outdoors.

4. Enjoy more meals outdoors with this simple kids’ picnic table.

This is definitely on my honey-do list later this summer and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. My boys will LOVE spending time here enjoying the sunshine and basking in the glow while enjoying nature to the full extent.

5. When in doubt, bring the farm indoors.

We get enough rainy days throughout the season, create your very own farm out of a big box! Your kids will love exploring and creating their own harvest with their own play space.

I love that the Illinois Farm Families is working hard to make farm life and learning about agriculture accessible to everyone. It’s an open dialogue where we can start to get a real understanding for how things work. Until I head out to buy my own land, I think I’ll settle for learning more from other farmers and bringing a little bit of the farm here.

What are some of your favorite ways for bringing a bit of agriculture and the great outdoors to your own home?