Outdoor Activities: Backyard Pretend Spa
Plan a day of pampering and pools without leaving the yard.
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
OK, it's not exactly Canyon Ranch, but your spa partner couldn't be cuter. Try this outdoor activity for a great mother-daughter bonding experience.
- Spa clients:You and your child.
- Kiddie pool
- Garden hose
- Mud mask:Try some affordable Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay.
- Cucumber slices
- Pitcher and glasses:Preferably plastic.
- Bubble bath
- Body scrub and loofah or wash cloth:You'll finally get a chance to use your Mother's Day gift from last year!
- Yoga mat:Optional, but will help you do a mean plank pose.
- Bathing suits
- Pitcher of water and glasses:Add lemon or cucumber slices for that authentic spa feel!
- Towels or robes
- Tea
Set up your spa. Get your child to help you gather the supplies using the above list as a guideline. You don't need to use everything listed (or you can go hog wild and get twice as much!). Just gather up all the bath goodies you end up buying at the mall and you're good to go.
Prepare your lemon/cucumber water in a pitcher. Set aside a few extra cucumber slices to put on your eyes.
Put on your bathing suits and slather on the sunscreen.
Get your kid to help you fill the kiddie pool up with warm water. (Yeah, it's a drag hauling all that water out to the yard, but think of it as a pre-spa workout.)
If you have the option of hooking your hose up to the warm water, run it into the pool to create a whirlpool effect. Otherwise, you'll just have to add a bunch of bubble bath and let your kid run a couple of laps around the pool to get some bubble action happening.
Now, get your "om" on! Start your spa day with a relaxing yoga routine. Do a few sun salutations with your child. (If the phrase downward dog brings to mind images of Spot digging in the dirt rather than a restorative pose, brush up on your yoga.)
Wind down your workout with a cool glass of your spa water.
Next, lather on your mud mask. You can just put it on your faces, or you can coat your whole bodies in mud for a full body wrap.
Lie down in the sun and let your mud masks dry. Don't forget to put the cucumber slices on your eyes while you're waiting!
Hit the "Jacuzzi" and scrub down with the body scrub and loofa or wash cloth. (Your skin should be almost as soft as your baby's by now.)- When you're finished, wrap yourselves up in robes, grab some tea and bask in your own glow (if not from the scrubs and masks, then from the quality time you spent together! Ahhhh!).
- If you don't have a backyard, you can do most of this outdoor activity indoors. Make your bathroom a mini girls' lounge. Just use your bathtub as the Jacuzzi (minus the garden hose, obviously).
- Kid not keen on the cucumber water? Mix up a batch of Magenta's Pink Lemonade from Nick Jr. instead. With strawberries, lemons and a mint garnish, you can pretend the kitchen's your very own juice bar.
- Play it safe! Never leave children unattended around water—even a few inches can be dangerous. And be sure to read the warnings on any of the bath products you use before you use them.
Thanks to Karen Baicker
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