With the extra time at home during the pandemic, now’s a great time to dig into a few quick and easy DIY home projects.

After all, “shelter in place” doesn’t mean you can’t be productive, and have fun, this spring. Now, Modular Closets’ design expert Marty Basher shares his favorite projects. Let the nesting begin!

With Your Kids 

Create a Book Nook. Find a quiet little area in your home that would make a cozy nook—maybe in the corner of your child’s bedroom, within a playroom or the family room. A space by a window with natural light is a wonderful addition, but not necessary. You don’t need much space or a bunch of supplies, many items you will likely have around your home and can be repurposed.

Ideally you’ll include shelves or a small bookcase to hold the books, a reading lamp or hanging light, a bean bag or oversized pillows and a soft blanket. Grab some of your kid’s artwork and frame it for the wall décor or a Texas map! (See the artwork tip below.)

Build an Outdoor Mud Kitchen. Send a child outside to enjoy the fresh air, sunshine and a world of imagination! A mud kitchen is an outdoor pretend-play, cooking/science area and complete with everything your child needs to conjure up culinary creations or crazy, fun science experiments from nature’s dirtiest (and most fun) ingredients.

Mud kitchens can be made out of pretty much anything, such an old toy kitchen that your kids no longer use indoors, pallets or leftover wood laying around your garage. There’s no specific way it needs to be built, just leave it up to yours and your child’s imagination. Include old spoons, measuring cups, old pots and pans, bowls, strainers and more.

Texas-Themed 

Create One-of-a-Kind Texas Themed Artwork. Here’s your chance to use items already laying around your house and get a little artsy. Creativity and art spur happiness and there’s no time like the present to bring about all those good feelings. Grab some extra scraps wood you have lying around or pallets you set aside for a project that never quite happened. Dig out some acrylic paints (or most any paints you already have at home) and brushes. Go to work designing your own version of the Texas flag.

You can attach pieces of wood cut the same length and connected with wood glue or use the pallet as is as the base of the flag. This project doesn’t require too much natural artistic ability as you’re simply creating lines and a star with three basic colors. This is a fun project to do on your own or with your kids. 

Family-Themed Outdoors

Build a Family Garden Together. Studies have shown that children (and adults) who plant a garden and grow their own food, have a greater appreciation and love for the produce they grow. Planting a family garden is a healthy hobby that brings the family together, provides healthy food in a time when we’re trying to lessen trips to the grocery store and gives us something to do when we’re spending a great deal of time at home. The warm Texas weather and long growing season is ideal for home gardens.

Home gardens can be built in many ways, from digging up the earth to make an in-ground garden to building raised garden beds out of extra wood we already have or using simple bricks that can be picked up for next to nothing. 

Browse through the different online retailers for seeds. Design a blueprint together as a family to decide what you want your garden to grow. Include a few favorites along with new vegetables you’d like to try for fun. You can order the dirt from a local garden center or nursery and have it delivered. Once you begin to see the bounty from your own backyard, you can find recipes and cook meals together as a family as well. While you’re at it, plant some bluebonnet seeds in your landscaping to enjoy the Texas state flower each summer!

Cover photo Kevin Jarrett on Unsplash

Marty Basher is the design expert with Modular Closets, high-quality and easy-to-design closet systems made in the USA you can order, assemble and install yourself.