Summer’s almost here! In just 6 days time, we’ll be letting our kids loose on our gardens and parents everywhere will be biting their nails at the prospect of flowers being uprooted, washing being strewn across the lawn and grazed knees.

If you’re worried about keeping your kiddies entertained in your garden this summer, I’ve popped together a few ideas to help you keep your sanity (and your plants) intact.

A paddling pool

The ultimate garden accessory, a paddling pool is great for cooling down when the afternoon sun is at its hottest. Better still, let them go in naked, pop in a bit of bubble bath and a few kettlefuls of hot water and you can skip bath-time that evening. Winning!

Insect-hunting

Kids are fearless. Whereas you’ll go into panic-mode if a daddy long-legs enters your lounge, they’ll think nothing of handling millipedes, worms and other creepy crawlies. Make them a crib sheet of things to look out for and send them into the garden to hunt them down.

My biggest tip here is to give them a cheap disposable camera to document their finds. If you don’t, you run the risk of them rushing over to you brandishing a whopper of a spider to prove they’ve found one.

Water play

If there’s been a hosepipe ban, or a paddling pool sounds like too much faff, you can still keep your kids splash-happy. A washing-up bowl and a few bath toys will do the trick without the need for mini speedos and bath towels.

Hide and Seek

Completely cost free, this classic game is still enthralling toddlers the world over. There’s something about the thrill of hiding and waiting to be discovered that makes kids giddy. They manage to squeeze themselves into ridiculously tight spaces yet they’re still utterly naff at it! Smaller kids have little appreciation of how big they actually are, and you’ll be able to spot clumsy limbs poking out from behind plant pots, tarpaulin and dustbins a mile off.

Yet the trick is to make them believe they’re the best hiders in the world. Pretend you really can’t find them, huff and puff in exasperation and beg them to give up and come out. When they see how hard you’re trying the first few times, they won’t bother watching you from there on in. This means you can leave them hiding, pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy a little peace and quiet!

… Didn’t you mention that I could win a playhouse?

Yep I did! And no ordinary playhouse either! You could win this super cute 4 x 4 Waltons Honeypot Snug Wooden Playhouse.

Let’s face it, we all love a playhouse and this one is certain to liven up your garden and give your little one endless hours of enjoyment. It’s a pretty and traditional design, much more attractive than the usual plastic fare, and is perfectly proportioned for kids. There’s room for a mini kitchen, tub chair and whatever else they can drag outside into the garden.

Want it? Of course you do!

All you have to do is create a blog post, telling Waltons how you keep your kids entertained in your garden. Be as creative as you like! There’s no word limit or pesky rules. Pictures and videos are welcome but not essential, we simply want your best tips on how to keep your sanity this summer. A runner up will also win a £50 Waltons voucher!

The only thing we ask is that you include the following text within your blog post (no follow links are fine):

“This is my entry into Waltons blogger competition to win a wooden playhouse. If you’d like to enter, head on over to My Mills Baby for all the details”

• Once you’ve sent it live, come back here and leave a link to your post as a comment
• Please also tweet your link to @Waltons & @MyMillsBaby using the hashtag #WaltonsBloggerComp

CLOSING DATE: 11/06/2015 11am

Please note that Waltons will be judging the winner based on creativity, content and tone.

Good luck!

Terms and Conditions:

• The competition will close at 11am (GMT) on Friday 12 ^th June 2015. Entries Tweeted to us after this time will not be accepted and we can’t be held accountable if there are problems with the Twitter service

• The winner will be judged by Waltons. This decision will be final and we won’t enter into any discussion about specific entries

• The prize issued will be this playhouse from the Waltons.co.uk website: http://www.waltons.co.uk/waltons-snug-playhouse-4×4

• There will also be £50 worth of Waltons vouchers awarded to the entry in second place.