THE sun is shining, school's out for the kids and the garden is the place to be.

You can almost forget about the coronavirus crisis when you're sitting in the sunshine in your own little patch of paradise.

Being in your garden will lower your stress levels, give you some exercise, help you top up your vitamin D and make your surroundings more beautiful - and you can do it all without a visit to the shops.

Here's a few top tips of how to keep the whole family entertained during a day spent in the garden shutting yourselves off from the world...

1) Set up an impromptu circuits session. Get all the family involved in a class in your own outdoor gym. Exercise stations could include shuttle runs, burpees, press ups, sit ups and squats.

2) Decorate a wall, fence or patio. Chalk art is completely risk free even in the hands of your creative little darlings. As soon as we get some rain, which is bound to be fairly soon, it will all wash away then you can start again with your next coronavirus creation.

3) Make your own version of a giant garden game. No expensive shop bought versions needed here. Just paint spots on your lawn for a family version of Twister, draw a noughts and crosses board on the patio in chalk or set up a hilarious real life version of hungry hippos with your kids as wheelbarrows grabbing the balls and 'gobbling them up'.

4) Get the paddling pool out early. It might be a little early for basking in the summer sunshine, but you don't have to fill your paddling pool with water for it to be fun. Instead make your own ball pit or fill it with cushions for a chill out or reading area.

5) Make a drive in movie theatre in your own back garden. Make use of all those cardboard boxes Amazon have been leaving on your doorstep and turn them into a car for your kids. Once painted, pop a little one inside each 'car' and grab their favourite movie and a bowl of popcorn.

5) Camp outdoors. You might want to wait until the temperatures rise a little, but what better way to ignore the sweeping travel cancellations and bring your holiday to your home? Pop the tent up and get back to nature. With no aeroplanes flying overhead, you might even catch the sound of an owl or bat.

6) Go stargazing. On a clear night you can make a wish on a shooting star, or spot a planet from your own garden. You'll need warm clothes and some patience, but what better treat for a child than a nighttime adventure?

7) Build a den. Whether it's the back to nature type made out of branches and leaves or more duvet and pillows, it's still a hideaway in the great outdoors.

8) Plant some seeds. Order some poppy or sunflower seeds online, or find those ones you've been meaning to use, and pop them in pots on a warm windowsill. Then plant the seedlings out in the garden once the danger of frost is past.

9) Grow your own. You don't have to start big, but self sufficiency could be a great idea if this goes on much longer! – Herbs, salad leaves, spinach, beetroot and new potatoes will all do well in containers, while it's a good time to plant courgettes, peas and beans in the ground or get your tomato plant going.

10) Go on a scavenger hunt. Give your nature loving little ones a list of things to find in the garden. Think bugs, leaves, stones, and birds. This can be turned into an Easter egg hunt for a different twist in a couple of weeks..I suggest an ice lolly treat in the garden for all the family as a prize.