[twostraightlines]

We are planning a play area for our yard, and I had some questions for those of you who have swingsets/ play structures/ play houses. I have looked at many brands, but I think that I have decided to design my own, and my father-in-law has offered to build it for me. I guess my main question is--- do your kids play on them??? If so, which parts do they use? There are many play structures where I live, but I never see any kids on them. I was thinking of designing a structure that encourages creative play rather than all that climby stuff (we have a playground in our neighborhood, and are expecting another one soon). What do you think would be included in the ultimate play structure if you could make one up? I was thinking of a shelter that the kid could hang out in, with options for things like a stage, a puppet theater, sand table or box, etc. Maybe incorporate a swing...what am I missing? Do kids really use the slides, climbing walls, etc.??

Thanks

 

[AngelBee]

I love what ideas you already have. My kids do love climbing walls, slides, and swings.

Fort is a big deal as well.

I am gonna keep thinking...

 

[Moss's Mommy]

that sounds great! Lots of little nooks and crannies and multilevels...tunnels.... YOu HAVE to put a picture up here when you are done. This would be my dream to do this.

 

[LunaMom]

A raised platform is great. We have a manufactured swingset with a "loft" area that has a roof over it, and it has been many things - a pirate ship, a castle, a clubhouse, a treehouse, even a bird's nest. It's great to hang a basket on a rope so things can be hauled up to the top from down below.

My daughter and her friends do use the swing and slide, though. And there is a built in picnic table under the loft that gets used as well.

Lots of stuff to hang from is important, too. My daughter is a monkey bar kid, and I wish our set had those. It's great for their upper body strength.

I love the puppet theater/store idea - most of the local playgrounds around here have those little "windows" and the kids love them.

 

[atomicmama]

We have the Backyard Adventures swingset (redwood). My kiddo's LOVE it!! We will add the fort next summer.....ds would kill himself on right now

best of luck with your decision

 

[supervee]

fav things that get used on ours are the swings, the hanging rings, climbing on the outside of the fort, and the rope/climbing rock area. doesn't care about the monkey bars...too hard...and the fort is strangely unused. slide unused. steering wheel unused. yes post a pic!

 

[AngelBee]

Oh....if we had monkey bars my son would

it!

 

[nancy926]

Our DD is only 2.5, but she uses her playset just about every day. The swings are the most popular, followed by the slide. She now has a sandbox but there's not enough sand in it yet....I think it will be popular too though, once we get more sand. The slide also gets used quite a bit. The only things that aren't used are the hanging rings (too high) and the rope swing (takes too much coordination).

DH wants to add a rock wall this summer and I'm sure DD will love that too, as she loves to climb.

As a kid I had a plain old metal swingset but I and my neighbors used it ALL the time. The slide became a time machine, the teeter-totter swing was a horse, etc.

 

[2GR8KIDS]

I like your comment about how you see those play structures in everyone's yards and no kids playing on them- I've noticed the same thing here! I think your ideas for a puppet theatre, stage, etc. are great, especially if your kids are into dramatic play. My 5.5 year old son has a rope ladder hanging from a tree and all the kids who visit just love it for some reason, so some type of climbing options would be good. IMO slides and swings probably won't get used as much. If you have room for sand, you should try to incorporate it - I had thought of this more as a toddler/preschool thing but my son's school is going to install a sand play area for the 1st - 3rd graders because the principal says they are digging up the campus, so I guess sand has lasting play value. Also, if you have a fort or raised platform, a pulley would be neat. A mailbox outside could also be fun. Can't wait to hear about your new play structure!

 

[meemee]

hmmmm. the one advice i would give is that whatever u do make sure u can change it around so that it grows with ur child's interest.

in my case with my 2.75 year old dd we go to 6 parks regularly. and i find she is losing interest in the play structures. she is a v. physical and v. coordinated child (which i am not) and needs more climbing challenges. but she is still working on balancing on moving or uneven surfaces so she still doesnt do well on thigs like monkey bars where she does not have a firm footing. she loves running accross a rubber sheet bridge or the unsteady ventriculated (is that the right word?!!) bridge or stepping thru tyres on a slide.

if i had a yard and the money i would be buiding her a climbing tree if we didnt have easy trees to climb on. i would think in terms of a cat climbing structure - having various kinds of shapes to sit on and some to hide in.

i would also look at some sports ideas if ur child likes sports like mine does. not exactly sure how i would incorporate that but i would create my own version of sports so that she could play with it without me.

 

[PumpkinSeeds]

A huge sandbox with a hand pump with a long lever in one corner for pumping water. Kids love to pump the water and love love love to make rivers, sand pies, etc.

 

[meemee]

oops forgot to add my dd refuses to sit on a toddler bucket swing anymore. insted she prefers lying on her stomach across the older kids swing and pushing off with her legs.

 

[stafl]

DD loves the playset DH made for her birthday. It has swings, those rings like gymnasts swing on, a slide, a platform with canvas roof (DD calls it her castle), sandbox, climbing wall, and a place to add two more things like another swing and a merry-go-round spinny thing. It also has a steering wheel up in the platform.
If you get a kit, don't get the bargain ones, they aren't as solid or as well designed. Some of the ones sold at Lowe's were way more expensive, but seemed to be less sturdy than the one we got. I can't remember the brand name, but we got the kit and all the lumber at a local lumberyard instead of the big chain stores. The kit came with the attachments and all the hardware, and the instructions, then we had to get the lumber and put it all together ourselves. Instructions said it would take two people two days to assemble it, but it took DH and a friend most of a week. But that might have been because he cut the lumber and drilled all the holes himself rather than paying the lumberyard to do it for him ahead of time.

 

[Throkmorton]

DS loves slides. The bigger and crazier the better. I have watched my older nephews play with his slides, and it looks like a fort with a slide for an exit is an ideal place to play superheroes, firestation and any number of other "adventure" games.
A sandbox is also very important, as well as a good hiding spot.
Windows make excellent puppet theatres, as previously noted.
I personally avoid swings. Although DS enjoys them, they need a lot of supervision and take up tons of room.
If the lid of the sandbox is built very sturdy, it can double as a stage.