Turning your Garden into a Little Tikes Playground

If you check my profile you’ll see there’s a couple of things I cherish, grand kids and our garden. To me part of the beauty of the garden is being able to welcome the little tikes and teach them some of the ways of nature, as well as a venue for spending some quality one on one time with them.

You don’t have to break the bank.

It’s really very simple to turn your garden into a playground quite inexpensively. Of course, how elaborate you have to be does depend on the ages of the children, and of course the younger they are, the simpler their requirements are to enjoy themselves.

A Simple Rope Swing

Quite a few years ago, while on vacation, my wife purchased a couple of rope swing sets at a flea market. I can recall cussing quietly as we packed these on and off airplanes, then I tripped over the darn things as they sat in their boxes in the garage for a couple of years.

Then along came grandkids…

A couple of old fruit trees at the back of the yard came in very handy a couple of years ago, and I have no idea how many times I’ve heard “Push me Poppa” from toddlers when they’re visiting. All it takes is an age old apparatus that cost about $5, an apple tree, a Poppa & a Grandie, and you have the recipe for hours of family fun.

Of course as the kiddies grow, their needs change and indeed their requirements do get a bit more sophisticated. Last summer I know a lot more time was spent in their Winchester Playhouse, but the old swings got their fair share of little bums on them too.

Many hours were spent giggling and laughing at the antics of the resident squirrels as they fought valiantly, (but lost the battle), to pilfer the bird seed from the Brome 1024 Squirrel Buster | The Ultimate Bird Feeder that was hung up last year.

Sadly, though our winter has arrived, and once again I forgot to put the rope swings away, so the effect of two or three harsh winters have taken their toll, and the swing’s seats have separated, the ropes rotted and frayed. Actually it was time, the kids are getting to need something a little more elaborate, and my winter project is to research a modest outdoor playground set.

So far, so good. In fact I’m leaning to the Little Tikes Playground* and am sure by the time the crocus’s are peeking out of the snow one of these will be taking the place of the trusty old rope swings.