You want your backyard to be a safe and inviting place for
your children to play, but you can't afford to build a
playground back there. Go with a few basics and let nature
take care of the rest.
Children need to play, but not
necessarily organized, store bought games. Children need
to explore, pretend and feel. They need the freedom of
making their own rules instead of following the
instructions on the box. They need to experience the
wonder of discovery.
Have you ever seen a little boy who could not walk past
a stick without picking it up? I saw a couple at the park
the other day. Those sticks could be swords one day, guns
another and yet another day they will be the walking stick
they take with them while they explore the "mountains"
that they imagine in the bushes.
Resist the urge to get that fancy expensive swing set
that is shaped like a pirate ship, or whatever your
child's interests are this week. Instead, get a basic
swinging and climbing set that will allow their
imaginations take over. Then, allow them to climb up the
slide. They are undoubtedly imagining that they are
climbing a mountain, scaling the walls of a castle,
escaping from sharks, or any other of a number of creative
play scenarios.
Provide a place to dig and build. They are going to do
it either way; you may as well let them know where you
want them to do it. Otherwise, they'll dig a hole in the
middle of the lawn.
What you choose to provide can be as simple as a patch
of dirt in the corner of the yard or as complicated as a
wooden sandbox frame that raises and lowers the lid by a
hand cranked pulley system. (I've seen that bad boy, it is
a beauty.) Others, however, just have the dirt patch,
though and it works fine. If you have issues with
neighborhood cats, you might want to spend a little money
here. The plastic animal shaped sandboxes with a lid will
do the trick. Don't be too disappointed though if they dig
in the lawn anyway. Just try to confine them to that back
corner.
Make sure you have some nature to explore. Bushes along
the fence line or close to the house will do. There will
be some insects in there ready to be discovered. The
bushes will also create great hiding places that call out
to be explored. A tree for climbing would be
enthusiastically appreciated, but those are hard to
install over a weekend.
With an environment like that to explore, a child can
thrive and grow without having put a strain on the family
budget. If you'd like to put in some activities for the
family to do together, you might try one of those portable
outdoor basketball hoops, and a bucket of balls and
Frisbees. Just imagining a family outside on a late summer
evening shooting a few hoops together or throwing a ball
around makes you feel peaceful inside. Just make sure the
little one hasn't found a stick.
