Children’s Playgrounds and Outdoor Gyms



You will now find this post on our new website Kidsinthegarden.co.uk

 

Please note that this blog has now moved to Kidsinthegarden. We would love you to take a look.

What happens?  When our children are small toddlers, pre-school and perhaps up to the age of 5/6 we spend hours with them in the local playgrounds.  They are regular venues, with picnics on summer days and winter visits when the weather is dry.  Once they start school and weekday time is pre-allocated the family trips to playground start to decrease.

We do in fact use our local playground mainly as it is conveniently right outside the school and a quick ½ hour play at pick up helps to release all that pent up energy.  There is no afternoon play time in my son’s junior school so at 3.30pm he will have been indoors for 2 ½ hours.

A recent weekend trip with my son and his 10 year old cousin got me thinking about how we utilise playground for ‘older’ kids.  Most local authorities state that their playgrounds are for children aged 3 – 13.  However I’m sure that any survey of usage would show that they are predominately used by children from 1 year to 5 years.

There are many great things about UK playgrounds.  The following bonuses come to mind:-

• Can be found in most villages and urban settings.
• Open all year.
• Free.
• Safe – regularly inspected.
• Often with parking nearby.
• Can be great fun.

Why then do families with older children begin to stop using them?   Based on my own experiences here are my suggestions:-

• You just get out of the habit of going out to the playground.
• It is difficult to find a playground that holds their attention.
• As there begins to be more demands on a child’s spare time with clubs, activities and dare I say additional coaching, playground time slips to the bottom of the to do list.
• Some older children may not venture outdoors as much as they did – the lure of the computer, TV and Nintendo is great.
• Perhaps some parents think that as their children play on equipment in the school playground there is no need for family time at the playground.
• Finally maybe playgrounds are not so cool, whereas a skate park or BMX track is.

This weekend trip to the playground was actually at the children’s request, so i knew i was onto a winner.  It is one we have to drive to and therefore had not visited for almost a year.  We did use to go there quite often as it has a range of equipment, some natural play areas and for some reason it is never very busy.  Sure enough when we arrived mid- morning on a sunny Sunday it was empty.

There are 3 pieces of play equipment that they really love in this playground, 2 of which I have not seen elsewhere.  I think, for them, that is the main appeal of the playground.  The first piece of equipment needs true gripping power as you have to jump to hang from a bar from which you can then spin your whole body around.  Great for upper body strength.  I quite like to have a go as it helps to stretch out the back.  You do however have to be quite tall to reach the bar and  I have to lift my son to it.  Obviously made for older kids then.

The other is a novel version of a see-saw, where you have to really work with your legs and you can to some extent control the speed and intensity of the movement.   At least half their time was spent on these two pieces of equipment.  I’m sure it was more than novelty value, they seemed to have provided them with just the right level of interest and excitement.

 

A couple of years ago the playground received some natural play items, a wooden dugout canoe, natural stage and stepping stones.  All great stuff, however for some reason children never seem to spend much time in this area.  Possibly because it is located away from the main play rather than parallel to the existing equipment.



 

 

 

We stayed quite a while that morning and eventually a couple of families with toddlers did arrive.  There was quite a contrast between the noise levels and boisterousness of my two and the instability and smallness of the little ones. 

 

On our journey that morning, and in fact just around the corner from the playground is an outdoor gym.  On popular demand we stopped off to have a go en route home.  I was slightly nervous at letting the children use what I considered to be adult equipment.  However I needn’t have worried on two counts.  Firstly the signage stated that it was for use from the age of seven.  Well maybe, but they did need very close supervision.  There was real potential for harm on some of those pieces of equipment.  Secondly they loved it.  The amount of pleasure they had really did equal that of the playground. It was though a very static form of exercise and there was certainly no possiblity for the run around the other playground provided. 

 

I can’t help thinking that there must be some potential in converting some of this equipment to meet the needs of an older child.  I am also pleading for playground manufacturers to design more exciting and interesting playground equipment for the 7+ child.  The few pieces of equipment used by the children today proves that it can be done.

Let’s get our junior children back into the playgrounds.  Where do you go and play with your family?  Is it a local Playground?

You will now find this post on our new website Kidsinthegarden.co.uk



Snowdrops, Ladybirds & Grapefruit at the Chelsea Physic Garden

 

 

Since a recent garden visit had been cancelled due to the snowy weather I had been looking forward to visiting Chelsea Physic Garden’s Snowdrop day.  It is a garden I have not seen for about five years.  I have always considered it a real gem and it really lived up to expectation.  It is only just 4 acres in size so I knew that I would not be seeing whole swathes of snowdrops, but the charm of this beautiful walled garden lies in its originality. 

 

 

 

The visit started, not with a stroll through snowdrops, but with a fascinating walk and talk from the Garden’s Head of Education on the wonders of winter.  He focussed on how some of the garden’s plants and animals cope in winter.  We saw a few of the garden’s bumblebees from the garden’s own hives, a couple of its resident toads living beneath their own log pile house in the wildlife area and numerous gnat larvae from the pond.  Hibernating for the winter were ladybirds.  What I had not realised that they could well be using the crevices in the really large cork oak in the garden as a choice place to spend their winter.  Ladybirds contain a type of antifreeze to help them survive the cold!

  

 

 

 

Evergreen trees use different mechanisms to cope with the cold.  The shape of the leaves on the Yew tree and the shine and thickness of the leaves on a Magnolia tree with all help them to retain water and protect.  Particularly important in the ground is frozen for a long period of time.  A highlight for me was the grapefruit.  The garden has the most northerly outdoor fruiting grapefruit tree in the world.  Yes, there it was in the middle of a UK winter with large fruit on the tree.  One had fallen on the floor so it was cut open for us to see and just like us it had a large thick coat on help protect it from the cold.  The fruit is used in the garden to make marmalade.

 

 

 

 I learnt that the botanical name for snowdrops Galanthus is derived from the Greek meaning milk (gala) and flower (anthos).    A special snowdrop trial had been established containing 15 different varieties.  It weaved through some of the winter flowering bushes and trees.  Not only was it a visual spectacle you were continually seeking the origins of a tantalising scent.  As the garden is full of aroma from Winter Box, Sarcococca confusa and various types of Daphne.  The Daphne Bholua Jacqueline Postill photographed above was stunning.

There was so much to see, in addition to the snowdrops, in this garden in early February.  An inspiration for any gardener.  If you have easy access to central London I would highly recommend it.  I already have another visit planned for later in the year.

Opportunity to Design a Garden for Hampton Court Flower Show



Child Friendly Garden - Hampton Court Flower Show

My ears pricked up when I heard a competition for non-professionals to design a Family Friendly Garden announced on the BBC’s One Show this week.  The winner will have the garden built at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show in July.  Family friendly gardens and how to achieve them are matters very close to my heart.  When I manage to attend a flower show I always head to those show gardens which claim to be child or family friendly.  Sometimes there are some really good practical ideas displayed, in others the lack of practicality and imagination involved  is sometimes a disappointment.

The One Show undertook a little competition on the programme.  Three people, with some help from a professional gardener, had each designed their own family friendly garden that day.  A lady with a nine year old and teenager had divided her 8 m x 8 m site into three sections to meet the individual needs of the family.  A barbeque area for the adults, a chill out zone for the teenager and an area where her youngest could perform plays. This garden was the winner on the programme.   A guy with a two and half year old wanted a garden where his tittle one would learn not be scared of spiders.  A wildlife and insect friendly garden was top of his priorities.  The final participant included a shelter in the middle of her garden so that the garden could be used in wet weather with a pathway running to and from the structure.

The  garden divided  into three sections was the winner on the programme.   Christine Walken, the One Show’s resident gardener encouraged anyone to have a go.  She thought that those without professional training would be more likely to come up with innovative and inspiring ideas.
 

I was interested to learn what the RHS considered to be family friendly, given the diversity of families in the country and their needs and wants. Not unsurprisingly the judging criteria for the 8m x 8m is flat site is very broad, but provides an interestingly insight into how gardens are judged at Flower Shows.

Judging Criteria to be used for the Garden

• How well does the design work for the family?
• How interesting and creative is the design?
• Are the plants used creatively and effectively?
• Is the design wildlife/insect friendly?
• Does the design consider sustainability issues (eg sources of materials)?
• How realistic is the rough budget? (to be refined with mentor later)

I am pleased to see sustainability issues included.  There was also a discussion on the Show on what the garden could not include.  No gnomes apparently!  So I guess the gnome I have inherited in my garden will have to wait a little longer before he comes back into vogue in the garden design world.

 

So as someone without a garden design qualification will I put an entry in?  I would love to have a go, but not certain that the 1 March Deadline will give me time to draw and write up a proposal.  If you have the time it’s a great opportunity to have a go at designing that garden you have always wanted. And if you were to win!

If you are not too sure where to start take a look at some books on designing family friendy gardens.

OUT TO WATCH THE BIRDS

This is a regular January event in our household.  It’s a really good family nature activity.  I’m talking about the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.  A nationwide event where you count the largest groups of birds in your garden and submit them to the RSPB so they can find out what is happening to our garden bird population.   My son is very familiar with bird watching so it was easy to get him to participate.  The binoculars are always part of our holiday luggage and go with us on most family walks.  He’s been a  junior RSPB member, with the great name of Wildlife Explorer, for a couple of years.  The magazines, sent quarterly, are brilliant and geared to specific age range and about all UK nature and animals, not just birds.  As well as free entry to RSPB reserves he gets free entry to the Wildfowl and Wetland Centres.

This year with snow and cold temperatures around it was likely that different, perhaps more unusual birds would be seen.  We prepared carefully and brought new stock of bird seed for the feeders. Saturday’s Telegraph featured the Birdwatch so that was brought in addition to our usual Saturday newspaper,  Birds seem to feed more in the morning, especially on a winter’s day so after a little lie in on Sunday and quick breakfast, but without getting dressed we started. Our feeders are visible from the back of the house in the past we just have watched them and always done the birdwatch from indoors.

Well the birds weren’t playing ball this weekend.  Not a sign of one on the feeders and nothing scrambling around in the flower beds – one of their favourite locations.

Frustrations grew.  ‘Where are all the birds mummy’?’  ‘This bird watching is stupid’ says my son.  There was nothing for it, surely the whole area could not be devoid of birds.  There are always birds in our garden.  We are always seeing them and hearing then.  Sound – that was the clue.  You can usually hear, but not always see them.  But that song, call and coo can lead you to them.  So out we went in pyjamas and dressing gowns.  Yes, we were going to be that mad family next door.

And so we were.  Yet it worked.  Stepping outside the back door we were met with numerous bird sounds.  Our list gradually became longer.  Not that it is a competition, but with an 8 yr old some length and variety on the list does help.  We did not see any large groupings of bird, the flocks of field fares certainly did not appear to have reached us.

2 crows, 1 Greenfinch, 1 robin singing its heart out, 2 starling, 2 pigeons, 1 sparrow, 1 blackbird and the best of best , 1 green woodpecker and 1 greater spotted woodpecker.

One last stage and that was to submit the information online. This year the RSPB have thoughtfully provided a certificate to, say that the children have taken part.  Its been placed next to my son's bed this evening.

Move outside and a whole world awaits.  Next year we will get dressed.

A White Weekend

For once the snow was perfectly timed.  It started after 9.00am on Friday and continued throughout the day.  Those of you with school age children will know the significance of 9 o 'clock. It meant that the school was open on Friday.  The school did, in fact, ask for children to be picked up early so that those staff with long journeys could arrive home safely.  So the weekend started early for my son and many others.  Fantastic -  we were able to spend it in the local playground sampling the delights of the first snow of the year. 

Snow ball fights and sledging were on the agenda.  Yesterday there was a BBC programme highlighting the 60th anniversary of the great winter of 1963.  It included footage of children sledging and snowballing.  Really good to see that some things have not changes in the all that time.

On Friday we also attempted to build a snowman, but for some reason the snow was not sticky enough. Perhaps it needs a night on the ground to settle in. Usually when it snows in London it very quickly does a disappearing trick - often it simply does not live up to expectations.  So the pressure is on to get and and enjoy as quick as possible.  This weekend knowing that more snow was forecast meant we could wander out, as and when, we wanted.  No pressure.

 

Saturday turned out to be a snowman day.  Actually it is a snow penguin.  Now comes my admission of parent fail. My son has just turned eight and we had never built a snowman with him.  OK I have an excuse for the first couple of years of his life as there was no snow.  Not sure how this happened, but it is all now rectified.  Snowman with organic carrot duly built in the  local park on Saturday.

 

 

Sunday we had light snow all day.  We all trotted off to Richmond Park with the sledge, or shield if you are using it to protect yourself in a snowball fight.  The runs near the entrances to the Park were busy.  However if you, like we did, wandered into the Park just a little the people thinned out and you had you own winter wonderland. Perfection.  I even managed to take some shots of the deer.

If ever there was a winter weekend to get outside and play it was this weekend.

Snowdrop Gardens

Are you one of the lucky people who has snowdrops in their garden?  They are justifiably popular and well deserve the accolade as one of the first signs of spring.  It lifts ones spirits to see them flowering right now.

I have a couple of very large clumps with extremely bulbous flower heads in my garden.  They were planted by the previous owner, so I do not know the variety.  They also flower late and bloom well into late March.  This means that by the time the clumps are ready to divide it is April.  And it is division that they are in desperate need of.  That, and the fact that they are so beautiful, that I would like to create quite a few more clumps.   April is such a busy time in the garden that I never seem to move onto to this task.

So this year when they started peeping their heads above the ground I decided to defy the experts advice.  I would not wait until the bulbs had stopped flowering before I divided the clump, but would try to split now, quickly whilst the soil was not frozen. Armed with  a large fork and long handled fork I dug down.  Not an easy task as the bulbs were well over 12 inches into the soil.  4 bulbs were prised out of the ground. Unfortunately the stems also came off two of them.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

I replanted the 4 bulbs.  I think it is unlikely that the two still with stme will flower this year, but you never know.  Hopefully all four will flower next year.  So my task was accomplished.  If you are trying this next year it would perhaps be easier with smaller snowdrop bulbs not planted quite so deep.  Dividing the clumps with still be on my list of gardening tasks this April.

 





 

 

If you like to see large drifts of snowdrops then there is bound to be a open snowdrop garden close to you.  My favourite site for finding one is National Gardens Scheme's Snowdrop Garden Openings.  Openings usually take place in early to mid February.  Half term fits neatly into this period so the children can get to see them as well.

If, like me, you live close to London the Chelsea Physic Garden has Snowdrop Days from 2 to 10th February.  Thats where I'll be visiting.  Hope you manage to visit one as well.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY

Three years ago it had been snowing in London.  I know that because I mentioned it in my very first, rather short, post on Out2playinthegarden.  Well it has been a great three years.  Happy birthday Out2playinthegarden.

I have had so much pleasure in blogging about playing outside and gardening with my son and family.  The feedback and comments I have received have really helped me to follow the mantra ‘Growing gardens helps to grow your kids’.

Looking back over the 3 years the two most popular posts in terms of visitor numbers are Kids Garden Activities: Painting Pots, Bunches of Herbs and the Odd Decorated Pebble and How Green is my Garden?

Painting pots and pebbles are timeless and ageless activities.  The post covered how to make those lovely creations found in the photo collage above. You can never have too many of them and you and the children, whatever their ages, will always have fun designing and creating them.  Recently I have come across chalk-based paint which I have used to repaint some bedroom furniture.  I think it may also have great potential outdoors so I am looking forward with experimenting with some outdoor painting this spring.

 

 

 

 

The green leaf game featured in How Green is my Garden is so simple and easy.  I now have a collection of numerous colour charts covering the whole rainbow and we often take one out on a walk so we can do a quick colour and shade treasure hunt.



 

 

 

Last year an outing to a local bluebell wood proved to be a popular post.  It was a day my son spent with his cousins.  The weather was just beginning to warm up – so much so the children had their coats off for part of the walk.  It was a day for outdoor activity and very happy family memories in which the bluebell wood provided the most perfect natural setting.

 

 

A night time visit to an enchanted woodland at Syon Park in Isleworth was the 2012 post that received the most visitors.  Darkness, light, reflection, shadow and shape all do give a garden very different perspective and this garden really did provide some very different experiences.  It made me realise that perhaps there is potential for some small night time changes in my own garden.  We also tuck ourselves away on early winter evenings when perhaps a walk or stroll to a local park or river (if safe) would help us to keep in touch with our local environment.

So I raise my glass to the next 3 years.  Here’s to keep playing with my friends and family in the garden and the great outdoors.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.--

George Bernard Shaw