🌳We
got our swing set when my daughter was around 18 months old. I do
recommend spending the money to get a large set at that age unless you
find a great deal on a used plastic one. My daughter used ours with
supervision, and we covered the opening near the monkey bars.
➡️If you are buying for younger children look for a swing set with a
slanted ladder instead of a straight vertical one if there is a
Playhouse on top.
➡️ Hang swings at the lowest setting so
that your child can get on and off independently The Real Wood line from Fisher Price has some really imaginative designs! I wish I had seen them before we got ours!
Jungle Jumparoo *****
Adding a disclaimer that we have not been happy with the durability of our Jumparoo, and are in the process of getting a few pieces replaced with customer service. I would only recommend getting one to use inside since ours deteriorated pretty quickly outside
One of our neighbors got a trampoline for Christmas-- there are now 6 trampolines in our neighborhood!! Apparently they are contagious. My daughter is always begging to jump with the neighborhood children but I broke my femur on a trampoline as a child, so they don't give me the warm fuzzies, but my child wants to jump... all the time! That is when we started looking into the Jungle Jumparoo! A small company that makes a fun, safer alternative to trampolines- yayyy! Find out more here (aff link) This will be her 3rd Birthday gift 🎁
Water
🌳 Mud Kitchen- I asked my dad to make her this mud kitchen for her 2nd birthday. It is always a favorite with the neighborhood kids and friends who come over- we always send our friends home dirty 😄🤦♀️ Access to water makes everything more fun! Let them loose with the hose or fill a bucket to ration water. We did a very easy DIY to make a bucket with a water spigot that can be filled easily. (Posted at the bottom of the post) If you aren't into DIY, then check out this set from TP toys, or this gardening bench. Add pots, pans, cooking utensils from Dollar Tree, or stainless pots and pans from kids play cooking sets.
Sand, Mud, and Dirt
🌳 We received a turtle sandbox for her 2nd birthday, but it took me almost a year to buy sand for it 😬. I finally settled on the nontoxic silica free Sandtastik brand (check Lowes or Oriental Trading for lowest pricing). After neighborhood kids dumped a majority of our $$$ sand, I replaced the sand with aquarium rocks from Petsmart .
➡️ We added plastic funnels from Ikea, and random containers/recyclables, and parts of a play kitchen set, and a trip to dollar tree! I love the Spielstabil scoops and buckets because they are made in Germany and have a 10 year warranty 😲
Look for scrap pieces of wood logs, really anything can work! We started with the wood flat on the ground, and then raised it slightly.
You can add new pieces and give the child freedom to re-arrange the course, just try to keep it low/supervise at all times
🌳Tree Stumps - Check online for freebies, sometimes tree removal services give them away too
Use the environment around you! Last year we had a rabbit build a nest in the bottom of our swing set, and this year we have a Bob White Quail who visits in the mornings. You never know what opportunities nature will give you! Invest in a field guide (make sure to select the right region), and learn to identify birds, trees, flowers, and insects along side your child. Hang a bird feeder and learn to identify the birds in your neighborhood. Plant dill or fennel and watch the life cycle of butterflies (it is amazing)!
Comments
Post a Comment