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Handyman Articles - Fun is More Than a Swing Set
By Tina Gleisner, My Handyman of Southern NH

Todays swing sets seem to emphasize size and features, the more the better. Yet these designs only extend the common experiences that most adults had as children. If we step back and realize that children learn best through free play and discovery, we would focus less on size and features.

Your children will appreciate a focus on design outdoor spaces that include nature. According to the article, Children's Outdoor Play & Learning Environments: Returning to nature, "...children's play typically is pleasurable, self-motivated, imaginative, non-goal directed, spontaneous, active, and free of adult-imposed rules. Quality play involves the whole child: gross motor, fine motor, senses, emotion, intellect, individual growth and social interaction."

As you consider a swing set, include your children in planning their own space. You will be surprised at how simple their requirements may be (maybe not the water), focusing on things that are natural from water to vegetation, animals, sand, nooks and crannies that offer privacy and structures that can be changed to suit their imagination. You likely will find they don't need a big swing set.

If you need some help planning your outdoor children's space and activities, here are some great resources:

Children's Play Area's by Sunset Books, offers ideas on laying the children's area out, landscaping, fencing, play structures, fitness ideas, tree forts and so much more.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder explains the relationship between children and nature, and how nature nurtures creativity.
Beautiful report, Designing for the Future: Promoting Ecoliteracy in Children's Outdoor Play Environments, offers a wealth of information about how children learn and how you can enhance their love of nature.

Try to remember your special places when you were a child. Some of them are below, but many of them are no longer available as our communities have changed. The empty lots we played in have been developed, the park paths are no longer safe for our children to wander alone. With some thought, you can create some of these special places in your own back yard.

Horse Swing from Cedar Works (CW)	Monkey Bars from Backyard City	Don't Forget the Old Tire Swing (CW)
Climbing Wall by Rainbow Play Systems	Rope Ladder from xxx	Spriral Slide from Kids Creations
	Rope Ladder from xxx

For related information, you can also read:

Fun is More Than a Swing Set (this article)
Playground safety tips from the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS)
Swingsets.Net, a buyers guide (links to manufacturers) and information portal
Tips for Buying a Swing Set
Tips for Installing a Swing Set.

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