Playground Projects

Last year I did several things in the yard for the kids. I put a tractor tire up for the kids to climb on.Which quickly became the preferred method of using the slide.

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I made the sandbox referenced here.

I put up a post and bucket pully (that I now have to move).

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And I planted quite a few tree roots to try to get some shade cover going in there. These are cottonwood roots that were sprouting. I dug a trench around them, used the tire for wind block and mulched with paper.

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I also took down some unsafe railing on our deck. That is a saga for another time as it is still a work in progress.

This year I hope to fix and add much more to the children’s playground. The broken slide has already been taken care of as seen in this post. So now to add to the fun.

I am excited to add a Tetherball court. I am going to make the tetherball pole moveable so that it can also be used as part of a future badmitton/volleyball court. This project was inspired by some Pinterest browsing that led me to this blog.

A new swing set is being constructed this year, the poles and design will be planned for the addition of a clubhouse next year. Temporarily I have simply removed the broken section of the swing set. Son is not happy about this as it included the glider portion.

This is a picture of the swing set just after install. The poles on the right side are badly damaged from a run in with the tractor.
This is a picture of the swing set just after install. The poles on the right side are badly damaged from a run in with the tractor.

Spools are going to be used for all sorts of projects but the first is going to be spool cars with this Steering Wheel. I found a design for these cars here. The kids are painting their own cars and I’m excited to see how it all comes out.

I am hanging a Basketball Hoop on the post that the bucket pully is on. Our son has shown a marked interest in throwing things and I hope to refine his technique so he stops knocking things over inside.

I am unsure about establishing a music station outside. The kids have a variety of musical and sound making objects indoors that they do not show a lot of enthusiasm for.

I do think I’ll be using some spools to make a mud kitchen though, as seen here.

I am also excited about building a scale near the sandbox. I believe the kids will love that!

I am also trying to figure out how to hang these Baskets for various toy storage around the yard. We have dogs who love to eat any toys left out and kids who love to cry about it. This Organizer is absolutely brilliant for next to the sand pit. I will be able to hang the digging tools from the hooks at the bottom. I love it! I am excited to get them up and in use. We are currently using a large laundry basket for toy storage and I hate carting it around. Plus, to get to the toys at the bottom the kids dump the entire basket out and the mess is massive. So, smaller, off the ground storage is going to be key going forward.

We removed some broken, hanging gutters last year. I plan to try to incorporate them into the sand/water station somehow. I’m still working on that concept.

So stay tuned as our backyard gets turned into a kid centric playground!

 

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