play outdoors and garden dreaming
I’ve started reading let the children play recently. She writes often about play outdoors and nature-inspired playgrounds. This post about ways to improve your outdoor space and this post about outdoor playspace dreaming have me thinking about how we play outdoors and dreaming about additions to our outdoor space.
Our outdoor space (I call it that because we have 5 acres, so it is a bit more than just garden)
we have a fort with swings and a slide …
the trampoline …
a small sandpit …
a bushwalk … (the path goes around through the natural bush at the back of our block and comes out behind the fort)
There are plenty of natural elements, like logs for balancing or sitting on. Lots of lawn for running and throwing or hitting balls.
Some of my dreams (you know, slowly or when we win the lottery). I should say I don’t dream about planting, this is more my husband’s area.
To turn the area under the fort into a big sandpit and put a water feature nearby so the kids can easily get water to make mud play. I’d probably go for one of those ones where water trickles from one pot to another. Perhaps more realistically for right now I can scavenge some guttering or pipes for water transport play.
And I want to put a pulley with a bucket on the fort, because my 2 are always taking things up there to put down the slide.
Another thing that we can probably do this year is create a little pot garden. I will let B choose the plants (small plants) and B can plant them. Then, if we add some bits and pieces (I think dinosaurs would be a hit with my sons) he can use it in a little worlds style of play (idea here from Teacher Tom, let the children play and Childhood 101).
And I don’t know what, where or how yet but it would be nice to have some art and sound elements (windchimes in the trees maybe) in the garden. And a birdbath.
And I feel lucky, of course, to have the space for all these dreams.
What are your garden dreams for 2010?
Our outdoor space (I call it that because we have 5 acres, so it is a bit more than just garden)
we have a fort with swings and a slide …
the trampoline …
a small sandpit …
a bushwalk … (the path goes around through the natural bush at the back of our block and comes out behind the fort)
There are plenty of natural elements, like logs for balancing or sitting on. Lots of lawn for running and throwing or hitting balls.
Some of my dreams (you know, slowly or when we win the lottery). I should say I don’t dream about planting, this is more my husband’s area.
To turn the area under the fort into a big sandpit and put a water feature nearby so the kids can easily get water to make mud play. I’d probably go for one of those ones where water trickles from one pot to another. Perhaps more realistically for right now I can scavenge some guttering or pipes for water transport play.
And I want to put a pulley with a bucket on the fort, because my 2 are always taking things up there to put down the slide.
Another thing that we can probably do this year is create a little pot garden. I will let B choose the plants (small plants) and B can plant them. Then, if we add some bits and pieces (I think dinosaurs would be a hit with my sons) he can use it in a little worlds style of play (idea here from Teacher Tom, let the children play and Childhood 101).
And I don’t know what, where or how yet but it would be nice to have some art and sound elements (windchimes in the trees maybe) in the garden. And a birdbath.
And I feel lucky, of course, to have the space for all these dreams.
What are your garden dreams for 2010?
Comments
This year my goals are to get a play area for the kids, plant some flowers AND some herbs. I'm tired of buying cilantro and only using about a quarter of it!
I love how the fort is kind of hidden near the folliage - kids need some secret areas.
I also like the idea of giving them access to water for the sand play.
I'd love to built a fort & pulley system & flying fox when my 3yr olds are a little older...