Play equipment - review

Landscape and Garden Product Directory

Most childrens play equipment looks vile in gardens but let's face the truth: children adore play equipment. Furthermore, the worse the colours the better they like the equipment and the more they play. Manufacturers, alas, know this. They produce a full range of brightly coloured atrocities: yellow swings, blue inflatable pools, red climbing frames, multi-coloured play houses.

What can the unfortunate parent-designer do?

• make regular visits to a local playground in a local park
• send the children to neighbours with play equipemnt of their own
• set aside a walled or hedged part of the garden for play equipment
• store the play equipment in a shed when it is not in use (ie for 99% of the year)
• tell the children to do more homework
• install a trampoline in a pit so that the bouncy surface is level with the lawn and therefore unobtrusive
• build a garden pond which can be used a splash pool when the kids are young and then filled with goldfish
• hire a bouncy castle for each child's party and say you are doing this instead of purchasing permanent play equipment

See also garden games.