Our Take on a Nature Playscape

For the past two years, I have desperately been trying to add some outdoor play areas for our kids.  I was so tired of our kids spending all of their outdoor time in the neighbor's backyard.  I wanted our house to be the "cool" house.  You know, the one where all the neighbor kids want to hang out.  Well, I think we have finally achieved that with this area of our yard!

{The Full View}

Our back yard is on a steep slope, so it wasn't quite possible to put a play set in the back.  Plus, it would have taken away from our beautiful wooded view!  After clearing away lots of tall grass, dead trees, & brush, we realized that this area in our side yard worked great!

Here's a closer look at what we added:

{Our version of a tree swing!}

{Hula Hoop Tent, which I begged my mom to make for my daughter's birthday!}

{Zip Line...We made it short enough that they have to lift their feet to go down.  It seems less dangerous that way, & they can always put their feet down to slow themselves!}

{The zip line is a hit with the neighbor boys!}

{Fallen tree balance beam}

{Tree climbing}

{We cleared a path in the woods that leads to the creek.}

{Posing on the path!}

{Giant Sandbox made from landscaping timbers}

{Bigger, messier view of the sandbox}

{We also have a picnic table which is great for snacks or for observing leaves & bugs!}

The great thing about this area is that it really gets our kids involved in nature.  They spend countless hours searching for insects, leaves, buckeyes, & other treasures! 

I'm so glad our kids are finally able to utilize our backyard, & I'm even more thrilled that the neighbor kids want to join them!

I'll be sharing here:

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