I hope my kids know how incredibly lucky they are to have a garden playhouse / fort thingy in their own garden. Probably not because they'll never really know any different. I don't generally spoil my children with physical things but this garden fort was most definitely an exception.
And here's our incredible garden fort just about finished.
The slide is huge, it took 3 year old Little Miss a while to get used to it but she's totally confident now. It is a tad too big for her but that means we should have some time before they grow out of it.
She loves the climbing wall. It took her a few attempts to get the hang of it but once she got her confidence she is up and down like a yo-yo.
I replaced the swings. Little Pickle is still in a baby swing and Little Miss' swing is set very low to the ground so she can get on and off it unaided. She can't swing by herself just yet but she'll get there.
The previous owners hadn't fitted the monkey bars but Little Miss loves them so hubby included them for her. She really struggles with them without someone to lift her up. She can just about get onto them by herself so I've popped this picnic bench underneath the monkey bars in case she gets stuck when I'm not watching.
"Not watching" I hear you cry!! Absolutely, I do not constantly supervise my children while they play in their own garden. It's fully enclosed so there's little to no risk from other adults, be they kidnappers or drivers not paying attention. There are no major risk factors like a pond or machinery. The garden certainly contains hazards such a bricks, low walls and hard surfaces to fall on. These are everyday risks that we all have to learn to manage everyday of our lives. I firmly believe that my children will learn to manage those risks better if they are exposed to them and allowed to make their own mistakes while they are small. I welcome bumps and bruises and even the chance of a broken bone as lessons well learnt and taught by life far better than I could ever hope to teach through discipline. Yes there is a risk my children could fall badly and cause themselves serious injury but if they never learn to manage the risk by themselves then that risk will be there for the rest of their lives. I'd happily risk death in order to live life to the fullest and I allow my children to make the same choice for themselves.
Rant over - climbs down off soap box . . .
p.s. I do keep a vague eye on them at all times!
We use the underneath area as summer storage for large toys.
The picnic bench that was originally included was mostly rotten so hubby converted it into a bar. I had to laugh. It's actually a bit high for the kids to use it as a makeshift shop or drinks bar for themselves and a bit lower than an adult would like a bar but useable for both. I pointed out the lack of places to pop a drink in our garden and his habit of entertaining outdoors. I have to concede to his wisdom on this occasion - don't tell him . . .
There's a ladder on the back which isn't really necessary as Little Miss is so comfortable with the climbing wall. We may remove it temporarily now that Little Pickle is walking as I want to prevent him from getting to the upper level without supervision. Another option is to remove the lowest step or block it off with some ply wood. Have you noticed that a lot of public parks have the lowest step missing on larger climbing frames? It perfectly prevents little kids from getting up there. I think its a fantastic idea and the person who came up with it deserves a lot more credit. I've no need to pull my baby off the ladder and have him be mad at me, he simply can't get up and gets mad at the ladder or frustrated by his own lack of size, there's no rebellion because I'm not the one enforcing the rule. Also I know that if he gets to the foot of the ladder when I'm distracted with my other child he can't get into too much difficulty. If by some miracle he gets up the ladder, well I reckon he deserves to be on the big kid climbing frame.
Puts soap box out of reach . . .
I'm not sure if these hand bars had been lost by the previous owners but Little Miss was struggling without something to pull herself up with so hubster fitter her a few sets.
This is the inside of the playhouse. Isn't it enormous!? In fact it's bigger than my fist kitchen - no joke.
I'm not sure if you can see but hubby got Little Miss some unicorn (she's going through THAT phase at the moment) solar lights which look epic at night - when she's in bed . . .
Auntie bought Little Miss a telescope for her birthday so she can watch the stars . . . the ones that come out when she's in bed . . . birdwatching maybe?
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