Naturally Playful Climber

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

Naturally Playful Clubhouse Climber    US $644.98

NEW STEP2 Naturally Playful Clubhouse LARGE Climber    US $649.99

Step 2 Clubhouse Climber Playhouse Fort    US $350.00

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

No items matching your keywords were found.

Playground equipment are a wonderful way of making your kid exercise and work off all the extra energy. But, we should always keep in mind that playground equipment safety is essential for any pearent, teacher or someone supervising the kids.

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

Naturally Playful Clubhouse Climber    US $644.98

Step 2 Clubhouse Climber Playhouse Fort    US $350.00

NEW STEP2 Naturally Playful Clubhouse LARGE Climber    US $649.99

Step2 Naturally Playful Woodland Climber    US $49.99

View Page:   1

The chance of these injuries occurring-ranging from bumps and bruises to head trauma-can be reduced by following some simple guidelines.

"Nothing is more important than active adult supervision to enforce the rules that will help prevent a serious injury on backyard playgrounds," says Meri-K Appy, president of the nonprofit Home Safety Council. "In addition, parents and caregivers should make sure their children's play set is age-appropriate and in good condition-and that the surface underneath and around the equipment provides a soft landing if and when their kids do take a tumble."

Backyard Play Set Safety Tips:

1. Ensure your play set has proper surfacing. Proper surfacing is an important component in reducing injuries due to a play set fall; however, it is often an overlooked backyard playground safety feature. Dirt and grass do not provide the appropriate level of cushioning. Instead, loose fill materials such as wood mulch, wood chips, fine sand or fine gravel is recommended. The material should extend at least six feet in all directions and depth should vary from nine to 12 inches, depending on the surfacing type.

2. Make sure that your backyard play set is sturdy. Lumber sturdiness is also an important element to play set safety. Using four-by-four corner posts will minimize the side-to-side sway motion that less substantial lumber may sometimes cause. Also, make sure that you use A-frame legs to provide a firm footing for the swing beam.

3. Select a backyard play set that meets maximum safety guidelines. Parents also want to choose play sets that meet ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. Although these standards are voluntary, they can help assure parents that the play sets were designed with safety in mind. One manufacturer that complies with these guidelines is Swing-N-Slide. It has introduced an innovative new bracket technology for play set assembly called the Rapid-LOC system. This system features four special brackets combined with self-drilling fasteners, which provide secure anchoring for deck supports, four-by-four uprights and accessory beams. The interlocking nature of the Rapid-LOC brackets keep the play system's supports tightly locked-even if a screw comes loose-producing a stronger backyard play set.

By: Adam Johnes

a lot of things that can be used to bring families closer together, and one of those things is the playing of backyard games. Most people turn to watching television or playing video games today, but there is much more available to people than that. Because this is the case, some families are turning off the TV and the game systems and moving toward doing more things together. When the weather is bad there are many board and card games that can be played. When the weather is nice, though, there are a lot of outdoor activities that can really bring people together. One of these is the Cornhole game. Some people call it the bean bag game or the bean bag toss, but the difference in name does not mean much. The game is still the same regardless of what people call it. There are some slight differences in the size of the board and a few friendly arguments about where the game originated, but most people who play it are unconcerned with these things. They only want to enjoy the game with their family and friends.

This is easy to do if a person knows how to play the game. Fortunately, playing the game is very easy and not physically demanding at all. Because of these kinds of issues, a person who wants to play the game can learn it very quickly. From very young children to the elderly, everyone can play the Cornhole game. In order to play people toss soft cloth bags filled with plastic pellets, dried corn, or dried beans, at a hole in a board. These bags are worth points if they go through the hole, and are worth fewer points if they land on the board and remain there. Bags that fall off the board or bags that do not hit the board at all are not worth any points. These bags are soft and lightweight and they are easy to toss, even if one is not physically strong. The board is also not very heavy, and the slightly smaller version of the board is very portable, fitting in the trunk of a larger car.

Because the game is easy to take along, store, and play, it is often taken from one backyard to another one when families get together. This is a lot of fun, and it makes it easier because more than one Cornhole set can be taken to the house where everyone is gathering. When individuals all get together to play the Cornhole game they can enjoy it for hours on a nice day, and it can be the centerpiece of a good backyard barbecue. Along with the food and the fellowship, the Cornhole game provides hours of fun and enjoyment for all sorts of people from all income levels and all walks of life. More people play it in northern sections of the country, but people in the west and in the south are starting to become interested in the game as well.

By: Dave Roth

Sandpits (also known as sandboxes) are an important part of many playgrounds, and can provide hours of imaginative and constructive play activity. A well designed and constructed sandpit will provide years of enjoyment and repay your investment many times over. Yet all too often, sandpits in commercial playgrounds are poorly designed with adverse effects on their users.

This article offers a guide to helping you maximise the potential of your sandpit. Although this guide is aimed at assisting commercial playground operators, there are lots of hints that will prove useful when constructing a sandpit in the backyard at home.

Step 1. Location

Take some time to study the layout of your playground carefully. Ideally your new sand pit should be located in a quite play space, ideally in a shaded area which will not interfere with open play space or other activities. If shade is not available, you may need to consider erecting a shade structure above the sandpit. If you are installing shade think carefully about the positioning of the support poles so they will not interfere with play space or softfall areas. If you are using a tree for your shade be sure to choose a location where tree roots will not damage your sandpit.

Often playgrounds have large areas of woodchips for safe play areas. Yet placing a sandpit in the vicinity of a woodchip play area will mean your sandpit will soon be full of woodchips. If this is your only choice, then try to think strategically of ways to combat the spread of woodchips such as by creating a barrier made from natural grass or synthetic surfacing, or creative use of timber decking.

Remember that despite your best efforts, sand will escape from the confines of the sandpit, so you should aim to reduce the effect of sand spillage as much as possible. For example spillage of dry sand onto a concrete pathway, can cause the surface to become extremely slippery and a potentially dangerous OHS issue. Applying a wetpour rubbersurface may be necessary to prevent this effect. You should also ensure there is sufficient space between your sandpit and the entrance of any nearby buildings to prevent sand from entering inside.

In assessing location, look for ways to incorporate your sandpit into an existing playground feature or into the natural landscaping of your playground. It may fit snugly against an existing retaining wall, or be incorporated around a rock feature, so think creatively. Remember that although a sandpit may be out of the way, it should still be clearly visible to allow easy supervision of play.

One often overlooked aspect in considering location is access. Remember that your sandpit will need to be filled up periodically, and wheel barrowing 8 tonne of sand is hard work. If direct vehicular access is not possible, look for alternate ways to create access such as removing fence panels, or seek permission to gain access from neighbouring properties. In order to keep your sand hygienic, it will need to be topped up periodicaly, or replaced with fresh clean immediately in the advent of contamination by animals. Thoughtfulness at the design stage can save lots of hard work later.

Warning. If you have an existing synthetic play surface such as rubber or synthetic grass around your sandpit site, do not use an excavator or small bobcat to carry sand across it. Despite what the excavator driver may say, the machine is very likely to damage the surfacing, and repair work is difficult and costly. If this is the case in your playground, then you will have to resort to the tried and tested method of the wheelbarrow and shovel.

Step 2. Design

Size

The surface area size of your sandpit will be dependant upon the number of users, available space and budget, as well as the range of alternative play activities. Ideally it should be a minimum of at least 500 mm deep.

Shape

Once you have chosen your location and size think about what shape design will work best in your location. Sandpits can be almost any shape including circular, kidney, oval or square.

Your design should consider ease of access for users. Preferably the sandpit walls will be sunk entirely into the ground, or be built with low entry spots to provide easy access. Ideally, sandpits should have a flat lip around their perimeter. This may be used for seats as well as providing a flat surface for playing with toys and a shelf for building on. The lip should be clearly defined and easily seen so that it will not become a potential trip hazard. It also serves to provide an easy sweep area, for sweeping overflowing sand back.

Materials

Sandpits are usually constructed from timber, concrete, pavers or brick blocks depending on what material is best suited the site. If you use timber, be careful not to use timber which has been treated with CCA (Copper Chromium Arsenic). Ask your supplier for alternative treated timber such as ACQ or use hardwoods.

Covering the structural component of the sandpit with wet pour rubber is the ideal solution to providing safe edging, although synthetic grass may also be used. When designing your sandpit ensure that edges are rounded or at least bevelled, to reduce the potential for impact injuries.

Drainage

Drainage is another important factor to prevent your sandpit from becoming a swimming pool in times of heavy rain. Furthermore a well drained sandpit will mean that the sand is washed and freshened by the rain, resulting in more hygienic sandpit. 150mm of loose rocks or aggregate should be used at the bottom of the sandpit to prevent water build up and can be used to drain away the water. You will also need a barrier between the sand and the drainage rock material to prevent children digging down to the rocks. The barrier should be made of a porous material such as geotech fabric, rubber or perforated synthetic grass.

Step 3. The Construction Process

Once you have your design, you can either build the sandpit yourself, or outsource the work to a professional tradesperson. Landscapers, builders, concreters, carpenters or playground specialists are the best place to start your enquiries depending on the scope of works. Ask around at other commercial playgrounds and get recommendations from operator who can recommend a tradesperson from a similar project. Ideally your chosen company should have a track record in similar projects.

When you are obtaining quotes, provide a plan or sketch of your design as well as a written list of your criteria. This will ensure that everybody is quoting on the same specifications. Arrange to meet the tradesman onsite and remember to ask for their feedback and ideas as well. Often a professional tradesman may be able to offer excellent ideas or practical perspectives which you may not have thought of.

Step 4. The Sandpit Cover

Once your sandpit is completed, it is important that your sandpit is securely covered when not in use, to prevent leaves, dirt and animal contamination which can spread disease. A shade and sail maker can provide you with a sturdy, commercial grade cover, which will allow water through, yet still keep animals out.

You can have your cover professionally fitted and installed, or you can save money by installing it yourself, and having the sail maker customise it from your measurements. If your sandpit is an irregular shape, a very useful tip is to take a large piece of black plastic (available at your local hardware shop) and stretch it over the sandpit using weights to hold it in place. You can now use scissors or a marking pen to trace the required shape, thereby making an exact template of your cover. Fold this up and take it to your local shade and sail maker. This is often more accurate and simpler, than trying to measure an irregular shaped sandpit with unusual angles.

An excellent idea is to have the sail maker sew a length of chain in the hem of the cover. This will weigh the cover down and hold it securely in place when the sandpit is not in use. An alternative method is to have the sail maker sew eyelets at strategic points and to use clips and elastic rope to secure it to the sandpit sides.

Step 5. Looking After your Sandpit

A well designed sandpit will need far less maintenance than one which has been poorly designed; however some basic upkeep is still required. Raking your sandpit regularly will help to aerate the sand as well as remove leaves and other debris. Airing the sand is important as fresh air serves as a disinfectant. Disinfecting your sandpit by hand will be required when they are obviously dirty. An easy method is to use a mild detergent diluted in water in a watering can, although the best way to guarantee your sand is clean and hygienic is to remove the top layer of sand (or all of it if it is really dirty) and top it up with fresh clean sand.

Following these steps will ensure that your new sandpit will be an asset to your playground and an investment in the lives of the children you care for.

Some pictures of sandpits built by the author can be found at playcover.com.au.

Copyright Nick Warren 2007. This article may be used free of charge provided it is not altered in any way and the original referencing is preserved.

By: Nick Warren

It's fun to buy pint-sized furniture designed to be at the perfect height for youngsters and toddlers, but before you head out shopping, make sure that the furniture you're buying is safe for your child to use. There are more accident waiting to happen than many parents realize, and even furniture for kids can have its drawbacks. Here are some things to look for when considering which furniture for your child is best to buy:

Choose wood over plastic. Plastic furniture isn't going to last through rough play over the years or withstand the test of time. Kids are hard on their furniture. Not only that, while molded plastic may seem a good way to go for the budget conscious parent, plastic furniture tends to fade and doesn't clean well. Colors are often aimed at narrow age groups and are decorated with stickers that peel off, leaving a blemished, worn look. Also, certain plastic items don't have good stability, such as cheap plastic chairs that tip over easily. Wood offers a sturdier alternative that is easy to clean and care for, as well as being attractive to children of all ages.

Choose furniture that retains its value. Pressed wood furniture or MDF constructions don't retain their purchase value well at all. These types of furniture are easy on the wallet, but they certainly won't last the test of time to be passed down to your children's children. Solid wood furniture retains its value and sometimes can even increase in value. Also, the sentimental nostalgia that adults end up having for their childhood furniture is almost always for the well-crafted and better quality of construction. How many of you fondly remember a pressed wood bookcase?

Choose heavier furniture over light. Light furniture is tippy and can fall over onto a small mountain climber practicing his or her skills. Make sure the furniture you choose is stable and solid. Test it by pushing to see if you can tip it over or pull on it to see if you can make it fall. Also, if you buy furniture with drawers, pull them out as far as they go to know whether safety stoppers have been installed. Otherwise, the drawer will come right out of the dresser, which can hurt young children.

Choose stylish furniture that isn't based on a current cartoon favorite or with questionable color schemes. Many marketers cash in on the craze to have the latest cartoon favorite's clothing, movies, music, toys, dishes… almost anything you can think of is prone to being stamped with a cartoon figure's face and sold to parents who want to provide children with something they recognize. When the cartoon character fades from favor, so do the toys and furniture. Stylish furniture that has classic appeal built to last for years is a far better choice. After all, you don't want to have to replace furniture every year because trends have changed!

Choose furniture your child fits into. A child's bed is better than an adult one the toddler will grow into. A chair the child can easily sit on without having to struggle to climb is a better choice. Bookcases with shelves the child can reach or a vanity set built to be at the right height are smart decisions. Everything surrounding a toddler is big and clumsy, so if you're buying something specifically for your child, choose an item that reflects his or her size and ability to keep frustration levels and the risk of fall low.

With a little careful consideration of your child's needs and some attention to solid construction, as well as long-lasting durability and style, you can choose beautiful, functional furniture for your toddler. Also, by taking the time to make smart shopping choices, you'll have furniture that will become keepsake favorites of the family to pass down through the generations.

By: Lily Morgan

One of the best ways to keep your child active and happy is to have some indoor games which your child can enjoy. Indoor preschool games can be played in any room of the house and these can be real fun as well.

Mother's Day Scavenger Hunt - This is one of the most interesting games to play indoors with your child. This is almost a perfect game for preschoolers to play. Follow the steps to know how to play Mother's Day Scavenger Hunt. Take a print out or buy the mother's day scavenger hunt game cards. You can easily get one off the net, if you are not keen on spending money for the same. Cut along the lines and have cards of individual letters. Now, hide the letters in the room or better still, in the whole house! Finally, send your preschool kid off to find these cards, one by one.

PlayZone in Brewster began 15 months ago as an indoor playground where parents could take their children for a few hours of supervised play and hold birthday parties. It is now expanding its arts center, with offerings from music, dance and acting classes for children to yoga, martial arts and improvisation for adults.

Indoor playground equipment is not entirely different from outdoor structures, but they are generally smaller, softer, and more modular. Adding interactive fun and creative play to stores, daycares, restaurants, preschools, parks, places of worship, and even homes, the different types of indoor playground equipment are designed to teach children cooperation, sharing, coordination, and imaginative games. They differ by size, type, targeted age group, skill, and modularity.

The demand for indoor play centers, whether in the form of full Family Entertainment Centers, or specialized Childrens Entertainment or Edu-tainment Centers continues to rise. With a tense global situation, and growing parental need to provide children with safe, quality play time and experiences, the interest in Indoor Playgrounds and indoor play-centers continues to expand. However, in many cases as much as we love soft indoor playgrounds - it can be an operators challenge to ensure a solid return on that activity investment.

The indoor playground industry is relatively new. Among the existing players in the indoor playground industry, competition is fragmented. The only company with a strong national presence is Surprise Land, possessing over 250 store locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. A significant threat also exists from Connell Corporation, which has started an indoor playground concept of its own, Jungle Play. Although Jungle Play is still in a testing phase, Connell's has the resources and experience to expand its concept rapidly. In addition, there are numerous regional players with fewer than 10 stores across the nation, although relatively few of them are actively seeking franchisees.

Playgrounds set off small energy explosions in kids, sending them catapulting through equipment, jumping on and off swings, and moving in and out of games, negotiating it all like cab drivers in rush hour. Quick, seize-the-moment games, whether they're centuries old or invented in an afternoon, always have been the mainstay of playground activities--and knowing a great game is important social currency among kids.

By: peterhutch

Is your kid’s birthday coming up in the near future? Do you want everything to be just perfect but you can’t find the time to go shopping for kids party supplies? If the answer to either of these questions is affirmative, then you should keep on reading and find out about the benefits of purchasing supplies for kids birthdays parties from the Internet.Virtual shopping has become a common practice among busy parents who do not have the time to ramble from store to store. They consider the Internet to be perfect when it comes to purchasing kids party supplies and they enjoy the diversity of products presented by online stores. If you are interested in the products available for kids birthday parties, then you should do a quick search online. You will probably be surprised at how many stores are there but you will have to choose one that has all the products you need. After all, you want to offer your kid a dream-like party, with plenty of toys and decorations.

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Best Match Time: ending soonest Time: newly listed Price: lowest first Price: highest first Price + Shipping: lowest first Price + Shipping: highest first

No items matching your keywords were found.

In order to have the perfect birthday party, you need a tone of kids party supplies and of course, a theme. Thanks to the virtual stores, you now have access to a wealth of information on kids birthdays parties and available products. With their help, it won’t seem such a difficult task to plan the party and take care of all the small details. If you are planning a celebration for your kid’s first birthday, then everything becomes even more important. Online, you have plenty of 1st birthday themes to choose from, including ‘baby Einstein’, ‘barnyard’ and ‘cakes on me’. They all come with different products and they are presented in detail on the Internet.

The kids party supplies included with the ‘baby Einstein’ theme include: a deluxe party box, felt hats, bibs, candles, dessert plates, handprint keepsakes and napkins. You can also purchase cake decoration kits and a large happy birthday banner. The ‘barnyard’ theme offers cutout decoration, dessert plates, hanging dangler decorations and invitations for the kids attending the party. And what celebration would be complete without a round foil ballon? Other products includes with kids birthday parties are: blowouts, cone hats, cups, table centerpieces and special decorations. You can even choose a theme depending on the gender of the child. Among the most popular themes you will probably find High School Musical, Elmo, Mickey’s Clubhouse, Shrek the Third and Winnie the Pooh.

Winnie the Pooh is one of the most loved cartoons in the world and it’s no wonder that so many parents choose this particular theme for kids birthday parties. With supplies like a Pooh Bear Airwalker balloon, Pooh Bear and Friends character latex balloons and cupcake liners, the party is a guaranteed success. If you have a boy, then you choose the kids party supplies from themes like Batman, Ben 10, Disney Cars, Superman, Spiderman or Iron Man. Thomas the Tank remains just as popular. As for the girls, Barbie, Cinderella and Hannah Montana represent top of the list.

What other kids party supplies are there available for purchase? Let’s talk about the many different types of balloons, such as the airwalker, balloon weights and bubble balloons. There are also foil, link o loon and sing-a-long balloons. You definitely have from where to choose. The cake is also an important item on the agenda and you can purchase birthday cake supplies right from the Internet. These include cake decorating kits, candles and of course, cupcakes. Decorations such as banners, confetti and table centerpieces represent important choices for kids birthday parties. In fact, every detail matters and you are right to go all the way to offer a special day to your little ones!

By: Jhoana Cooper

Nurturing Young Minds And Bodies

Toys are the constant companions of children from a very young age. Toys have a great impact on the development of a child’s cognitive, social and physical skills. Toys not only provide entertainment to the child, but also encourage a healthy overall development. Playing with toys help them make decisions, find solutions to problems, and exert control over their surroundings.

Child development toys are the tools that foster the development of the childhood thoughts, fantasies and creativity. Playing creates a strong foundation for learning, and satiates the child’s urge for exploration and discovery. In fact, studies have confirmed that the greater the interaction with learning games and objects at a young age, the more will be the number of active nerve cells in the brain.

Puzzles, memory games, matching and sequencing games, and number games help promote cognitive and numeration skills in children. They will be able to exercise their reasoning abilities and hone the skills that are extremely important at a later age. Moreover, it has also been proved that puzzles and memory games prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in old age.

Dramatic play toys like cars, dolls, and kitchen wares, encourage the growth of imaginative powers in a child and allow him/ her to experiment with different materials. Play doughs, paints, and blocks provide unlimited opportunities, giving the child the freedom to create his/ her imaginary world.

When your child is a little older, development toys should include large balls, climbers, planks, slides, and bicycles. Just like puzzles, blocks, and small toys helped the growth of small muscles in the body, these help in the development of larger muscles. Children need tremendous physical activity to keep them engaged. Running around, jumping, cycling, swimming, are all physical activities, and help utilize the child’s energy. It is extremely important to let small children indulge in such activities as they play a vital role in both the physical and mental development of the child.

Children’s needs vary with their age, and as your child grows older, he/ she will grow out of the childhood toys too. At a slightly more mature age, board games like chess, scrabble and domino become interesting as they help the child exercise the analytical and strategic skills.

While purchasing development toys for your child, it is important to keep in mind your child’s age and physical and mental capabilities. For example, while a beads game may develop hand-eye coordination in children, if a particular child has some inherent problem with this coordination, it will only aggravate the frustration and disappointment in him/ her. So the development toys should not only be safe and in keeping with the child’s developmental age, but should also not be a deterrent in the building of self confidence.

By: melinamenny