Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)In an unusual departure from books of this type the first thirteen pages discuss what children like to do, the type of play different ages are interested in, and how to match an appropriate play area to the child. With that foundation firmly laid, "The Backyard Playground: Recreational Landscapes & Play Structures" then proceeds Landscaping for Playgrounds, Large Play Projects, and Small Play Projects. For each project there are multiple illustrations, materials lists, tools lists, and detailed step-by-step instructions to walk you through the entire project. No steps are left out of the project. I have seen several books that detail how to build a swing set but never discuss the appropriate ground coverings or how to correctly anchor it into the ground so it is safe. "The Backyard Playground" makes no assumptions that you would already know things like this. This text assumes that you are starting with bare ground and covers all the steps to build your project from scratch. The illustrations are so well done that anyone can easily follow along and create a playground area rivaling the best commercial projects. "The Backyard Playground" is a highly recommended book for anyone wanting to build their own children's play area and the only one I have ever reviewed that I would feel comfortable recommending to the novice handyman.
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By combining building projects for children's play structures with tips and ideas for creative landscaping, this book goes much further than any other to helping readers create a fun, safe, and interactive outdoor play area for their children in an environment that is useful and appealing to adults. The projects in this book include a broad range of designs, for toddlers to teenagers. The play structure project is the classic, timber-style set found in many yards and can accommodate several accessories and future modifications. Playing in either of the two tree house projects, kids will find adventure, privacy, and a connection to the outdoors. The climbing wall project provides kids-and parents-with a fun way to develop strength and concentration. There are also projects for playhouses and forts that kids can help build and several plans for child-size outdoor furniture.Where appropriate, projects are designed for adaptation to a different use after the child outgrows them. For example, the sandpit project is a decorative sandbox that can easily be adapted into a garden bed; the playhouse could become a garden shed in later years. In addition to the projects, there are dozens of tips for using trees and other plantings to create private, natural places for kids that are integrated with the general landscape.This book focuses on the nationwide trend of parents encouraging outdoor play for their kids while, at the same time, keeping them close to home.
