Get the kids active this summer
What are your leisure habits like? Even if you consider yourself indoorsy, you probably spend more time zoning out with Netflix or mindlessly scrolling social media than reading blogs or books. It’s just easier. It takes less effort, so while you know the latter option is more enriching, low-hanging fruit is somehow more soothing. It’s the same with your kids. Of course they want to make friends and experience new things, but it’s so much more convenient to turn on a screen and pinch it, or jiggle a joystick.
And so – naturally – if you want your kids to go outdoors, you have to give them a reason. Make the yard more entertaining than their phones. This involves labour, but not as much as you’d think. In the past, you might have had to spend most of the summer (or at least a good chunk of spring) installing a tree house. And you’d have the extra task of trying to get the kids to help you. It’s their play-house after all. But these days, it’s much easier. You can purchase and install modular playsets from companies like Quadro or Funky Monkey.
Let’s get wet!
The heat of summer is perfect for water games, so you could spend your days at the beach if it’s close enough, or organise some games around the pool. If you have access to neither, why not build your own aquatic playground? For kids that love to jump and swing, Funky Monkey climbing bars can be paired with an inflatable pool so the kids can hoist themselves off the bars and right into the water. This needs close supervision though, as it can get quite rough. A safer option is the Aqua series of Quadro construction kits.
They’re colourful, lightweight, sturdy, and safe for kids as young as 3. Plus, because they’re so easy to build (and dismantle), the kids can do it themselves as you watch. It makes them feel grown up, and the sense of ownership will activate their responsibility muscles, nudging them to take better care of their playset. Pool-play accessories can be positioned inside a swimming pool. Or they can be assembled on dry land, attached to a ball-pit or to deep trays filled with water. All components are unaffected by salt, UV rays, or chlorine, and can be constructed with slides, swings, and jungle gyms (monkey bars).
Sand and science
You might be uneasy about swimming, but it doesn’t mean your kids can’t take a dip. Consider installing playsets that test their engineering skills without complete immersion. This makes fun times – even for kids with bronchial problems – because you can ensure the water is lukewarm. Look into a Sand and Water catalogue for playsets like Loddon, Boat Racer, Mossman, Rylstone, or Kalgoorlie. These playsets have water pans, taps, basins, bridges, climbing towers, slides, sieves, swings, and scales.
Kids can do all their usual outdoor play, but with water. They can scramble up the rope walls and dive from the towers, but they can also pour water in the various receptacles and watch it flow down tubes, pipes, and pathways. They can splash and measure, watching how the fountains interact with sand, dribbling it through holes and feeling it in their fingers. You’ll need a steady supply of laundry detergent though, because they’re bound to get quite dirty. Have lots of bathing suits on hand, or quick-drying t-shirts and shorts. You can also install an outdoor shower, and you have to be willing to clean up. A lot.
Watch their mouths
Inevitably, some of that sand and water will end up being … digested … so be sure to use clean sand and treated water. You’ll have to deworm them regularly, and maybe attach your water sources to a heater, reducing the chances of kids getting the chills. Create a cyclic system so the water routinely flows back into the heating system when it cools. And while none of the playset parts are deep enough for submersion, never let children play with water unattended. If their friends are coming over, talk to the other parents.
Make sure those parents are okay with water play, and find out if those kids have any conditions you need to worry about. Kids with colds should probably avoid the others for a while, or you’ll soon have a pandemic on your hands. You might keep child-safe anti-histamines on hand, as pre-play prep, but never medicate without permission. And if any of the children are asthmatic – and if their parents are still okay with water play – then make sure you have emergency numbers and inhalers, just in case. After all, they still want to get in on the fun, but you don’t want to end up at the hospital … or with lawyers!
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