Re: What to do with our yard

In article
<3a843287-0f87-4b4f-be6b-4f75d3f0bcb4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
meatnub <meatnub@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I was just thinking of what to do to make his playtime outside in our
yard more interesting and all that and was wondering if anyone has any
ideas?

Plant a tree for him to climb when he is older.

Grow plants so that there are places where he can hide with his friends --
shrubs need a few years to thicken up.

Plan a garden bed for him -- only a small area, but one where he can plant
seeds himself, preferably with a fair bit of sun. Again, this is for when he
is a bit older.

Remove spiky plants if he is likely to fall into them. Also any plants that
won't cope with children falling into them. Check you aren't harbouring
noxious weeds or allergenic plants like rhus and pellitory-of-the-wall (asthma
weed). Your local council and department of agriculture will have
identification guides.

Consider a pet. We have guinea pigs and chickens -- much more manageable than
dogs.

If black widow spiders are anything like our redbacks (they're supposed to be
related), check quiet dry nooks such as underneath outdoor seating, the backs
of shed doors, around the house foundations and similar likely hiding places.

Plant some food plants. Try cherry tomatoes, peas, or strawberries.

Go for a sturdy cubby house that an older child can use as a clubhouse, pirate
ship and so on. Buy one that you can stand up in -- helps with cleaning,
removal of recalcitrant children etc. We don't have this sort of cubby yet --
the boys have a little tent from Ikea that is very sturdy and cheap.

Plan a place to store the tricycles, cars, bats, balls, quoits sets,
skateboards etc NOW.

Find a shady place for a sand-pit. Have a lid for it to keep the
neighbourhood cats out.

If you have a pool, fence it off (mandatory in Australia) and check the fence
regularly. Make sure dangerous items are placed where they won't cause
trouble -- think lawn-mower, barbecue plate and tools, car, paints, poisons
etc. I know you have probably already done this, but check safety matters
frequently. Children grow very fast.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
.

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