TIME TO PLAY
You don’t have to splurge on expensive play equipment to turn your backyard into an adventure wonderland for your children. You can stimulate their imagination, encourage learning and entice them to spend time outside in myriad ways, from using a felled tree trunk as a climbing frame to building a simple sandpit in a shady corner of the garden.
The first step is to make the most of what nature has given you and any existing elements you can convert into child-friendly features. If you have an established tree with sturdy branches, attach a swing or rope ladder. If you’re handy with a hammer and the tree lends itself to the proposition, you might even like to construct an old-fashioned tree house which can be used as a pirate’s look-out or a secret club house.
If you have space, why not plant a fairy grove of trees and shrubs, bring in a couple of bush rocks the kids can climb over, or build a hill or two (in
