Outdoor Playhouse Blog

An outdoor playhouse may seem like a great accessory to add to your own family’s yard, but its utility and appeal can also be enjoyed on a much larger level. It doesn’t have to be a one family thing. In fact, with all of the joy and happiness that a kids playhouse can bring, it seems just as valuable to add it into an area that is community based and accessible to a multitude of children.

A community or neighborhood garden is the perfect place for integrating a kids playhouse. Here are three ways that a children’s playhouse can be used to make a neighborhood garden turn from just a patch of dirt and plants into an amazing family retreat:

1. It will keep the children busy when parents have to focus on major gardening duties. A neighborhood garden requires many hands, but sometimes, those little hands can get a little bit in the way. When a team of neighbors are working on a large project, and the children have to be kept nearby, a kids playhouse will be perfect for everyone’s peace of mind.

2. Children will gather in an outdoor playhouse and enjoy the community garden. A neighborhood garden is not just for the adults, by providing a space for children to play as they also tend to the chore of maintaining the garden, it is likely that more children will become involved in this relationship building endeavor. After a few encounters with each other and the garden to spark lots of imaginative play, children will be able to forge their own relationships with each other.

3. An outdoor playhouse will add life to the garden and give older neighbors a chance to meet and play with their younger neighbors. For some older residents, there may not be other opportunities to be with children and to enjoy their youthful spirit. By providing the space for the kids in the community garden, the elderly population will be able to interact, teach them, and possibly even learn from them!

Technorati Tags: Community garden, gardening, Outdoor playhouse

An outdoor playhouse is a structure that will always attract gobs of attention from children and adults, alike. However, as a homeowner, to minimize the fact that it’s an additional structure on the property without diminishing the cool effect that it has on those that spot it, you may achieve the results that you want by taking steps to make the integration somewhat seamless. Try these small tricks to blend a kids outdoor playhouse into your yard while retaining its fun factor:

1. Create a landscape design that will serve to merge the outdoor playhouse with your home. Some homeowners that buy their kids a playhouse leave the space around it bare. Often, they will have cleared the space to allow for the footing and other construction needs that a playhouse may have. Leaving the space around it empty can take away from the yard making it look awkward. A little grass, trees, and plants can really make a huge difference in how the new structure fits. Plus, doing the landscape planning and design is a fantastic activity for parents and children to do together.

2. If you are concerned that the playhouse is too ostentatious, select colors or a style that will not be too showy.  Earth tones are wonderful for the outside of the outdoor playhouse, especially if it is surrounded by trees and grass. However, if your home is bright white, you may want the kids playhouse to be bright white also.  If your budget allows, together, with your child, decide if you want the playhouse to be a replica of your home, should it be unique and potentially more eye-catching, or should it be simply the same color but a different style. This can be a big decision for a family.  But, as a parent, always keep in mind that the outdoor playhouse should be fun and a space that your child will love!

Your child’s outdoor playhouse and your family’s home will be huge parts of their childhood memories. It will also be a big part of your memories of their childhood. Consider how you will feel in years to come if you weren’t comfortable with the play structure that you had. If you have any doubts, take steps to ensure that the outdoor playhouse that your family chooses fits into your yard and comfortably into your lives.

Technorati Tags: back yard landscaping, backyard, Before You Build Advice, Outdoor playhouse, Wooden playhouse

Making a kids outdoor playhouse into a little kids gymnasium is not as hard as it may seem. It can be done fairly simply and without a great expense.  Children need a daily dose of exercise and playing, of course. Imagine the fun that your children, along with your young neighbors will have as they put their time in and get in good workout right in your little neighborhood gym.  Even if you don’t set the entire outdoor playhouse up with exercise equipment, just dedicating one section could have the same effect. Here’s how to get started:

1. Keep things simple. Let your child coordinate the space according to their own fitness goals. For instance, one child may want to do more aerobic type of exercise, so a jump rope or mats for doing aerobic type of movements would work well. For strength training, workout elastics are great because they provide resistance, yet they are fairly cheap and don’t take up much room at all.

2. Keep safety first. A kids playhouse can be just about anything, but if the environment is not safe, then all of the fun can quickly go away. So, if your child wants to make his or her kids playhouse into a gym, stress the importance of safety with your child. Some items that will help with safety are having towels available to clean up wet areas from sweating. You may also need to keep disinfectant wipes available for wiping down equipment and other areas that could be subject to bacteria.

3. Make sure there are mirrors all over the walls of the kids outdoor playhouse! Kids love to watch as they workout. Whether they are doing body builder poses or simply likes to see themselves jumping up and down, having mirrors on the wall makes fitness a wild and wacky adventure.

4. Choose bright colors for the kids playhouse that energize! From the fixtures to the flooring, having exciting colors will get every one psyched up for a good workout. Dull, dark colors will not entice the children.

5. Let your child have a little “Juice Bar”, where he or she can mix different healthy drinks for the friends that visit their little gym. Kids love mixing stuff and you can use little juice box drinks to keep things whimsical and age appropriate.

6. Provide music and videos in the kids playhouse that your child can enjoy. One of the best parts about working out is using really cool music to jog, jump, or dance to. Videos are also great because kids can learn how to properly execute different fitness moves.

A kids outdoor playhouse can do double duty as a little kids gym with just a few small tweaks to the items that you have in it. From crazy juice concoctions to mastering wild and funky aerobic moves, any child that “joins” your child’s gym is sure to have a heart-healthy good time!

Technorati Tags: Exercise, Healthy, outdoor play, Outdoor playhouse

Building an outdoor playhouse can be very rewarding for both you and your child, especially when the playhouse is finished.  You get the satisfaction of completing an awesome structure and it’ll be a playhouse that your child will absolutely love and be able to play in for many years into the future.

But before you build an outdoor playhouse, what kind of advice can be given to the average do-it-yourself builder who is constructing a kids playhouse for the first time?  The number one most powerful thing to know when building an outdoor play house is to check your local building codes before you begin to build anything.

This is especially true if you are considering adding a concrete building pad for the playhouse.  When you lay concrete, you are increasing the non-drainage or impervious surface area on your lot.

Most municipalities have a defined allowable single-family residential impervious surface rules that are based on a property’s lot size.  Impervious surface refers to the percentage of a lot covered by surfaces such as buildings, patios and driveway concrete that prevent or alter the flow and absorption of rain and snow.

In many areas, the residential property owners are limited to 25 percent impervious coverage. In some cases, older homes can be grandfathered in, but cannot exceed their existing percentage.

Usually, to be able to extend impervious surfacing beyond the minimum percentage, a homeowner must obtain a conditional use permit or a variance from the city.

You may have heard horror stories where impervious areas had to be removed or structures taken down to adhere to the local building code.

Don’t get into situations where you may or may not be following your local building codes.  Don’t guess.  A simple call to the local zoning office will clarify whether your proposed concrete platform for your outdoor playhouse will be following building codes.  Once you know the building code requirements, you can figure out whether your specific property lot size falls within those requirements.

Moving forward with the construction of the outdoor playhouse will be less stressful once you know you are following and adhering to your local building codes!

Technorati Tags: Before You Build Advice, Building codes, Children's playhouse, Impervious Surface, Outdoor playhouse

Brighten up your outdoor play house by adding overflowing flower boxes and planters filled with fresh flowers.  Kids love the out doors and they love to plant things and watch them grow.  As a parent, you can encourage the love of the outdoors by combining this love with activities around or outside of their playhouse.   Your child will get very excited to plant flowers in their flowers boxes when they know the flower boxes are for their playhouse.

Try these tips to make sure that you and your child get the most out of beautifying their kids playhouse:

Flower boxes are not all made the same, so make sure your child chooses a flower box that will compliment the decor of your child’s play house.   Flower boxes come in all types of shapes, sizes and colors.  The rectangle as the most traditional shape to non-traditional semi-circular pocket flower boxes.  There are also flower boxes that attach directly to the sides of a playhouse, hang on the side of a railing, or are free-standing and remain on the ground.

The look of the flower boxes can be easily and simply changed using paint, ribbons or decorative planting sticks.  Have fun with this flower box decorating project by using bold contrasting colors for the paints or ribbons.  If you really want to jazz up the flower boxes, personalize them with stickers, beads, rhinestones or monograms using an epoxy adhesive to keep the customized items from falling off.

The best part of this activity is having your child pick out the flowers!  There is an amazing abundance of flower varieties, shapes, sizes and colors to choose from and whether the flowers are fresh or artificial, your child will absolutely relish choosing flowers that they like and that are appealing to them.  If you want your child to experience the joy of gardening, then plant real or fresh flowers in the flower boxes.   Your child’s playhouse is sure to look fabulous, regardless of whether your flower boxes have fresh or fake flowers.  Don’t forget to consider using fake flowers in the colder months so there is always an appealing look to the outdoor playhouse!

To your child, the exterior of their playhouse is as important as the interior so create an inviting and welcoming entrance to the playhouse using flower boxes.   Flower boxes add vibrancy and can give any playhouse a charming feel and brighter look.  Make your child’s outdoor play house bright, beautiful and vibrant using one or more flower boxes that have been customized by your child.

Technorati Tags: flower boxes, flowers, friends, gardening, kids

Complimenting your child’s outdoor playhouse and the space that it occupies is a lot simpler than you probably thought possible. All it takes is a little time and a lot of seeds?!?! Yes, seeds. Your child can completely reconfigure the area around his or her playhouse by starting a vegetable and herb garden.  Here are a few reasons why you should really consider working with your child to convert that beautiful land into something extra special:

Gardening is great exercise! You and your child will get a good workout as you dig, pull, and tend to the veggies and herbs that you are growing. All of that bending and, most importantly, the fantastic stretching that your lungs will get while you breathe fresh air! The amount of time that you spend could depend on the size of the space that you want to dedicate alongside your child’s outdoor playhouse.

Gardening will yield healthy foods that your family needs and enjoys! Introducing children to the wonderful world of veggies brings with it a wealth of food choices as they grow. Children that plant a garden alongside their outdoor playhouse will love being able to eat the foods that they worked so hard to cultivate. Vegetables have lots of character. They can be hard and crunchy. They can be soft and mushy. Plant herbs and vegetables that your family already enjoys, and add in a few different vegetables to expose them to different varieties.

Gardens are perfect for exploring your child’s creative side! Color abounds in a well organized garden. From the bright red tomatoes that grow in clusters to the beautiful orange carrot tops that sprinkle the ground, the fantastic array of colors that surround their outdoor playhouse will make your child want to spend hours upon hours in their playhouse and tending to their gorgeous garden.

Your child’s outdoor playhouse will be completely surrounded by what may look like an artist’s palette when everything has grown. It will be time well spent with your child and they will never forget the experience. In time, when they are all grown up, they may use their own child’s outdoor playhouse to anchor their own family’s garden!

Technorati Tags: Kids outdoor play, outdoor play, outdoor play house, Outdoor playhouse, Wooden playhouse

As a parent, you want your child to experience the best– the best education, the best clothes, the best food, and the best kids playhouse. That’s why for your outdoor playhouse, you need to consider the following safety factors:

Kids have a lot of energy and tend to be rambunctious.   So you need to ensure that the playhouse is in a safe location. The location should be within view of the main house.  Ensure that the kids playhouse is close enough for you to keep an eye out for the kids. Not only would that let you know when the kids are getting hungry or sleepy, it would also help you prevent them from getting into too much mischief. What’s more! Your proximity to the kids would keep unsafe elements away from them.

Next, it should not be near areas that you do not want disturbed.  For example, don’t put the playhouse near the garden with your prized rose bushes.  More than likely that the kids will wander into this area to build a nature walking trail with their friends. Not only will that destroy the bushes, but your kids will also be scratched by thorns, which might hurt them badly.

Another important aspect to consider with an outdoor playhouse is that it should be sturdy and have a good foundation. It won’t do to have one of the walls unstable while the children are playing. Children test the boundaries and stretch the limits and a kids playhouse is not an exception to these rules.

Lastly, look for specific items that could cause cuts, bumps or bruises.  If you have a wooden playhouse, be sure that any nails are not exposed.  Additionally, make sure that beams or overhangs are not too low that the kids can bump their heads.

Giving your kids the best outdoor playhouse also means making sure it is safe for your children.

Technorati Tags: Kids outdoor play, Outdoor playhouse, play houses, Wooden playhouse

Here’s an outdoor playhouse that is unique in that it is a Bavarian-style theme. 

If you want to see more, got to http://www.kidsplayhouseblog.com

Technorati Tags: children's play houses, Kids outdoor play, kids play house, Kids playhouse, Outdoor playhouse

I’d like to welcome you to the outdoor playhouse blog where you will find information relating to a wooden playhouse, a kids playhouse and kids outdoor play.