Outdoor Playhouse Blog

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

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