Simple, inexpensive, eco-friendly structures for the backyard seem to also be the ones that get the most used.
teeter totter.
I bought to 10 ft pieces of 8 x 2"s at Home Depot, brought them home and used a handsaw with the kids to cut them into 2 pieces. I made mine unequal in length and put stumps in between, just for a more organic look than all straight lines, but that's purely an aesthetic choice. Filled it with sandbox sand right over the grass. We have no cover and had not had a cat issue in the nearly 3 yrs we've been here.
The balance beam is also a post from Home Depot, with two 8" pieces of 2"x4" attached to either end. We sanded it by hand and sealed it with beeswax.
We built a rough structure together of wooden posts and then planted vines. It makes a wonderful little shelter to hide in. It has two passion fruit vines- one flowering and one fruiting, which is fun to pick and eat on a hot summer day, and bower and jasmine. This little shelter sees a whole lot of humming birds on a regular basis.
We also have lots of moving boards that can be made into ramps of balance beams that are slightly more challenging. Here a little 2 year old braves the distance quite skillfully. It is very important for children to have movable pieces in their environment rather than all fixed pieces like a purchased play set. We can all think of a few politicians that seem to have challenges with fixed ideas and fixed thinking. haha! Children for 100's of years created their own play areas and only in the recent generations has that become a think of the past. Many of us don't live in the country or near wilderness, but here are some simple ideas to transform a small suburban yard like ours. I mean, we live in 'The OC' backed up against a strip mall! Hardly the garden of Eden.
Healthy feet and healthy toes. I love barefeet!
Hay bales provide and ever changing playing platform that ends up either feeding the rabbits or as mulch for the roses.
But the real hero of the backyard is the tree! A great big mulberry tree is definitely king of this little plot.
