Main Article Categories

"Landscaping Gardening" Article
Article Directory Home

Create a Kid-Friendly Yard By Expert Author: Lauren Kline
View Summary \| Submitted: 2008-06-11 \| Word Count: 549 words \| Views: 434 view(s)

Whether you're looking to get your kids outside, keep them closer to home or prepare your home for a family-friendly sale, kid-proofing the backyard is a great project. Your backyard is your best bet for a safe place for your kids to play. Getting children outside from a young age sets a healthy pattern for life and we could all stand to spend a little more time outdoors, so why not give yours more kid-appeal?

Start with the setting - depending on the age of children, you probably want to ensure the property is fenced. Put in some vegetation, but be sure to check at the garden center that your greenery doesn't involve any poisonous parts. Also be aware of thorny or sharp shrubbery. Other safety concerns include sharp tools and harmful chemicals, including many fertilizers. These should be kept out of reach of children.

Fruits and vegetables are a safe and healthy choice for backyard plants. Encourage children to snack fresh from the garden. Kid-sized garden tools can be a great addition: allow children to plant their own little box or plot of garden. Children love watching their handiwork grow.

Next, consider designating a soft area for children to play in. Grass is good, but gets worn out in areas of high traffic, so mulch is a better option. Gravel is also used, but depending on the age of your children it can become a throwing hazard and may be messy to clean up.

Once you've established the setting, you can add the accessories. There is no end to possible backyard accessories. Your only real limits are the age and interest level of your children, your space and your budget. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- A sandbox: find one with a lid to keep the neighborhood cats from using it as a litter box.

- Sports equipment: there are so many options to choose from. Volleyball, badminton, tether ball (set the pole in a cement casing) = lots of fun for the whole family, especially if you have older children.

- A trampoline with safety netting: these should only be used with supervision when parents are home, but are a huge hit with kids.

- A pool: pools require extra diligence as children can drown in just a few inches of water. The safest pools incorporate a good fence into the design.

- A swing set or adventure playground: Check for any exposed bolts that could catch a child's skin. Any set should be anchored firmly to the ground. Before purchasing pressure treated wood, check that it was treated with non-toxic chemicals. Although they are more expensive, wooden swing sets will last longer because they can accommodate larger children and are sturdier. Choose wrapped chain link hangers - they last longer than rope, and are safer than rope or unwrapped chain. Leave a safe space around play equipment so that children have room to drop off without hitting any other equipment.

Involving your children in the design will ensure that you're meeting their needs and planning a space they'll actually use. And when it's finished you'll be able to send your children outside without worrying about their whereabouts. Just don't be surprised if your backyard becomes the local hot spot for the neighborhood kids - at least you'll know where to find yours!

About the Author/Author Bio

Begin your search for Montgomery County MD real estate at LaurenKlineRealEstate.com. Her team will help you find the perfect North Bethesda MD real estate.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Create-a-Kid-Friendly-Yard/146630

Article Tags: landscaping gardening, home safety, home improvements, yard design, landscaping, yard improvements

This article has been viewed 434 time(s).

More "Landscaping Gardening" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Landscaping Gardening" article category.

People interested in the above article "Create a Kid-Friendly Yard" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

What are the Advantages of Rose Flower?

Rose is one of the most popular flowers in the world since it is beautiful, fragrant, and can be found everywhere in the world. Because of its outstanding and popularity, it is often called "Queen of Flowers". Well, we all know it deserves to be called Queen of Flowers as it contains a lot of advantages for human in the world.

Say Goodbye To The Old Tree

Sometimes a tree gets to the point where it is necessary to say goodbye to it. It can be a painful choice to make, but sometimes the tree gets too close to the house, gets too diseased, gets an incurable infestation of some pest, or grows too tall and gets close to a power line. If any of these things occur, its best to do the right thing and get rid of the tree. Although you might have spent hours and hours getting the tree to where it is today, it is almost dishonorable to the tree to allow it to suffer in bad conditions.

Why You Should Prune Your Trees

If you have just entered the tree growing world, you have no doubt heard the term "pruning" tossed around by the more veteran growers. Well, I have something to admit. For several years, I did not even know what pruning was. I heard the term a lot, but I never felt comfortable asking someone what exactly it was. Even though it would have benefited my gardening and tree growing, I was too prideful to ask. I've found that pride is the reason for the failure of many great endeavors; if I had just asked someone what pruning was, I wouldn't have undergone a few of the disasters that occurred during my first years of gardening.

Have A Bird Net To Protect Your Tree

If you have a problem with birds, you have probably tried many solutions. Some of the most popular include plastic animals, scarecrows, wind chimes, or highly reflective tape. All of these things can do a great job of reducing bird problems. I have quite a few cherry trees in my backyard, and I used to struggle a lot with birds. After I applied all of these solutions, my problem went almost completely away. Unfortunately, the solution only lasted a few months.

Stop Diseases In Trees

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees such as plums, peaches, or cherries, I'm sure you know that those types of trees are much more susceptible to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it can be rather hard to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everyone who has ever grown one of those types of fruit trees.

View Landscaping Gardening Popular Articles | View Landscaping Gardening Top Authors

Print Article

Comment on Article

Favorite Article

Email to Friend

Republish Article

Article Directory Home

Home And Family

Landscaping Gardening

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!

(Search in 23 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek,
Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)

(We serve worldwide - Locations updated as at Sunday, 07 September 2008 06:30 am , Singapore)

United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Côte d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . São Tom?& Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe

Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing
302 Found

Found

The document has moved here.

Apache/2.2.9 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.9 OpenSSL/0.9.8b DAV/2 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 Server at www.articlesphere.com Port 80