Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! This is the first year I will get to see little Trick or Treaters at my door and I couldn't be more excited!

I remember one Halloween my mom made me a Darkwing Duck costume to wear. She still has it too! I doubt any kids would know who Darkwing Duck is now, but I used to love that cartoon. I think the only time my mom really sewed was to make Halloween costumes for my brother and me. It is a little sad to be an adult and not get to go trick or treating anymore. But I am just excited to bring joy to the trick or treaters as I get to hand out candy.

What fun traditions do you have for Halloween? I love decorating the house and of course carving pumpkins. Our front porch has five big pumpkins and two small pumpkins! My brother and I used to sit on the side walk in front of our house and carve our pumpkins. Sometimes he would cover himself in the pumpkin goop and run around the yard, and he was probably in middle school! But it made me laugh and he always tries to make me laugh.

My favorite thing about carving pumpkins was sprinkling cinnamon inside the pumpkin and lighting a candle to make it glow. The smell was incredible! My mom would turn all the lights off so we could really see them and my dad would make scary noises.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Friday, October 26, 2012

How to Build Backyard Playground?

Creating a private playground in backyard for kids is certainly not an easy job. But if you make the right moves, you can end up building a wonderful backyard playground for your children. Here are certain things that you must consider before acting upon your plans.

Though size is not an issue for the parents who have large backyard but it becomes a matter of concern for the ones who own relatively a smaller one. If you have smaller backyard, measure the area and the location where you want to install the playground equipment. By this, you will get an idea of what type of play sets you can purchase for your yard. Remember, you should leave a sufficient space between two sets to avoid any injury to kids.

Consider the age of your kids. If you have toddlers at home you can select the plastic playground equipment like stumpy hollow, tube holes, short swings, play tunnels and climbing walls for them. But if your kids are school goers, select the play sets made of wood, metal or aluminum. Play tower, play house, dome climbers, trapeze are some of the equipment considered ideal for school goers.

You can go for playground equipment manufactured by Swing-N-Slide and Gorilla Playsets, who manufactures them in accordance with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Do not forget to install high quality mulch beneath and around the play sets to avoid the risk of any injury to your kids.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Choosing Wooden Play Set for Backyard

Selecting the right play sets for kids becomes a quite a stressful task for parents. There are various playground equipment like see saw, tube slides, playhouse, swing sets on which kids love to play. If you want to have something which not only run highs in fun but is also safe your children, go for wooden play sets.

A majority of parents in the United States of America are more likely to buy wooden sets for their kids. These are considered as the safest playground equipment for children. It is constructed with sturdy & strong wood such as cedar, timber and redwood. Each piece of wood in the playground equipment is carefully placed, eliminating the scope of point edges which can harm the kids. Wooden equipment is tested thoroughly by the manufacture before final delivery.

With its nature resistant property, wooden playground equipment can resist harsh weather conditions. These do not get corroded and have comparatively longer life than metal and plastic play sets. Moreover, swings, tube slides for playgrounds also get easily attached to wooden play sets in few simple sets.

But before you buy wooden play set for your backyard, make sure manufacture has constructed it as per Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) guidelines.

How to Select Backyard Playground Equipment?

It becomes a tough job for the parents to pick the backyard play sets for kids, when they have multiple options. To make it easier for you, consider the following factors that would help you out in choosing the right play set for yard.

Size – You do not have to worry if you have a spacious backyard as any play set would easily fit into it. But if your yard is comparatively smaller in size then you have to be extra careful while selecting the equipment. Measure the area where you want to install the play set. By this, you will have the idea of the size of equipment you can look for while exploring the options.

Quality – Ensure that the maker of your selected playground equipment has International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) certification. This clearly defines that he deals in offering superior quality backyard playground equipment.

Age – If you have toddlers at home, you can purchase plastic play sets. But these are not considered safe for the school goers. An option is to buy strong and sturdy wooden equipment for them. It is built with superior quality wood and can withstand harsh weather condition easily.

Safety – Make sure manufacturer has installed all the necessary anchors for the safety of children. Consider that all the pointy edges that can harm them are covered properly in the home playground equipment.