January 27, 2008 THE SUN-HERALD
trendalert
WARATAH RACING TEEPEE,
$299 FROM MOOCHIE MOO.
WOODEN
SANDBOX
WITH CANOPY,
$249.99 FROM
TOYS ‘‘R’’ US.
HOMESTEAD CUBBY HOUSE, STARTING AT $1910 FROM CUSTOM CUBBIES.
Swing time
Turning a modest backyard into a
recreation park is child’s play.
O
PLAYING MANTIS PLAY GYM, $1159 FROM HILLS INDUSTRIES.
nce upon a time, mother nature
provided children with sufficient
outdoor stimulation. ‘‘Go out and
play,’’ was a frequent refrain from
parents who actively encouraged offspring
to roam backyards, parks and reserves. The
only rule: ‘‘Be home for dinner’’.
Today, ‘‘stranger danger’’ and the lure of
modern diversions have created the ‘‘cottonwool’’ generation – an increasingly chubby
cohort more likely to exercise their
opposable thumbs while texting than to
hang upside down from the nearest tree.
Cubby love
Promoting the benefits of physical activity
can be a challenge but even homes with only
a few spare metres of outdoor space can
accommodate a swing set, sandpit,
trampoline, cubby house or adventure fort.
Even better, each of these traditional
contraptions now comes with myriad addons and accessories to create even more fun.
Take the humble cubby. Once a cosy oneroom hideaway, it’s now available in multiroom custom designs with optional extras
like verandas, slides, climbing walls,
fireman’s poles, trapeze bars, flying foxes,
steering wheels, periscopes, telescopes and
telephones! Much of which can also be added
to swing sets to create multi-function play
centres that will keep little blighters
occupied for hours.
Size matters
For rug rats, the simple sandpit has always
been a standout. It’s an easy and
economical DIY project but cute plastic
stand-alone models offer clever activity
lids for when sand is in short supply.
Trampolines are fun for the whole family,
with sizes to suit all ages. And there’s
always netball and basketball hoops.
Outdoor play equipment ranges from
simple DIY kits to fully installed and
custom-designed playgrounds. Yours
should be age and size specific (you
wouldn’t put a toddler on a flying fox),
and there are lots of modular systems
that grow with your child.
Safety first
Safety is obviously paramount.
Australia has no laws covering what
children can play on in their own
backyard but there are safety standards
that cover the design and manufacture
of play equipment, as well as where it
can be situated in relation to things like
fences, pools and trees. Ground surface
(a soft place to fall) is also critical, so opt
for soft-rubber matting.
See the Kidsafe playground advisory
unit at www.kidsafensw.org for fact
sheets and a resource directory of
playground suppliers.
Did you know?
■ The Inuit devised one of the
earliest trampolines, using dried
walrus skins to toss each other in
the air.
■ In South Africa there are
hundreds of Roundabout PlayPumps
that provide clean drinking water
from the energy created by children
at play. The system doubles as a
water pump and a merry-go-round
for children.
■ The jungle gym (aka climbing frame
or monkey bars) was invented in 1920
by Chicago lawyer Sebastian Hinton.
While metal money bars were once
common, the risk of injury has seen
most replaced by more child-friendly
materials.
■ Play is explicitly recognised in
Article 31 of UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, part of which
states: ‘‘Parties recognise the right of
the child to rest and leisure, to
engage in play and recreational
activities appropriate to the age of
the child and to participate freely in
cultural life and the arts.’’
CYNDI TEBBEL
FORT APACHE DIY FLAT-PACK, FROM $2500 FROM CULLENS CUBBIES.
MAXI CLIMBER
ACTIVITY CENTRE,
$299 FROM AMPI
PLASTICS.
ACTION ROUND TRAMPOLINE WITH ENCLOSURE,
$399.99 FROM TOYS ‘‘R’’ US.
FANTASY CASTLE PLAY CENTRE, $3290 FROM SPELLBOUND.
Where to buy AMPI PLASTICS(03) 9701 5600 or see www.ampiplastics.com.au CULLENS CUBBIES (07) 3395 5037 or see www.cullenscubbies.com.au
CUSTOM CUBBIES 0400 117 707 or see www.customcubbies.com.au HILLS INDUSTRIES 1300 300 564 or see www.onlinedirect.hills.com.au MOOCHIE MOO (07) 4948 3410 or see www.moochiemoo.com.au
SPELLBOUND PLAYGROUNDS 1300 793 965 or see www.spellboundplaygrounds.com.au TOYS ‘‘R’’ US for your nearest store see www.toysrus.com.au.
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