Archive for the 'Outdoor Play Structures' Category

December 6, 2011

A Study Place To Play

Author: TeachNPlay

Swing sets play a valuable function when it comes to kids. Sure they are a great way for entertainment and imagination, but swing sets also increases kid’s physical strength. They also help with the release of the energy that they might be bottling up from a full day of school.

Swing sets should not only be fun but be built well. Kids have a tendency to be very rambunctious when it comes to outdoor play time. Gorilla swing sets are great for the fact they are built with high quality wood. It ensures that no matter how hard your child plays, it will not effect the structure of the swing set.


July 27, 2011

Giving A Beautiful Gift To Children

Author: TeachNPlay

It was a big throw-down for the kids. Our organization finally had enough resources to build playgrounds for three public schools, and within two weeks we will be inaugurating all of them. We planned to have sports-themed parties for the opening, which we all agreed was the right one. I could hardly contain my own excitement when we were picking up the sports party supplies from the store downtown.

As if God was showing us again His blessing, we had the luck of good weather on the days of the inauguration. The sound of the kids’ squeal as they ran to their new playground was just the sweetest music for us. Some of the kids have never wooden outdoor play structures or have been to a playground, and what we gave them was ‘heaven sent,’ says one teacher. It had been a heavenly experience for us as well, because we made these children so happy.


June 30, 2011

Outside Imagination….There’s Nothing Like It

Author: TeachNPlay

When you are a kid there is nothing like playing outside. Kids can spend hours and hours out in the backyard. There is nothing like watching a kids use their imagination run wild. Kids are full of energy all the time.

Outdoor play structures are a great way to let your kids let their imagination flourish. It can be anything to a jungle gym in the backyard to a tree house. The hour of fun that your kids can have is unimaginable. It really makes for lasting and great memories.


June 16, 2011

Where Is My Gorilla?

Author: TeachNPlay

One year for Christmas, when I was about five years old, my mother asked me what I wanted. I informed her that I wanted a real life gorilla. I figured since I was good all year than there was no way that I wouldn’t get a gorilla. I was so sure that it would happen.

When I woke up on Christmas day, I ran to the living room to see my gorilla. There was no gorilla. There was a gorilla playset. When I asked my mother where my real life gorilla was? She informed me that it would be sad to take the gorilla away from his family. It made sense, but it still would’ve been a cool gift.  There’s always next year.


February 10, 2011

Space Shuttle, Pirate Ship, and Castle

Author: TeachNPlay

One minute my daughter Angela is an astronaut, the next she’s a pirate (yarrr!), and the next she’s a princess. Her imagination, like most children’s, is boundless. She gets to live out her fantasies every day with make shift costumes and toys. We installed a wooden play set in the backyard that is as diverse as her imagination.

The wooden play structures we put together includes a swing set, monkey bars, a slide, climbing wall, and tree house platform. Angela uses the play set as her home base. When she’s an astronaut the play set is her shuttle. When she’s a pirate, it’s her trusty ship that will guide her to the buried treasure. Of course, it’s also her castle where she and her friends can be princesses of their make believe castle.


January 25, 2011

Encourage Imaginative Play

Author: TeachNPlay

Children are incredibly creative. Parents should provide their children with toys that encourage imaginative play. Young girls particularly like playing with dolls. It’s not uncommon for young girls to name their dolls and give them complex back stories. Expand the creative possibilities for your daughter by purchasing wooden doll furniture for her and her dolls.

Wooden doll furniture is sold online by many above board suppliers. For my two daughters I bought a 41-piece block style set of wooden doll furniture. The set included beds, tables, chairs, mattresses, sofas, and even a flower box. My girls spent hours each day playing out vast, complex story lines with their dolls and the doll furniture. Purchasing wooden doll furniture can encourage the same imaginative play in your child.


April 7, 2010

Rearing Healthy Children

Author: TeachNPlay
gorilla swing sets

It seems like everyday we are bombarded with new plans and initiatives to confront the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. I consider myself to be a healthy person, so when I had kids, I made a commitment that my children would never be one of those statistics. From an early age, I tried to instill in them the merits of eating a well-balanced diet and exercising on a regular basis.

In an effort to cultivate these habits, every night I have my kids help me prepare dinner, teaching them the various facets of cooking and nutrition. I’ve also tried to promote physical activities and have resisted the urge to purchase them excess amounts of video games and movies. Instead, I bought them a set of Gorilla swing sets for their birthdays, and they now spends hours every week playing outside and strengthening their bodies.


March 15, 2010

Native Art of the West

Author: TeachNPlay
wooden doll furniture

If you’ve ever traveled west, then you know what I mean when I say that the home décor of that region is of a different culture. Influenced primarily by the Native Americans, the colors and patterns of the textiles, tablecloths, figurines and paintings all tell a story of natural spirit and tradition. And even more recently, the area to the west had once been Mexico, which also carries a dominant influence of heritage in the styling of homes and public buildings.

Most popular in Western wall art are tribal-influenced paintings that represent the symbols used by those of many years ago. Each spread of canvas tells a different story. Hand-carved wood dolls and wooden doll furniture are popular fixtures in any little girl’s room and boys can’t seem to get enough of the handcrafted tomahawks. Let your inner cowboy surface and see what native and traditional decorations call out to you.


October 21, 2009

Staying Safe on Playground Equipment

Author: TeachNPlay
wooden outdoor play structures

My wife and I discussed the matter at length, and we finally decided to install some playground equipment in our backyard. The time was right as our kids just turned 5 and 7. We would have bought the structures sooner, but we were concerned about adequate safety measures. With a combination of adult supervision and protective ground covering, we’ve found a sensible solution.

Anytime the kids feel like playing on the wooden outdoor play structures, either my wife or I will go outside with them to keep a close eye on their safety. I bought some excess wood chips to cushion any potential falls – covering the surrounding area with a foot of chips. We learned from experience that sand and grass, while soft, tend to erode and disappear from underneath the structures.


May 19, 2009

Unconventional Forms of Educational Toys

Author: TeachNPlay
Unconventional Forms of Educational Toys

When it comes to educational toys, it is best that parents have a good understanding of what can be involved in this broad category. While many parents think educational toys will be limited to math games or books, there is actually a very diverse and wide array of these toys. Therefore, if you think your children aren’t interested in these kinds of products, look into some more unconventional educational toys. To the surprise of many parents, this can include something like outdoor play structures.

Installing a jungle gym or play set in your backyard can be considered a very important type of educational toy. While it won’t teach them anything academic, it will teach them necessary skills regarding coordination and strength. It will also offer increased social skills as your kid navigates the swings and slides with other children. It can even be a means to elevate imagination and creative play as your kid is sure to imagine the play set as a pirate ship or imagine the sand below as hot lava.