A Giant Outdoor Play Pen!

As my mum is always reminding me, my garden is not safe for small children. I have not one but two drowning hazards (or as I like to call them, my fishponds).

There are benefits to my water features. I can teach the children to respect the dangers and how to be behave responsibly. There is an amazing amount of wildlife that is attracted and can be enjoyed. And of course,  feeding the fish is something the children love to do.

So far, the only person to have ever fallen in is my husband on a particularly memorable bonfire night as he was carrying our fireworks a safe distance from where the spectators would be, ready to set them off later. The first thing I knew about it was I saw a 6'5'' dark figure hurriedly tearing his clothes off and shivering outside the conservatory. It did neither him or the fireworks any good - but that is another story!

The simple fact is though, my mum is right. My garden is not safe for small children.

It was with this in mind that we decided to build a fully enclosed decked area with access from the conservatory so that the little ones could play in the fresh air with minimal supervision whenever they wanted to. It was quite a mission turning our plans into reality with my husband doing all the work himself (with a few willing volunteers)  to keep the cost as low as possible. 

What we ended up with was a space that can be enjoyed by all the family but is essentially a giant outdoor playpen. We added a sandpit, trampoline, inflatable sofa, various outdoor toys, the occasional large cardboard box and fairy lights so the fun could continue after the sun had set. All it needed was the active imagination of a three year old for it to become an outdoor paradise. From "jumping on a moooon!" to Human Hoopla, the adventure never ends!

This is my entry to the Tots 100 Outdoor Adventure Blog Hop.