Play Dwellings and Structures
Create Fun Outdoor Shelters for Children
Playhouses, treehouses and other sheltered areas are a great way to encourage children to spend time close to nature.
Today’s children spend less time outdoors than any previous generation and many cultural observers and experts are concerned that children will be at a disadvantage due to this disconnect from nature. They believe that contact with nature and outdoor play is an essential need for a healthy childhood. Author and parenting expert Richard Louv calls lack of nature experience, nature-deficit disorder. [Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Algonquin Books, 2005.]
One way to encourage more outdoor play is to create a dwelling for your children in your own backyard. Children love shelter; they love to tunnel, climb and hide. An outdoor dwelling can provide a quiet place for children. It can also be a clubhouse, a home-away- from home and an impetus for creative play.
Seasonal and Natural Playhouses
A fun seasonal playhouse can be created with sunflowers. Just choose a sunny spot, about 5-by-9 feet. Plant three sides of the plot with sunflowers, interspersed with morning glories, scarlet runner beans or another rapid climber. (Be careful with the littlest dwellers, because morning glory seeds are toxic.) When the sunflowers reach a desirable height, join them together by tying string around the heads. Soon the string will be covered by the morning glories and the children will have a unique playhouse.
Another possibility for a private dwelling is to plant a circle of tall, ornamental grasses, such as feather reed grass or native big bluestem. Intersperse the grasses with some colorful flowers, maybe black-eyed Susan or coreopsis. Leave a small entry between the grasses and add some logs for seating.
Summer is not the only season for building temporary playhouses. In snowy, northern regions, parents can help their children build an igloo or snow dwelling. This can be accomplished, either by piling up a huge heap of snow, packing it down and digging out an entry. An easier method, however, is to purchase a snow brick mold. The molds are easy to use and can also be used with sand in summer.
Living in the Trees
Backyards that include tall pine tree with boughs that hang to the ground can provide a dwelling space; consider trimming a few branches off the bottom to create a door to a very special den.
A talented carpenter in the family and a sturdy tree can combine for an awesome treehouse. One of the newest books on treehouse building is Treehouses & Playhouses You Can Build by David and Jeanie Stiles, Gibbs Smith, 2006. The book offers detailed instructions for a variety of structures from a simple treehouse to an extravagant pirate ship playhouse.
David Stiles reminds parents, “A proper treehouse looks like a kid built it, even if he didn’t.”
One particularly simple design offered by Stiles as a treehouse accessory is the crow’s nest, a look-out point made from a half-barrel supported by a rack made of 2-by-4s. Steps lead from the ground to just above the barrel, so the child can step down into the barrel for a birds-eye view.
Using Existing Structures
If there is a playhouse in the backyard, add a child’s garden to one side or set it next to your gardens -- much more intriguing than out in the middle of the lawn. Or buy a tent or a teepee for an outdoor dwelling.
The spot underneath the deck need not be a wasteland. It can be transformed into a clubhouse as well. Enclose the sides with tall grasses or a rolled bamboo fence that can be found in garden centers. Providing natural play spaces can encourage imaginative play.
Finally, remember that the actual building of the shelter is a large part of the fun for children. Allow them to be involved and help as much as possible. Even consider sending the kids outside with a pile of branches, logs and other building material and encouraging them to create their own fort. After the fort is completed, encourage children to continue using their imaginations by showing them how to make toys from natural materials. Remember, the backyard is the best playroom for children.
