Backyard Fun, Healthy Ideas

Big Time Twist on Classic Outdoor Games

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Outdoor Golf Chip Challenge

 

Only a few more days of winter are left, according to the calendar, and the promise of warmer days makes many families itch to get outdoors and enjoy the gradually rising temperatures.  Now is the perfect time to add a new outdoor game to your standard favorites, and classic games with a super-sized twist are the most popular choices among outdoor game-loving families.

Breathe a little extra fun and fresh air into your soccer or basketball games by playing Monster Soccer or Monster Basketball.  Monster equipment makes these traditional favorites enormously fun for everyone in the family.  Alternatively, golf lovers will jump for the outdoor golf chip game.  Intended for outdoor use and constructed from a heavy duty plastic material the golf chip game comes complete with stakes, mark off ribbon, and balls.

After a long winter that probably consisted of way too much indoor time, getting your family outdoors in the warmer spring temperatures probably won’t be a problem.  When you liven up your current collection of outdoor games with these larger than life classics, you may have a harder time getting your family to come back inside.

Monster Basketball Game  Monster Soccer Game

Garden Tools & Tips

Snap and Grow Greenhouses Get Spring Started in One Day!

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Greenhouse Kit
The first day of spring is just over a week away. With spring comes milder weather, lots of sunshine, and plants in full bloom. If you are a gardener, now is the time to get a jump-start on the spring growing season with a greenhouse. If you are ready to get started right away, I have the perfect solution. A Snap & Grow Greenhouse offers a beautiful, function greenhouse that offers easy assembly that can be completed in just one day. Very little hardware is needed to set up this 8×8 greenhouse because of the patented Smartlock™ connector system. The window and door are delivered pre-assembled and the clear panels slide and lock easily into place. Large split doors and an adjustable roof vent (both pictured below) provide the perfect amount of ventilation for your precious plants and can be adjusted as needed. Many options allow you to customize the greenhouse kit to make it perfect for your needs. Plant clips are available for your hanging potted plants. Large shelving units can be added to create extra work space. You can even add extensions to your greenhouse as your plant output grows. If you are looking for something slightly smaller, there is also a 6 x 8 Snap & Grow Greenhouse kit that has all the same great features of the larger version. Happy gardening!

 

Roof VentsSplit Door

 

 

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

4 Tips for Choosing the Safest Swing Set Location

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Swing Sets

Before constructing your new backyard swing set this spring, make sure to think carefully about where the best and safest location will be for the playground equipment.  Use the following 4 guidelines to help you choose just the right spot:

  1. Consider the ground — Level ground is the ideal place to situate a backyard swing set.  Equipment placed on ground that is uneven or sloping can cause a swing set to tip when in use.
  2. Check the surroundings — Avoid placing swing set equipment near obstacles or hazards like trees and tree stumps, low tree limbs, exposed roots, wires, fences, large rocks, bricks, and concrete.
  3. Create a safety zone — Ensure that there will be at least 6 feet of space around all swing set equipment.  Increase that number for the area in front of and behind swings.
  4. Keep it cool — Metal and dark-colored slides and surfaces get extraordinarily hot and can burn skin if they are placed in direct sunlight.  Position the backyard swing set equipment so that slides and any dark surfaces will be out of direct sunlight for most of the day.

Planning ahead and carefully choosing the safest and most suitable location for your backyard swing set is the first significant contribution you make when it comes to playground safety.  Once your swing set is in place, it’s hard to go back and move it to a better location, so take some time to be sure that it’s right from day one.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

7 Steps for Safe Swing Sets

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Safe Swing Sets

Before you know it, your kids will be clamoring to get outside and play on their backyard swing set.  So, now is the time to check the swing set and equipment to be sure that it’s ready for another year of heavy use.  Follow these 7 steps to ensure a safe start to the season:

  1. Check the overall condition of the swing set — signs of wear and tear include broken or missing parts, bent tubing or pipes, splintering or decaying wood surfaces, and rusted metal surfaces.  Replace worn or damaged parts and repair surfaces as needed.
  2. Examine the condition of swing seats, chains, ropes, cables, and other swing set equipment and accessories for wear.  Replace worn or damaged equipment.
  3. Check and tighten all the nuts and bolts on your swing set.
  4. Make sure the protective caps on the ends of bolts are still in place.
  5. Oil all the moving metal parts with a squirt or two of WD40.
  6. If your swing set includes a sandbox, replace old sand with new, or ensure that existing sand is free from debris before allowing kids to play in it.
  7. Replace the protective surface beneath the swing set with new material or replenish what is already there.

Ideally, you should check your backyard swing set for safety every month, especially if your kids subject it to heavy use.  Doing so takes only a few minutes and goes a long way toward preventing common swing set injuries and accidents.

Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Living Spaces

Create Your Own Spring Warm Up with Outdoor Fireplaces

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Outdoor Fireplaces

Waiting for spring to arrive seems especially difficult at this late point in winter.  The longing to spend well-deserved time relaxing and enjoying fresh spring air on the backyard patio or deck makes the wait even more unbearable.  While you can’t make warmer weather come any faster, you can get outside sooner and begin to take advantage of the comforts of your outdoor spaces.  One way to make this happen is with an outdoor fireplace.

Outdoor fireplaces allow homeowners to get outside when the weather is still quite cool.  Many models offer 360 degree heat so that family members and friends can sit on any side of the fireplace and still feel the comfortable warmth.  Outdoor fireplaces burn wood and pressed wood logs, adding that cozy feel of a campfire to patios and decks.  When spring finally does arrive bringing warmer days, the outdoor fireplace comes in handy when cooler night time temperatures still threaten to force you back indoors.

Enjoying the fresh air and your outdoor living spaces is possible even now when the cold seems unlikely to break anytime soon.  Outdoor fireplaces offer one easy solution to the problem of staying adequately warm outdoors, and they can dramatically reduce the cabin fever that intensifies as winter progresses.