Playground planning

We have been looking at playground equipment ever since we moved into our house 6 years ago. At first we looked at the big, fancy, colorful Rainbow Depot playsets. They seemed amazing. And then we realized that since they were made out of wood, you would have to sand and re-finish them every few years. YIKES! So then I really started paying attention to what the kids played with when we went to parks. I realized that when all fancy options are available, they usually resort to the good old-fashioned pieces I grew up with--swings, a free-standing slide, maybe some monkey bars. They pretty much leave all the brightly-colored doo-dads alone and stick with the basics.

I also have observed that kids--even teenagers--love to swing. Every time I drive by the park in an afternoon or the summer, there are teenagers sitting in the swings talking. This 4-swing set pictured above is what we are going to get. And probably the slide. I also have another secret in my aresenal. This merry-go-round is my kids all-time favorite park toy. Who didn't have a blast as a kid on one of these at the park spinning too fast and throwing up in the car on the way home?