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Vladimir 03/17/2020
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Do-it-yourself children's playground at the dacha
You can take a break from the city noise and bustle in a country house or in the country. In addition, fresh air and beautiful scenery have a beneficial effect on restoring strength and health. All this is about adults, but what about kids? How can you diversify their time spent outside the city? Children's playgrounds in the country are exactly what little summer residents will be delighted with.
Introduction
When starting a project to build a playground at the dacha, you need to think about whether it is so important? Answering this question, we understand that personal space is mandatory for a child. When going to the dacha for relaxation, children should understand that they, just like adults, have their own possessions.
Children's rest area
Having taken the time to build the site, and especially if the work was carried out with the direct participation of little summer residents, they will feel care and love. In addition, by watching how dad does work, the child can learn many useful things. A huge benefit not only for kids, but also for adults.
While the child is busy playing on the playground, adults can take care of their garden beds or other dacha chores. And so that the time spent by the baby is not wasted, it is necessary to carefully think through the occupancy of the site. During play, the child must develop.
Children's tent
You will need: a hoop, ropes, threads, a long piece of fabric.
Children love it when they have their own little house, where parents enter only by special invitation. Of course, everyone wants to build a full-fledged wooden house with a kitchenette, furniture and an attic... But let's be realistic - it's long, difficult, and expensive.
The cheapest and easiest option for a children's corner is a tent. The fabric is attached to the hoop using threads, and the hoop is suspended by ropes on one of the branches of a tall tree. The advantage of this option: it is easy to remove if it starts to rain.
The main thing is safety
Like any building, the playground plan is well thought out. And since we are talking about small children, safety measures should come first.
When arranging elements, you must adhere to the basic rules:
The placement of complexes should be guided by compliance with safety rules
1 When installing a swing, provide a free space of about 2 m on all sides in front and behind.
2 The surface of the playground is provided with a soft covering, since children often fall and can be injured.
The ideal surface for a dacha would be lawn grass.
Be sure to pay attention to safe surfaces on the site
3 Supporting elements, that is, embedded swings, slides and other structures, go deep into the soil no less than 0.5 m
4 In addition, they must be secured with concrete or any other reliable method
Since almost all structures on the site will be built from wood, all elements and parts must be very carefully sanded and coated with paint or varnish. The paint and varnish material must be for external use.
The surface of all elements must be treated and painted in bright shades
The dimensions of structures on the site must be calculated according to the age of the child:
- If the child is still a preschooler, then the dimensions of the sandbox should correspond to 170x170 cm, and the height of the slide or swing should not exceed 150 cm.
- For slightly older children, the height of the slide is from 250 to 350 m, and the swing is 250 cm.
Pool
You will need a choice of: a large basin, a baby bath, a deep iron trough, an inflatable pool.
Another important component of the children's corner at the dacha is the swimming pool. Of course, you can save money by using a metal trough or large basin for these purposes, but in this case, do not forget to dig them into the ground a little to strengthen them.
Place the pool in the sunniest part of the site so that the water has time to warm up to the desired temperature. If your budget allows, buy a pool with additional slides, toys, balls. It is equally important to choose the right swimsuit: comfortable and of high quality.
Choosing a site location
At the first stage of planning, a suitable place for the child’s personal space is chosen. In addition, the choice should be based on the baby’s age and functional purpose.
If the children are very small, then place the playground in a clearly visible place. Children must be kept within sight at all times. Therefore, you should choose a place in close proximity to the house.
For small children, the playground is located near the house
For older children, a playground and sports ground should be combined. In this case, a place is selected a little further from buildings, so that during a game, say, with a ball, windows and other things will not be damaged. For this purpose you will need a little more space.
For older children, additional playgrounds can be equipped
It’s good if at least a few trees grow in the designated area, in the shade of which children will be able to stay during the hottest time of the day . If this is not possible, then you will have to build a small shed or children's playhouse. It is also necessary to consider protection from winds and drafts.
To do this, you can plant shrubs around the perimeter.
It is worth clearly defining the boundaries of the children's space so that flower beds and beds are not used.
When erecting structures on the site, there is no need to adhere to the same style as the dacha building. On the contrary, it should be bright, colorful, like a fairy tale. It is also worth consulting with future owners.
Find out what their preferences are and what they would like to have on their site. Once the location has been determined, you need to worry about the surface. All differences are removed and the terrain is carefully leveled.
Rolled rubber coatings
Rolls are laid faster than other types of crumb rubber coatings. Their use is justified when paving large areas. In terms of composition and manufacturing method, rolls differ little from tiles.
Rolls of crumb rubber Source www.intereco.ru
The rolls are laid end to end. They are connected to each other by tongue-and-groove locks. Parts extending beyond the boundaries of the site are cut off with a carpenter's knife or an electric jigsaw.
The monolithic crumb rubber coating has no cracks, so moisture remains on its surface and, if there is a slight slope, flows off the site. Paving with tiles or rolls does not have this advantage. Water penetrates under the tiles through the joints. To prevent the coating from “floating”, additional measures must be taken.
Occupancy of playgrounds - diagrams and drawings
The options for a set of structures for children's games can be very diverse. In this regard, everything is individual. But there are basic points without which no modern playground can be imagined.
Layout of mounting supports
1 An irreplaceable element that must be present is a sandbox . This is especially true for the smallest owners. It is there that kids love to poke around and create their masterpieces out of sand. Games with sand figures are good for developing fine motor skills in children. As they grow up, novice builders will be able to build sand castles and so on here.
2 The next element is a swing . There is no doubt at this point. Every child dreams of a swing.
3 Slides are an element that takes the breath away of every child. And if you add simplified labyrinths, the kids will forget about the existence of adults.
4 Recently, it has become fashionable to build children's houses . You can retire and play in them, especially when it rains. This is a good option for cover when playing hide and seek. If it is not possible to build a house, you can build a hut from scrap materials.
Indicative plan of space for children's entertainment
If space allows, several sports facilities can be installed.
Eg:
- horizontal bar
- basketball hoop
- wall bars
- football goal
During the hot season, you can install an inflatable pool and install a sunbathing bed. The rest is a flight of fancy. The greater the imagination, which is supported by possibilities, the more interesting the children's corner will be.
Crumb rubber is the main component of soft coverings
Crumb rubber is obtained from old car tires. They are sorted, the side rings are cut out, and crushed. Metal and tissue components are extracted from the resulting particles. At the final stage, the crumbs are divided into fractions ranging in size from 0.7 to 7 mm.
Crumb rubber from tires Source akmgk.ru
The crumb inherits the chemical composition from tires:
- Rubber. Typically this is a mixture that may contain natural rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber and isoprene rubber.
- Carbon black. The common name is soot. It makes up a third of the volume of all the components from which tires are made.
- Silicic acid . Partially or completely replaces carbon black.
- Sulfur . Together with silicic acid it is a vulcanizing agent.
- Vulcanizing activators (stearic acids, zinc oxide).
- Other Supplements.
Crumb rubber is produced not only in the process of recycling car tires, but also directly from ethylene propylene rubber. This material is synthesized at chemical plants and is called EPDM or EPDM rubber. Available in the form of granules ranging in size from 1 to 4 mm. The elastomeric properties of crumb rubber obtained from recycling old tires or as a result of the synthesis of EPDM rubber are practically the same.
EPDM rubber granules Source www.olympicsports.kz
Installation of structures
After the diagram is drawn up, the actual work begins. Next we will talk about how to build these structures with your own hands. Don’t forget to hire the future little owners of the site as your assistants.
Sandbox
The main attribute in the play corner is the sandbox. Both very young children and older children play in it with equal enthusiasm.
It is not difficult to build and the cost of materials is not high.
- They start by preparing the site for installing the sandbox.
- First, break down the markup according to the finished scheme
- Then remove the ball of fertile soil
- You should go deeper by about 30 cm
- Next, provide a slight depression in the center
- The prepared mini pit is first filled with drainage: pebbles or crushed stone
To install the above-ground part of the sandbox, you need to stock up on material. You will need up to 12 boards 20 mm thick, 100 cm wide and 1800 mm long.
The sides of the sandbox will consist of two boards. To connect them, it is necessary to provide grooves. They are arranged in the following way.
Make markings on each edge of the board:
- Edge clearance 150 mm
- Depth equal to half the board
- The width of the groove corresponds to the thickness of the board - 20 mm
- A cut is made along the mark according to the depth of the groove, and then the excess is removed using a chisel.
Assembly principle
After all the boards are ready, they begin to assemble them. Boards are inserted into the grooves one by one until the structure is completely assembled. For structural rigidity, the corners are additionally reinforced with bars with a cross-section of 30×30 mm. They are placed in the inside of the sandbox and fastened with self-tapping screws.
After the sides of the sandbox are ready, they begin to create amenities. It is necessary to construct seating areas. To do this, the remaining boards are attached to the edges of the sides in a horizontal position. Here you can show your imagination in terms of the location of the benches.
The sandbox must be painted with bright colors
This is one of the simplest options for creating a sandbox. This model can be improved. For example, make benches with backs or make a closed sandbox.
Swing
It is impossible to imagine a playground without swings. It is difficult to find a child who would not want to rise to the sky on a swing with bated breath. During planning, a space of at least 2x3 m must be allocated for the swing.
For safe movement, it is necessary to ensure that even with the maximum swing, no foreign objects are encountered in the path of the swing.
A swing is a dream for every child
Building a swing is not that difficult.
To do this you need to stock up:
- material for the racks and crossbars, it is better if they are metal pipes
- wooden boards for seating
- strong ropes, carabiners
- Work begins with securely digging in the racks.
- It must be deepened by at least 0.5 m with obligatory reinforcement with concrete
In the case where the parent has at least the slightest skill in carpentry, the seat can be made with a backrest for convenience
1 Before digging in, the posts must be treated with a protective agent. If metal pipes are used, they are treated with bitumen. Wooden structures are treated with antiseptics.
2 The crossbar is attached to the posts. In the case of working with metal elements, the crossbar is mounted by welding.
3 The seating board is well sanded and coated with paints.
4 Two ropes are securely fastened on both sides of the seat, the opposite ends of the ropes are attached to the crossbar using carabiners.
Slide
Every child's dream is to have a real slide on the playground. Of course, you will have to show skill when making it. But the game is worth the candle.
First you need to prepare the material. The boards are carefully sanded to remove splinters and roughness. After this, the cut is made and the parts are prepared for assembly according to the diagram. After the workpieces are ready, assembly is carried out according to the drawing.
An example of a finished slide diagram
When performing work, we monitor the reliability and strength of fastenings. The safety of the little owners of the slide depends on this.
After installation work, the structure must be covered with paints and varnishes. The brighter the colors are used, the more attractive the slide will be.
When building a slide for children over 6 years old, you can additionally equip ladders and horizontal bars of different levels.
Swing and ladder combination
Next, we provide the space that is located directly in front of the slide. The descent should end with a “soft landing”. Therefore, a safe coating is being thought out.
This quality can be: lawn grass, well-sifted sand or a special synthetic material, which has recently been used to cover sports fields.
Options for children's houses
Houses in which you can hide from the all-seeing eye of your parents are very popular among children. Moreover, what it is built from is not particularly important. It could be a tent, hut or wooden house. And if children were directly involved in the construction, then there will be no limit to delight.
The most common way of arranging a summer house, known since the childhood of parents themselves, is a hut. Many names have been invented for such a structure: headquarters, “halabuda”, etc.
A hut for the kids is very quickly built from scrap materials
Here are some examples of building a hut:
A simple and cheap option is performed in the following way
- Several poles are prepared and installed in a cone shape.
- A reliable connection is made at the top of the formed figure
- To add naturalness and bring closer to nature, climbing plants are planted around the structure.
- In a few weeks, they will braid the structure completely
- But you don't have to wait for plants. You can make a cover from fabric and stretch it over the frame of the hut
A quick way to build a hut is using fabric and a sports hoop. It is necessary to sew a tent from fabric, the upper part of which has the dimensions of the circumference of the hoop. The lower part is expanded. Attach the fabric to the hoop and hang the structure from the tree.
Cozy hut for kids
If the goal is to build a real house, then the choice of material is large. The building itself is being built using a frame type. The houses can be built both at ground level and on an elevation.
Children's house - personal space for a child
1 First, the frame is mounted
2 Blocks are laid on the ground, which are the basis of the house
3 A beam with a cross-section of 80×80 mm is laid on them and connected so that the result is a rectangle
4 Racks are installed in each corner of the structure. They support walls and roofs
5 These elements can be constructed from boards or using OSB boards, chipboards, etc.
6 Working with slabs is much easier, and their cost is lower
Some interesting ideas
It is better to arrange an area for children's games in the fresh air according to the interests of the child. In addition to the provided complexes, you can add several more elements.
Here are a few photos:
The construction of a mini pool will delight the kids. This can be achieved thanks to inflatable pools
Many children love to draw or sculpt from plasticine. To do this, you need to install a table and chairs
For fidgets, you can set up a rope maze
Construction of sports equipment using stumps and logs
An outdoor shower in hot weather is just a great idea
The decor of the site should be bright and attractive
Decorating the site is an important point. The more colorful it is decorated, the more it will attract kids.
You can complement the interior with different figures:
- birds
- mushrooms
- flowers
- cartoon characters
- garden figurines
And the complexes themselves can be performed non-standardly. For example, a sandbox can be played in the form of a figure.
For example, a model of a car or a boat
For additional decoration, plantings are thought through. In general, there are almost no restrictions. The main thing is to show your imagination.
VIDEO: How to make a paradise for children at your dacha?
The magical world of little people
You will need: large and small stones, paints and brushes, thin wooden plates or boxes, available materials.
It’s not difficult to win the hearts of fairy tale lovers - just make the garden a magical world of gnomes and elves with the help of paints, pieces of wood and your own imagination. The easiest option is to paint large stones with paints and place these houses in different corners of the site.
It is a little more difficult to use garden trees to attach wooden doors and windows to them.
And for those who are ready for exploits - the idea of a small area for dolls.
