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Garden Play Spaces for Kids

Fantasy Garden Play Spaces for Kids and Adults

Posted on May 30, 2013May 24, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Now that it has warmed up, I’m thinking of my garden again. My husband keeps reminding me that it desperately needs weeding. My old neighbor taught me this trick of sliding an old paring knife to the taproot. It works better than the weeding tool I used to use.

Still, I’d rather think about fantasy garden play spaces for kids and adults than about all those weeds!

My fantasy started when I saw this sideshow from Dwell that made me drool about garden play spaces for kids. They suggest adding hills, stumps, boulders, dens, gates to nowhere, and loose extra materials to make the most awesome garden for kid-sized adventures.

We are going to get rid of a tree to get more sunlight into our dark backyard. I’ll have to remember to get someone to slice disks for playing with. An old stump as a holder would be amazing too!

Dwell kids garden spaces

Dwell kids garden spacesdwell kids garden spaces
images from Dwell

At Home with Ali  used Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Secret Garden as inspiration to create a little oasis. She’s right. You only need a small carved out space for a secret hideaway!

a secret garden for kids

Living dens or tepees are part of my fantasy! Patti’s Nursery School combines pole beans that need trellising with a hidden play area. Now that is practical and fun!

play teepees in garden

I’d include garden and patio furniture to create a distinct garden room. It would be a nice place to relax while watching the kids play.

Image from Traditional Home

outdoor living roomImage from Traditional Home

Image from Pam Penick’s actual garden

Is my fantasy inspiring you to rethink your garden space or remind you of your weeds? I hope it’s a garden room or play space! As for me, I’m off to weed! And dream!

garden rooms for kids, garden play spaces for kids,

p.s. Here’s the perfect picture book to inspire a hideaway in a garden!

Hideaway by Melania Longo, illustrated by Alessandro Sanna

A hideaway woven out of branches in a garden or a fort made of blankets? Are these not the perfect retreats for children or adults? In this charming picture book, an older sister and her little brother create a magical retreat for year-round adventures. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Hideaway by Melania Longo, Alessandro Sanna

p.p.s. Related posts:

Butterfly Garden

A Year in The Secret Garden Interview

Plant a Garden with Your Kids to Teach #PlantPower

Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum

Get Kids Gardening with Miracle-Gro® Gro-ables!

Yoga for Kids: Rachel’s Day in the Garden

 

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.

 

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Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

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29 thoughts on “Fantasy Garden Play Spaces for Kids and Adults”

  1. Viren says:
    May 30, 2013 at 6:34 am

    Just for a moment I thought about weeding but the moment I looked at the photos every little idea about my garden space sprung up. Great Ideas you have here.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 30, 2013 at 8:54 am

      Hi Viren,
      I am reminded of my weeds too! I’d love to add a special kids space too though.

      Reply
  2. bamauthor says:
    May 30, 2013 at 7:45 am

    Weeding is not one of my favorite things! That is why my garden consists mostly of perennials that more or less take care of themselves. I love the idea of tree stumps used as steppingstones.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 30, 2013 at 8:55 am

      Hi Barbara,
      I’m not fond of weeding either. I love the versatility of stumps too! Usually, they get ground out when a tree comes out and it costs a lot of extra money to get rid of the stump. It’s nice to be able to incorporate it as a design feature. I guess you need a path of trees to remove though.

      Reply
  3. maryanne @ mama smiles says:
    May 30, 2013 at 7:45 am

    I don’t like weeding either! We are very lucky to have beautiful trees in our yard that really set the scene for imaginative play!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 30, 2013 at 8:56 am

      Hi MaryAnne,
      Your organic garden looks great too! How is that going? Looks like the black pepper is working. It’s nice to have old trees in the yard! Like a gift from previous owners!

      Reply
      1. maryanne @ mama smiles says:
        May 30, 2013 at 9:48 am

        The black pepper still seems to be working! With any luck, we’ll be eating our own produce soon!

        Reply
        1. Pragmatic Mom says:
          June 2, 2013 at 12:06 pm

          Hi MaryAnne,
          Can’t wait to see photos of your bountiful harvest!! I’m sure your kids are loving their garden!

          Reply
  4. Artchoo says:
    May 30, 2013 at 8:36 am

    Drooling is right. I especially love the little secret areas- and it seems like it really wouldn’t be all that hard to fashion a couple around the yard from different things. Thanks for the inspiration. I need to get to weeding as well. Ew.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 30, 2013 at 8:57 am

      Hi Artchoo,
      Sorry if everyone who has read this post is reminded to weed. Ugh, I need to weed too.

      Reply
  5. melissa says:
    May 30, 2013 at 8:51 am

    thanks for the truly dreamy post. Oh these pictures and ideas are just wonderful. One day (hopefully soon) when we are grand parents, I hope to use a few of these ideas in our yard. Also thinking how we could integrate garden play onto our preschool play ground. thanks!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      May 30, 2013 at 8:58 am

      Hi Melissa,
      Oh, what a wonderful idea. A garden planned for the grandkids! That would be fun! And a preschool would definitely get a lot of use out of any of the features. What a great idea! I wish our preschools had more natural elements built in.

      Reply
  6. Faigie says:
    May 30, 2013 at 10:22 am

    Oh weeding is easy here. My husband just takes the lawn mower and mows it all down. Now if only if he would finish all that weeding already…they’ve gotten real high and refuses to hire someone to do the “weeding”. Keeps saying he’s going to finish it up. In the meantime we can make our own play spaces between the weeds.

    By the way when you have them cut down your tree just ask them to cut the stumps for you around a certain height and to leave them for you, they will be happy to not have to drag them away. (we’ve done that)

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 2, 2013 at 12:07 pm

      Hi Falgie,
      I like your weeding strategy! And I’ll remember to save the stumps too! Thanks!

      Reply
  7. Nancy B. says:
    May 30, 2013 at 10:49 am

    Great timing – I’m reading (and about to review) a lovely book on gardening by Fran Sorin http://www.fransorin.com and am getting inspiration and actually making a plan instead of just throwing stuff into the ground!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 2, 2013 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Nancy B.,
      What are you planning to do with your garden this year? I love spring as inspiration to redo the yard! I need to do something interesting in my backyard.

      Reply
  8. Renee C. says:
    May 30, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    Ooh, I’m feeling inspired. I really like the idea of the pole bean tepee – then the kids can snack on beans while they have a pow-wow! It’s brilliant! Thanks for sharing these pictures – so many great ideas.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 2, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      Hi Renee C.,
      I am hoping that if I did the pole bean tepee, beans would be more popular at dinner too! It would be a fun feature in a garden too! I don’t have the right space for it yet, but I’m going to file it away for the future.

      Reply
  9. Chris says:
    May 30, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    Aww, so cute! I LOVE the briars (I think that’s what they are). I would have been in absolute heaven inside a little space like that as a kid.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 2, 2013 at 12:11 pm

      Hi Chris,
      Thanks so much! It’s nice that the spaces don’t have to be large. In fact, it seems that a tiny one is more magical. I would have loved a space like that too as a kid!

      Reply
  10. Alexandra says:
    May 31, 2013 at 6:40 am

    Great inspiration! A secret hide-away…I used to have many of them as a kid, we lived in a big, old house of my nana’s and the garden was just incredible. Now, when we are in PL, we spend a lot of time in my parents’ house, which is in a forest so the kids can enjoy a little different type of nature as I did, but they still seem to love it! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 2, 2013 at 12:14 pm

      Hi Alexandra,
      How wonderful to have grown up with a secret garden hideaway. Where is PL? How wonderful your kids have a forest to play in at their grandparents’ house. I take my kids to play in the forest at the dog trail with is around a reservoir. Nature is a wonderful laboratory for curiosity and play!

      Reply
  11. Erica @What Do We Do All Day? says:
    June 1, 2013 at 8:27 am

    These spaces look amazing. I’d love to play in them myself!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 2, 2013 at 12:20 pm

      Hi Erica,
      I think I am a kid at heart because I want to play in them myself too! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Alexandra says:
    June 2, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    I meant PL as in Poland 😀

    Reply
  13. Ashley says:
    June 2, 2013 at 8:13 pm

    Hello There, my name is Ashley and I am stopping by to say hello. I am loving your blog and the great posts you are putting out there.

    Thanks so much.

    If you have some free time would you mind stopping by our blog as well at: http://www.ashleychapmandesigns.com/blog

    We have an awesome giveaway running right now and a winner will be chosen at random on June 15. Why not come join the party!

    We would really appreciate it.

    Ashley

    Reply
  14. Ann says:
    June 6, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Love all these ideas! I especially love the woven hide away and the trunk slices. I have an area I would like to create something fun with : )

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      June 11, 2013 at 9:27 am

      Hi Ann,
      I’m looking forward to seeing your garden after you add in a kids’ space. Me too! I want to add in a kids space but I don’t have room in my back yard so I will have to get creative.

      Reply
  15. Joel Griffin says:
    July 27, 2021 at 8:49 am

    Love all these ideas! I especially love the woven hide-away and the trunk slices. I want to play in them myself too! I own an online assignment writing services for colleges & universities UK students with their academic works.
    https://essaysnassignments.co.uk/assignment-service/

    Reply

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