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doris
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We have been given some money, which we would like to spend on making the garden more child-friendly.
We can make a space for either a trampoline or a playhouse or a swing set. (We've already got a climbing frame with slide.) I've got some reservations about trampolines for safety reasons, but OTOH they do provide great exercise. And would they grow out of a playhouse quite quickly? Just thinking aloud.
WWYD?
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LisaR
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playhouse. we have had 2 different homeschool Dr. Dads (one's Emergency room, one's family practice)say that they would rather their kids do just about anything else than ever jump on a trampoline. they have seen way too many injuries.
my kids have had their only injuries from tramps - (at others homes)besides one occasion of stitches due to a fall on the ice.
also, I would hate to have to monitor a tramp in my yard, and here in the US, one is supposed to state in their homeowners insurance if they have either a permanent pool or a trampoline (for liability)
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Rachel May
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Ditto to everything Lisa said about trampolines, although I have been very tempted myself.
My 9 year olds had a great time playing in a very realistic playhouse at the Botanic Garden in DC this past summer. I think that for my older kids the fact that it was not plastic made it agreeable. There was also a space alongside where they were allowed to dig etc which they loved. It was something like this.
Have fun planning!
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JodieLyn
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Don't call it a "playhouse" call it a "fort" and it'll last them longer 
I also recently saw these.. Dome Climber
Now my kids would easily use that with our outside blankets and make a "house" or tent or something.. and enjoy climbing on that.. and it wouldn't destroy the lawn underneath it.. letting light through.. and light enough to move it for mowing and such.
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Booksnbabes
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I'm going to have to join the playhouse/fort bandwagon here. Trampolines are just too much of a liability, even if they are fun. More people can enjoy the playhouse/fort at the same time anyway. Our kids had a ball with one at a living history museum we went to last summer. I could hardly convince them to leave!!! It was a wooden, one-room house on a small scale, beautiful with windows and a small porch...can you tell I want one? 
As to growing out of it, if it is large enough it makes a great retreat for an older child to use to read/think about life. My siblings and I continued to use our tree house (a platform in a tree  ) well into our teenage years. And when kids are grown it can be used as garden implement storage! 
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Maddie
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I vote for the tramp with the protective sides. We have both a playhouse and a tramp and the tramp sees far more action. They wear themselves out with the tramp, come in starved to eat and then conk out and take a nice long nap for me.
We have very strict rules for the tramp that work well for us. The children have made up so many games using the tramp, including playing that it is a fort or a ship. They have often set up a fort under the tramp( no one allowed on top of course) and have had their lunch under it.
So you could get two pieces of play equipment for the price of one with the tramp.
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folklaur
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I loved our trampoline but it made me a nervous wreck too. Since our move, we have talked about buying a new one, but I really do hesitate due to the potential for injury (and a dd6 who knows no fear).
But - a good swing set would be my first choice. They can have a fort area in them, too. Swings are fun!
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KackyK
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My brother, who is a radiologist, has a whole collection of xrays of broken parts from kiddos who were on trampolines. They are to show his own children when they try to argue the "no trampolines" rule. Needless to say it is our rule too.
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mellyrose
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Playhouse / Fort!!! We have a swing set, a climbing thing, a playhouse. We HAD a trampoline for about a month until my oldest fell and sprained his knee.
Now, I know that injuries happen, but I can let them play in our yard without worry with the fort, swings, etc. . . but I couldn't do that with the trampoline.
It wasn't worth the hassle. The playfort, though? Has adventures every day.
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LisaR
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cactus mouse wrote:
But - a good swing set would be my first choice. They can have a fort area in them, too. Swings are fun! |
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this is actually what we have. my youngers can do everything on it swing, etc, but it also held quite a few 12 y/o boys many a time in the summer as a home base/fort....
and I've been known to climb up in the 2nd story fort area with a book in the summer (shaded!) and I can keep an eye on the littles...
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Waverley
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We have a trampoline, a treehouse and a swing set and the trampoline is used the most by far. My highschooler jumps on the trampoline and so do the little kids. We jump all year. We've never had an accident. We have a net enclosure and strict rules about use. My dad is a doctor and we had a trampoline growing up.
I would encourage you to inquire into your homeowners insurance policy first however to see if owning a trampoline will negatively affect your status and cost.
Good luck.
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chrisv664
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I am really opposed to trampolines due to the potential for serious injury and my children who think they are olympian gymnasts! But I did find an acceptable alternative here this past Christmas. They love it! I see it is on clearance for ALOT less than I paid. Maybe with this option you could do the trampoline and a playhouse!
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doris
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Thanks for all the input! I'm going to start a new thread on trampoline safety...
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LucyP
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I think it depends on how your life works. I wouldn't let mine play on a trampoline without an adult in the garden, but a playhouse - yes, they could be unsupervised - the 5yo anyway. We go on my sister's trampoline, and the 5yo and 1yo love it to bits, but it's a special, everyone walk down the garden into the paddock and play event.
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Gloria JMJ
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Visit my blog to see the fort that my dh is building for our buys, and they're pre teen! It is a two story though .
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juststartn
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We were given a trampoline (enclosure included), and the house came with a two story playhouse (it is actually one of those oversized outdoor storage buildings, but it is marked as a playhouse, because I don't have any other use for it).
The children don't really use the playhouse--wasps get in there in the summer, and the children are terrified of them. The trampoline sees MUCH more action.
I do wish we had a swingset, though.
Rachel
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Erin
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Doris
Are your children active or imaginative? If active go for the trampoline, imaginative the playhouse.
We have a trampoline for my active children(no restrictions here in Oz) although I am hopeful we'll get a playhouse for my imaginative girls this coming year.
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TracyFD
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We are hesitant about a trampoline too. When my husband looked into it he found that the cheap ones (even the ones with sides) cause the most injuries. Something about the quality of the springs. I think he came away thinking that if we could spend $700 on one he would be comfortable with their safety. But we haven't the $700 to spend on one, so still no trampoline here!
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crusermom
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We just got a nice trampoline off craigslist last night. I too was hesitant - but my kids just love them. I will probably be pretty obsessive about not letting littles on it w/o supervision. But - we have a horse - can't be any more dangerous than that!
We have a treehouse now that get lots of action. We had playhouses in the past at other homes. We had two at one time. They were used extensively as jails for capture the flag.
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melanie
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We have a trampoline with a safety enclosure. It sees a lot of action. Your kids are still young and might get a lot of mileage out of a playhouse...my oldest two are 13 and almost 10, and they use the trampoline a lot. We have strict rules regarding them, and my 5yo can't get on with a big kid unless one of us is out there because he is likely to get hurt jumping with the big kids. It also makes a neat outdoor playpen for the toddler, lol...when I go to hang laundry or something, I can zip her in the enclosure (by herself) with a couple of toys and she has a ball.  Anyway, we've had one for a couple of years now with no injuries,,,but I wouldn't want one without an enclosure.
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Topic: trampoline or playhouse?
