Get ideas from the free Christmas catalogues or online shopping websites. Children will also love to visit shops with exciting Christmas displays, most shops have them this time of year.  There are hundreds of adverts on TV enticing children to say 'I want one of these' so make a note when they express an interest in something.

Get creative with glitter and glue and let you child put his/her personal touch to the list that you've helped them to write.  Perhaps they could draw pictures of the presents that they'd love the most. If glitter and glue isn't for you there are plenty of colourful and creative templates that you can download from sites such as Pinterest for them to fill out and colour in.

Deliver the list. If Father Christmas is coming to town before the big day your child can hand deliver his/her list personally.  If not, you can send the letter to the North Pole yourselves but don't forget to take a copy first! Royal Mail has a FREE mailback service which sends your child back a personalised letter after they have written to Father Christmas.  The letter does need to be sent to an exact address, which is: 

Santa/Father Christmas
Santa's Grotto
Reindeerland
XM4 5HQ.

To get a reply, the letter needs to arrive by Friday 6th December. 

Fairy tales can be experienced in many different ways, including the use of drama and puppets.  By using props children can learn to empathise with the characters and increase their understanding of story structure. Traditional fairy tales are considered to be; not politically correct, sexist and have cruel baddies but are enjoyed by children far more than censored versions.  Children like to be scared by a fairytale because ultimately the baddie always gets their comeuppance and the hero is victorious.

Playdale Garden climbing frames all have a play tower within their construction enabling children to imagine that the tower is part of a fairy tale or an adventure.  The play tower in your garden may very well be used as a prison for a princess with long golden hair or it may even manifest itself as a pirate ship on the high seas.  Watch your children play and listen to the stories they conjure up while exercising on their climbing frame.  Playdale Garden climbing frames also have the option of adding various accessories such as, a sandpit,  steering wheel, periscope and binoculars enabling the play tower to become a high functioning den. 

If your children like to spend a lot of time on computer games that involve construction and hiding away from enemies.  Encourage them to transfer their imagination to participating in developing their construction skills in real life.  Using a climbing frame as a base camp they can act out their favourite game with friends or relatives in the safety of their own garden. You never know playing with a Playdale Garden climbing frame may inspire your children to become great story tellers. It is believed that a view of two industrial towers inspired Tolkien to write his epic trilogy, 'The Lord of The Rings',  All authors combine the power of every life experience they have ever had with every story they have heard to create their wonderful stories. 

If you would like to encourage imaginative play and the idea of installing a climbing frame in the garden sounds like a great way to encourage your child's story telling skills, either phone 015395 39822 or contact us here and we would be happy to discuss the different climbing frame options available to you.

The NHS Choices Website promotes exercise as a miracle cure and highlights the recommended dose for people of all ages.  If we all participated in the correct daily dose of exercise we would reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by 50% and lower the risk of an early death by 30%.  Children between the ages of five and eighteen are required to spend sixty minutes exercising every day and to remain active at all other times, as sitting down for too long can cause serious health issues.

Breaking Exercise into Small Chunks

Luckily exercise can be broken up into smaller segments so children can participate in many different physical activities everyday.  At school children are active for a good proportion of the day and manage to exercise during play times, lunchtimes, forest activities and P.E. lessons. Many children participate in after school clubs that promote exercise so that during term time they are living active lives.  Parents therefore need to consciously encourage the same opportunities for exercise during the school holidays so that children do not lose interest in exercise when they are at home.

Four Types of Exercise

The NHS Choices Website discusses four main types of exercise that children should be participating in these include; moderate intensity, vigorous intensity, bone strengthening and muscle strengthening.  Exercise also improves self esteem, confidence and problem solving skills.

Moderate Intensity Exercise

Moderate intensity exercise increases the heart rate and breaks out a sweat.  A good indication of whether you are exercising enough at this level is if you can still talk but are unable to sing the words to a song.  Examples of moderate intensity exercise include:-

• Walking to school

• Playing in the playground

• Riding a scooter

• Skateboarding

• Cycling on the flat.

Vigorous Intensity Exercise

Vigorous intensity exercise increases your heart rate significantly, causes you to breathe hard and fast and you can't say more than a few words without pausing for breath. Examples of vigorous intensity exercise include:-

• Playing chase

• Energetic dancing

• Swimming

• Running

• Football.

Muscle Strengthening Activities

Muscle strengthening activities involve exercise that require children to lift up their own body weight or fight against a resistance.  Examples of muscle strengthening exercises include:-

• Tug of war

• Swinging on playground equipment

• Gymnastics

• Tree Climbing

• Tennis.

Bone Strengthening Activities

Bone strengthening activities involve an impact or tension force on the bones that promote bone strength and growth.  Examples of bone strengthening activities:-

• Jumping and climbing on playground equipment

• Hopscotch

• Skipping with a rope

• Dance

• martial Arts

A good dose of exercise, encouragement and enthusiasm can guarantee children will grow up understanding the importance of living an active life.

We completely underestimate the benefits of zooming down a slide simply because the experience passes so quickly and is it so much fun.  When you visit playgrounds with your children they are attracted to the lure of the slide and will often play on it in ways that you never imagined.  Slides are generally connected to other pieces of equipment such as a tower or a child's climbing frame so the possibilities of activity are endless.  Slides tend to be the busiest piece of equipment in the playground so purchasing a child's climbing frame with a slide for the garden at home will allow your child to enjoy the physical benefits of a slide in the safety of their own garden.

Exercise

In order to experience the feeling of weightlessness when going down a slide a child has to climb to the top of the slide and then allow gravity to pull them down the slide.  The physical exertion involved in this activity not only strengthens bones and muscles it also burns body fat.  Climbing requires much more effort than walking and causes the heart to pump faster replenishing the body's oxygen supply quicker.  Encouraging children to participate in activities ensures that your child has good cardiovascular health and improves their sporting abilities.  Pushing their body in this way gives them greater stamina and makes them less likely to take up sedentary habits such as watching too much television.

Enjoying The Outdoors

Not only are your children experiencing fresh air while playing outside on their child's climbing frame and slide they are also benefiting from being able to synthesise vitamin D from the sun.  Children who play outside a lot have high levels of vitamin D and reduce the risk of contracting illnesses such as rickets, which is caused by vitamin D deficiency. Mud, dirt and other yucky things that make our clothes filthy actually contain bacteria that is beneficial to our bodies and can strengthen immune systems for life. The beauty of having a child's climbing frame in your garden means that you know exactly what type of dirt your child has covered themselves up in.

Safety First

Having a child's climbing frame and slide in your garden at home has many benefits particularly for busy parents who just don't have the time to spend hours in a public playground.  In terms of safety your children will be able to play on a slide whenever they want to without the fear of crossing dangerous roads and worrying about strangers.  Parents can keep a watchful eye on their children ensuring that they are playing safely and using the equipment properly from the comfort of their own homes.

Encouraging Friendships

Many parents cringe at the thought of play dates because entertaining two children who have just bottled up enough energy to power up a space rocket in school is no easy task.  If you have a child's climbing frame in the garden inviting children to your house after school may not be such a scary experience after all.  You will be able to supervise the children while making a healthy snack for them to eat.

January can feel like the most miserable month in the year as we are all suffering an anti climax after the Christmas celebrations and the days seem to be so cold and dark.  Feasting over the Christmas holidays and watching too much television has a negative impact on our waistlines and general fitness. The beginning of a new year is often regarded as the perfect time to start afresh and either give up activities that are bad for us or take up hobbies that will improve our general well being.  

Making New Years resolutions are often an attempt to improve our lives but in our enthusiasm we tend to set ourselves unachievable goals that cause us to give up almost immediately. Here are a list of five simple changes that you can make as a whole family so that you can live a healthier happier life.

Wiggle It Just A Little Bit

Getting active is a fantastic way to keep your heart strong, strengthen muscles, burn calories, enjoy the outdoors and most importantly have fun.  It doesn't matter what activities you do whether you are a budding footballer, ballet dancer or an explorer it doesn't matter as long as you are active.  Parents can set a good example by being active themselves or taking the whole family for a walk in the country where you will not only get active you can share the experience of the countryside together. Dancing is a fantastic way to exercise and have fun at the same time when it is raining you could hold a lounge disco and jump around to everyone's favourite tunes.  The NHS website recommends that children should be encouraged to do 60 minutes of physical activity a day so it is an achievable goal.

Sleeping For Success

Sleeping is essential for everyone especially children, it is a time when the body grows and repairs itself and the brain processes everything that it has experienced during the day.  By the time a child is two they will have spent more time asleep than awake.  Children up to nine years old will need up to eleven hours sleep a night. Children who sleep well perform better at school and are less likely to be obese.  Make bedtimes relaxing and calm, give your children a bath, read a story, talk about the day, cuddle and big up the benefits of sleeping. If your child can't fall asleep straight away encourage them to read a book and eventually they will fall into a relaxed slumber.

Eat Just The Right Amount

These days we are so accustomed to big portions that we are in the habit of eating far more than our bodies need.  Food that we do not need stays on our body as fat and can lead to obesity, diabetes, low self esteem and other health problems.  Young children automatically stop eating when they are full and this can often be mistaken as fussiness.  Make sure that your children's meals are child sized portions and are balanced and nutritious.  Encourage children to eat fruit as snacks and avoid sweets and sugary drinks.  Set a good example and make mealtimes a social event so that children can enjoy their meal with company.

Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set ...

.. and do something less boring instead? When we watch television we are just watching people doing things but are not actually doing anything ourselves. The NHS website  recommends that children should not watch a television for more than two hours a day and that all screens should be removed from their bedroom at night.  Encourage your children to participate in real world activities such as; craft activities, helping with the household chores, playing in the garden, writing, reading, drawing and playing with friends.  Avoid being a couch potato when they are around and set a good example of being active and participating in activities.

Have Fun

We only have one life so we should learn to enjoy the pleasure that it brings.  Show children how enjoyable it is to play in puddles, scrunch leaves, make dens, float sticks down rivers, make a catapult or bow and arrow from sticks and generally enjoy the world around them.  When children know how to enjoy simple pleasures they will not always require expensive entertainment such as costly theme parks.  Natural play like this develops imagination and gives your child plenty of ideas to write and talk about.  

These are only a few ideas of how you can make resolutions that will enable the whole family to have a healthy and happy new year.

Children are living increasingly sedentary lives due to the increase in technology and an influx of cars on the road.  Where once children going out to play in the morning and not returning home until their tummy grumbled was the norm, now children spend more time indoors entertaining themselves with equipment that exercises their forefinger and little else.  The implication of an inactive lifestyle can affect a child's attitude to exercise and healthy living throughout their entire lives.  Encouraging our children to play outside will not only improve their physical health it will allow them to develop their imagination and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you choose to surprise your brood with a gift of a child's climbing frame, you are filling your garden with a million different adventures that will allow your child to exercise without even knowing it.  All of our swings and child's climbing frames are designed to grow with your children so your five year old will have as much fun playing as your twelve year old.  A single swing such as the Honeybee Swing can bring an immense amount of pleasure, as your child soars through the sky.  If your children enjoy the local playground they will certainly relish the thought of  having their own climbing frame in their back garden.  Playdale Garden child's climbing frames range from the compact Meadow Child's Climbing Frame to the mighty Mountain Child's Climbing Frame so you will be able to buy a climbing frame that fits both your garden and your budget.

You will be able to supervise your children from close by and give them the opportunity to spend many hours playing outside.  The NHS website informs us that active children who have a healthy diet tend to be in good physical shape and perform better in school.  If we encourage our children to participate in physical activity for an hour a day then we are helping them to develop healthy habits from a young age.  By giving them the opportunity to play on a climbing frame in the garden you are ensuring that they have less time in front of a screen and the exercise will tire them so they will sleep soundly.  

A child's climbing frame is a gift for all seasons and can be enjoyed on cold winter days and in the summer sunshine.  If you find that your children are not sure how to enjoy their new climbing frame you can demonstrate all of the elements and play possibilities by playing with them.  Your children will thoroughly enjoy playing with you and you will be setting them a good example of how to enjoy exercise.

All of our equipment is made in the UK and our manufacturing system  is BSI approved and designed to the Toy Safety Standard so you can feel confident that your children will be able to have fun on safe and well built equipment.  We do recommend that you supervise your children while playing on the equipment at all times.

The beginning of winter is a pretty exciting time with the lead up to Christmas filling up our time with; parties, plays, carol concerts and the anticipation of a visit from Santa himself.  After all of the excitement, the rest of winter always seems to be so dark, cold and a long wait until the longer days and warmer weather.  When the days are bright and crisp it is an amazing opportunity for children to play in the garden or for the whole family to go for a walk and enjoy the cold beauty of winter.

Unfortunately winter is also a time of persistent rain and wind that bites your nose and fingers making outside very unappealing compared to the warmth and comfort inside. On days like these it is prudent to have a few crafty activities up your sleeves so that you can alleviate boredom and encourage your children to put down their tech toys for a little while.  Craft activities not only help your child to practice their fine motor skills they also provide a great opportunity for conversation and interaction with parents and siblings alike.  

Here are some craft activities that will entertain you and your children and brighten up your house at the same time:-

Paper Snowflakes

Making paper snowflakes is the best way to make sure that you get to see snow this year.  They look great stuck to the window and are so easy to make.  All you need is a pair of scissors and lots of paper.  To start off with cut the paper into a circle shape and then fold so that it becomes a flat cone shape.  Use your scissors to cut through the paper and when you have finished open the cone up and you will have a delicate circle with patterns cut out of it. As you get more confident with your cutting the patterns can get better and better. The best thing about this activity is that it doesn't matter how good you are at cutting you will still produce a unique decoration.

Biscuit Decorating

Bake or buy biscuits to decorate with icing sugar, chocolate beans and raisins.  If you bake them yourself you can decide on a theme and shape your biscuits accordingly if not any plain biscuit is a great canvass for design.  Allow your children the freedom to decorate their biscuits however they like and talk about their designs.  When all of the icing sugar is dry and the kitchen is clean and tidy there is nothing better than snuggling up to watch a film snacking on a home decorated biscuit and steaming hot chocolate.

Make Musical Instruments

Sometimes keeping quiet can be impossible for children so why not control the noise by making home made instruments out of household items and singing at the top of your voice.  Shakers can be made from bottles, tubs rice, dried peas, marbles, in fact anything that makes a good noise - make sure you seal the top on tight or you will create a mess all over the floor.  Drums can be created with with pans and wooden spoons while elastic bands wrapped around a box with a hole in it makes a great guitar.

 Read a Story Book

Children of all ages enjoy having a story read to them particularly if you make it a magical experience by sitting on cushions, inviting the teddies and dolls to listen and involving your children by asking questions and getting them to join in with repetitive phrases.  Older children will just relish the opportunity to have your undivided attention and a cuddle; you could even take it in turns to read the story.

Once you get the hang of entertaining your children on cold wet days you will be amazed at the brilliant craft ideas you can come up with.

Believe it or not, the skills your child uses to climb up a climbing frame are exactly the same as the skills an adult uses to scale a rock face.  Also the benefits gained are the same too, so when you see a child on a climbing frame they are actually scaling mini mountains.  The NHS Choices website outlines the benefits of rock climbing and the positive outcomes are more than just reaching the summit.  We are going to look at how a child's climbing frame is a wonderful piece of equipment that can develop your child in many different ways.

Muscles Used

Climbing uses a wide range of muscles in the upper and lower parts of the body.  Your back, fingers, shoulders, arms, abdominal and leg muscles are all exercised through climbing.  Frequent climbing improves stamina, flexibility, agility, balance and spacial awareness.  Imagine how using a child's climbing frame can benefit your child's physical development and may even improve their ability to play sports such as football and netball.

Skills Developed

Essentially any type of climbing is like a puzzle that has the potential to get more complicated as the climber gains confidence and experience.  Regular climbing develops concentration, determination and problem solving skills.  Therefore if your child finds it difficult to settle to do their homework maybe the best preparation is to give the the chance to play on a climbing frame before hand rather than forcing them to sit still and behave.

Goal Setting and Team Building

When anyone sets their own targets and achieves them, their self esteem and confidence soars through the ceiling.  Even the most cautious climber can feel elated when they reach the top of a climbing frame or rock face.  Rock climbers tend to work in teams and develop a great deal of trust within their group.  Similarly children can provide support for each other when they find part of the climbing frame particularly challenging.

Climbing And Dyspraxia

If your child has been diagnosed with dyspraxia or any special need that restricts movement or the ability to anticipate the world around them it is often instinct to protect them from activities that may exaggerate their condition or produce increased risk.  Studies have shown that you should encourage your child to challenge themselves and, with your close supervision, encourage them to use climbing frames and in the case of adults climbing walls to help them to develop skills that will help them to overcome the challenges they face.  As we have already mentioned climbing strengthens muscles, develops spacial awareness, encourages problem solving skills and develops social skills.  All of these are skills that someone with a condition such as dyspraxia needs to practice and develop.  

As you can see a child's climbing frame is more than just a way of entertaining your children, it has the potential to help your children face the challenges the world has to offer with confidence and strength.

Now Autumn is upon us and the heady days of summer have transformed into windy wet weather it is very tempting to abandon the garden and hide indoors until the weather improves.  Children may enjoy the attraction of the television and rainy day games for a short while but eventually their need to burn off energy will result in restlessness and difficult behaviour. There is absolutely no point in continuously telling your child off and expecting them to suppress their energy because it will only cause tension and ruin everybody's day.  The only solution is to get outside in the fresh air and burn off that excess energy.

As parents we all know that a little bit of risk is a wonderful way to challenge our children and help them to develop a greater understanding of themselves. Often deciding how much freedom we should give our children causes a conflict of interests, our instincts tell us to protect them while our common sense tells us that they need to take risks. Risk taking is indeed very good for children because it allows them to face adversity and learn how to cope with success and failure. Play England states on their website, 'Through taking risks, children build their capabilities, explore their emotions, expand their horizons, and test boundaries. They also gain practical experience of taking responsibility for their safety'. While it is wholly impractical and dangerous to leave children to their own devices we can allow children to play in safe environments with minimal adult supervision.

The role of an adult during child directed play sessions is really to just stay out of sight and allow the children to be in charge of their own game. This is particularly important if you have a child's climbing frame in your garden. Installing a child's climbing frame in your garden has many benefits for the whole family as your children can use it whenever they like and they can be supervised in comfort. Apart from being able to have regular exercise there are many benefits from the outside play opportunities your climbing frame provides.

Climbing is an amazing physical exercise as it strengthens virtually every muscle in your body which in turn improves the fine motor skills required for activities such as; writing and drawing. The problem solving nature involved in maneuvering around a climbing frame gives children the opportunity to work things out for themselves. The sense of achievement when they reach the top of the structure and the exhilaration they get when they slide down produces feel good chemicals in the bloodstream and increases happiness and self esteem. Children become responsible for their own safety and begin to learn their own limits physically and also what scares them a little bit so they become more spatially aware and less likely to hurt themselves in everyday life.

Imaginative play enables a child to turn their climbing frame into any fantasy structure they wish, the slide stops being just a slide and becomes an escape route from a spaceship. Children become more imaginative if we just leave them to develop their ideas on their own. Encouraging our children to play independently involves us being there to observe but not interfere, many children are often so delighted with their ideas and achievements that they will ask you to have a look at what they have done or watch them climb to the top of the climbing frame allowing you to give them lots of praise and encouragement.

With thirteen pieces of children's wooden play equipment to choose from it will be easy to find a child's climbing frame that your whole family will cherish for many years.

As Autumn is settling in and the nights are getting shorter the opportunities for children to play outside are rapidly decreasing so the garden is invaluable at this time of year.  Autumn brings wonderful changes to the colours and landscape of the garden, providing new play opportunities for the imaginative and adventurous child.  As long as your child's clothing is appropriate for the weather, a little bit of rain and chill in the air will certainly not stop play.

Here are some exciting ideas you could try out in your garden this Autumn:-

Dazzling Leaves

Creating a huge pile of fallen leaves and burying yourself in them is so exciting, especially when you scare people by pretending to be a leaf monster.  If you enjoy making interesting sounds see how many different sounds you can make with a pile of leaves, using your hands and your feet.  Splash about in the leaves like they are an amazing amber puddle.  

When is A Stick not A Stick?

When it is a wizard's wand or a picture frame! In fact sticks are one of the most universal toys your child could ever choose to play with. If you have a large garden with lots of sticks you could build a magnificent den in the most secluded part of the garden.  If you are partial to a bit of target practice find some elastic bands and attach them to a 'V' shaped stick so you can create a catapult.  Use little sticks to make a mouse house, a bug hotel or a bird feeder.  If you have difficulty sleeping you could make a dream-catcher - the possibilities are endless!

Search For Mini-beasts

Autumn is a fantastic time of year for creepy crawlies to find homes.  The fallen leaves and damp weather provide perfect environments for these sludge loving creatures to set up home.  Find a particularly slimy area and slowly separate the leaves, making sure that you don't hurt any of the tiny creatures you find.  Look at the shape of their bodies, how many legs they have got and what colour they are.  When you have finished looking at them put them back safely and unharmed.

Create Garden Art

As autumn persists the garden will get littered with many beautiful treasures that would make a splendid piece of natural art.  Collect sticks, stones, leaves, seeds and anything else you find lying around in a box and start creating your masterpiece.  Andy Goldsworthy is a famous natural sculpture who created beautiful pieces of art from natural objects.  Don't forget to photograph your design.

Get Muddy

We're currently running a Facebook competition giving you the chance to win a £50 voucher towards a Playdale Garden climbing frame or swing! 

All you have to do to enter is visit our Facebook page and comment on the competition post with the name of your favourite garden plant or flower.

Our range features 13 high-quality climbing frames and swings that have plenty of activities to challenge and excite your children, and the natural materials will blend beautifully into your garden surroundings.

This is your chance to bring a piece of playground magic into your own garden!

To enter the competition go to our Facebook Page or take a look at our fantastic range of garden play equipment.

Competition ends at 4pm on the 30th April 2014.

Good luck!

Playing in the garden is great fun when you're a child. It's a chance to explore and learn about nature, to roll around on the grass, play 'tag' with your friends or play on your garden climbing frame and swing. The warmer months open up a new world of adventure and excitement to children and it's a great opportunity to spend some quality family time, play some garden games and have some fun.

Here are 5 great garden games ideas for you to play with your children:

Water Fight

A good water fight is great fun and is an event that children will cherish for a lifetime. Ask your neighbours to join in and you can play in teams against each other. There's no greater feeling when you're a child than landing a water balloon precisely onto your parent's head from the top of your climbing frame!

Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunts are a great way to keep children entertained and they will love to search for their prize at the end. Spend some time preparing the hunt, it's important that it isn't too difficult, but you don't want it to be over in 10 minutes. Choose a theme, create some exciting clues and a treasure map for your children to navigate. Hide the treasure well and make the final clue a bit more difficult.

Sports Day

Invite some of your children's friends over and host your own sports day. The classic games are the best - egg and spoon race, long jump,swing as high as you can, hula-hoops, bowling and tip 'n' run. Kids will love to compete against the adults and its good, healthy fun - just make sure that you have enough prizes for all of the kids at the end!

Blowing Bubbles

Children are amazed by bubbles! Make your own bubbles out of soap and water, add some sugar in to enhance the bubble solution and make the bubbles last longer. You could even make your own bubble wand by shaping a coat hanger to create bigger bubbles.

Assault Course

Create a challenging assault course out of anything that you can find at home. You could set up a slalom between bean tins, wheelbarrow race, crawl under a blanket, use any garden play equipment to create obstacles - the list is endless!

Spending time gardening with your children can be as exciting and worthwhile for yourself as it can be for them. Children love to explore, get their hands dirty and try new things. Just imagine the excitement on your child's face when their first sunflower sprouts through the soil, or when they eat their first home-grown strawberry - it's a moment that both of you will treasure forever.