Steve wrote............
Any suggestions on doing a child friendly garden. I want ti do
something a bit more imaginative than paving slabs, but still have a
tight budget.


Children like to hide away from parents, they like to climb, play ball,
watch insects, have fun.
So an parents version of a "child friendly" garden is a garden that excludes
children enjoying it.
Stick to grass, it's quite resilient, and softer to fall on that paving.
Flowers are probably difficult as they will get trashed by the wayward ball
so stick to strong shrubs.
Perhaps a Willow hideaway might be a good idea, get some Willows whips
(young saplings) and plant them in a tent sized circle, don't forget a door,
weave them into the sides and keep weaving as they grow so you eventually
end up with a willow house for them to play in. Hope that makes sense.

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 19:18:23 +0200, martin wrote:

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 13:39:37 +0100, Victoria Clare
wrote:


Something I always fancied as a kid: a den right inside a big blackberry
bush.

No-one knows you're in there, if they do they can't get you out without
getting seriously scratched, and you can eat it. What more could one ask!

I had one under a hawthorn bush beside a small stream. Bliss!

I had one up a huge old oak. One of the nicer points was being able to lie along a
branch and read a book. Another was the dweeb children my ma was always keen on me
playing with invariably fell out.

I very firmly think a "normal childhood" (whatever that is these days) needs to
include a certain amount of tree climbing, cardboard sliding and falling out of and
off things.

Other things the OP might like to consider is planting things that aren't poisonous.
We've found rosemary grows like billy-o and even survived the roofers bunging their
scaffolding on it, never mind the odd football - and it doesn't do too much damage if
someone munches on it:-)

Liz

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Saffy wrote:

"dave @ stejonda" wrote in message
...

In message , Mookamoo
writes

Any suggestions on doing a child friendly garden. I want ti do
something a bit more imaginative than paving slabs, but still have a
tight budget.



Definitely leave some paving slabs or hard surfacing for them to use
their
ride-ons. Young kids get very frustrated trying to pedal on a lawn.


We didn't. I learnt the basic rudiments of skid control falling off my
bike on a succession of lawns, much to the anger of parents.

Falling onto grass will put grass stains and bruises on you: On hard
paving a broken bone and sever abrasions is likley.


We
used bark under the swings and things but it does tend to get dug up and
spread everywhere it shouldn't. Its also very messy when it gets wet.

I meant the little ones that are on the sit on cars and the little
tricycles. I guess I'm thinking about my kids again who are still wee.
Those little ride-ons don't move on grass at all because they have things at
the back to make them stable and they catch on the grass. They don't have
far to fall anyway so paving slabs are ok. I would avoid gravel though.

Saffy.

In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
Saffy wrote:

"dave @ stejonda" wrote in message
...

In message ,
Mookamoo
writes

Any suggestions on doing a child friendly garden. I want ti do
something a bit more imaginative than paving slabs, but still have a
tight budget.

Definitely leave some paving slabs or hard surfacing for them to
use their
ride-ons. Young kids get very frustrated trying to pedal on a lawn.


We didn't. I learnt the basic rudiments of skid control falling off my
bike on a succession of lawns, much to the anger of parents.


Riding on grass is fine for older kids, they have the strength and the
bikes to do it with. for a 2-3 year old on a kiddies trike it's very
difficult, verging on the impossible for any amount of time.

Falling onto grass will put grass stains and bruises on you: On hard
paving a broken bone and sever abrasions is likley.

Well Elinor got a graze on her knee falling off her trike this
afternoon, but she can't get fast enough of high enough yet to do too
much harm.

We
used bark under the swings and things but it does tend to get dug up and
spread everywhere it shouldn't. Its also very messy when it gets wet.



Any child that falls off a swing should be put down. How CAN you fall
off a swing?

Easy if you are standing up - I landed face forward onto asphalt using
a swing standing up.
--
Chris French, Leeds

chris French wrote:


Easy if you are standing up - I landed face forward onto asphalt using
a swing standing up.

Darwin award?

In uk.d-i-y The Natural Philosopher wrote:
chris French wrote:


Easy if you are standing up - I landed face forward onto asphalt using
a swing standing up.

Darwin award?

Naah, just segway owner training.

In article , FF
writes
Other things the OP might like to consider is planting things that aren't
poisonous.

We had quite a long thread on poisonous plants quite recently and, all
things considered, we decided that there wasn't much that wasn't harmful
in some way or other!!!!!!!

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 22:41:58 UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

chris French wrote:


Easy if you are standing up - I landed face forward onto asphalt using
a swing standing up.

Darwin award?

Not eligible - he's still alive and (presumably) able to contribute to
the gene pool..

--
Bob Eager
begin by not using Outlook Express...

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 18:15:28 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:


Any child that falls off a swing should be put down. How CAN you fall
off a swing?

Ask Newton. Any adult who hasn't fallen off a swing, when a child, is
subnormal

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 23:41:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

chris French wrote:


Easy if you are standing up - I landed face forward onto asphalt using
a swing standing up.

Darwin award?

Sounds like a normal childhood to me.

Something I always fancied as a kid: a den right inside a big blackberry
bush.

No-one knows you're in there, if they do they can't get you out without
getting seriously scratched, and you can eat it. What more could one ask!

OK, it's not 'safe', it's not sensible, it's not clean or neat. But it
WOULD be cool...

Victoria

Funny how things take you right back to childhood. One of the things I
used to love when I was a child was when my mother would drive through big
puddles and make them splash up high. The other day I was out with my
nearly-4 yr old and after the showers spotted a huge puddle about 20 foot
long. I told her to watch out the window and splashed right through it. A
long wall of water and a big whoosh appeared right outside her window. She
turned to me and said with shining eyes. "COOL! That was COOL mummy". I
had to grin.

Back to the subject I spent many hours going round our back yard trying to
keep off the ground - clinging to nuts on a corrugated tin wall and walking
on the render bit at the bottom, jumping from step to step outside cowshed
doors. At the entrance to the yard where it was much to wide to be able to
jump across I kept on the line created by a strip of wood used when the
different areas of concrete were put down.

Anybody remember not stepping on the paving cracks? It was like a disease
when you started it.

Can a child without a garden grow up with any memories of childhood?
There are really lovely stories above and all seem common to those who had
gardens and some freedom and common sense.
My own childhood centred around the garden and I was encouraged to be
'plant friendly' rather than had any changes made to the extensive garden.
My nanny [sorry if that offends anyone] was strict, correct and most
loving. My first memory,holding on to her skirt, walking in the garden,
involved a number of lessons. Trailing a little behind I had gathered a
handful of seed pods and leaves. She never once looked round, but then she
had an eye in the bun at the back of her head! " Can I eat these" I said.
" Yes, of course you CAN~~~ but they will kill you, so you MAY not eat them"
While still a toddler she prepared my very first little garden patch and I
planted some 'seeds' including apple pips, acorn and popcorn!. First thing
the next morning I rushed to the plot and was broken hearted that not a
single flower had grown! She patiently explained that we had forgotten to
water them. Sure enough the very next morning any number of flowers had
grown~with their labels too. In consequence I was smitten and only
eventually understood what she had been doing after I was asleep!!
Looking back I found that her annual wage was much less than one day of my
eventual earnings.
She remained with us and as she grew older became not a little eccentric.
One morning she came down to breakfast, at a time when I was feeling very
grown up, and as she passed me, she looked behind my ear and accused me of
not having had a proper bath and said that she would give me a real bath
after the meal.
I objected and did manage to have my own way. I was twenty-seven!!
She died at 103 and shortly before, called me over to her bed and said
quietly " Closer, closer,~~ have you been to the toilet today?". I was a
grandparent and yet still her little boy!!
Best Wishes.
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
Steve wrote............
Any suggestions on doing a child friendly garden. I want ti do
something a bit more imaginative than paving slabs, but still have a
tight budget.


Children like to hide away from parents, they like to climb, play ball,
watch insects, have fun.
So an parents version of a "child friendly" garden is a garden that
excludes
children enjoying it.
Stick to grass, it's quite resilient, and softer to fall on that paving.
Flowers are probably difficult as they will get trashed by the wayward
ball
so stick to strong shrubs.
Perhaps a Willow hideaway might be a good idea, get some Willows whips
(young saplings) and plant them in a tent sized circle, don't forget a
door,
weave them into the sides and keep weaving as they grow so you eventually
end up with a willow house for them to play in. Hope that makes sense.

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars

"Suz" wrote in message
...
Something I always fancied as a kid: a den right inside a big blackberry
bush.

No-one knows you're in there, if they do they can't get you out without
getting seriously scratched, and you can eat it. What more could one
ask!

OK, it's not 'safe', it's not sensible, it's not clean or neat. But it
WOULD be cool...

Victoria

Funny how things take you right back to childhood. One of the things I
used to love when I was a child was when my mother would drive through big
puddles and make them splash up high. The other day I was out with my
nearly-4 yr old and after the showers spotted a huge puddle about 20 foot
long. I told her to watch out the window and splashed right through it.
A
long wall of water and a big whoosh appeared right outside her window.
She
turned to me and said with shining eyes. "COOL! That was COOL mummy". I
had to grin.

Back to the subject I spent many hours going round our back yard trying to
keep off the ground - clinging to nuts on a corrugated tin wall and
walking
on the render bit at the bottom, jumping from step to step outside cowshed
doors. At the entrance to the yard where it was much to wide to be able
to
jump across I kept on the line created by a strip of wood used when the
different areas of concrete were put down.

Anybody remember not stepping on the paving cracks? It was like a disease
when you started it.

Heavens YES!!!

"Brian" wrote in message
...
Can a child without a garden grow up with any memories of childhood?
There are really lovely stories above and all seem common to those who
had
gardens and some freedom and common sense.
My own childhood centred around the garden and I was encouraged to be
'plant friendly' rather than had any changes made to the extensive garden.
My nanny [sorry if that offends anyone] was strict, correct and most
loving. My first memory,holding on to her skirt, walking in the garden,
involved a number of lessons. Trailing a little behind I had gathered a
handful of seed pods and leaves. She never once looked round, but then she
had an eye in the bun at the back of her head! " Can I eat these" I said.
" Yes, of course you CAN~~~ but they will kill you, so you MAY not eat
them"
While still a toddler she prepared my very first little garden patch and
I
planted some 'seeds' including apple pips, acorn and popcorn!. First thing
the next morning I rushed to the plot and was broken hearted that not a
single flower had grown! She patiently explained that we had forgotten to
water them. Sure enough the very next morning any number of flowers had
grown~with their labels too. In consequence I was smitten and only
eventually understood what she had been doing after I was asleep!!
Looking back I found that her annual wage was much less than one day of
my
eventual earnings.
She remained with us and as she grew older became not a little
eccentric.
One morning she came down to breakfast, at a time when I was feeling very
grown up, and as she passed me, she looked behind my ear and accused me of
not having had a proper bath and said that she would give me a real bath
after the meal.
I objected and did manage to have my own way. I was twenty-seven!!
She died at 103 and shortly before, called me over to her bed and said
quietly " Closer, closer,~~ have you been to the toilet today?". I was a
grandparent and yet still her little boy!!
Best Wishes.

Wonderful memories for you)

Ophelia

"Brian" wrote in message
...
Can a child without a garden grow up with any memories of childhood?
There are really lovely stories above and all seem common to those who
had
gardens and some freedom and common sense.
My own childhood centred around the garden and I was encouraged to be
'plant friendly' rather than had any changes made to the extensive garden.
My nanny [sorry if that offends anyone] was strict, correct and most
loving. My first memory,holding on to her skirt, walking in the garden,
involved a number of lessons. Trailing a little behind I had gathered a
handful of seed pods and leaves. She never once looked round, but then she
had an eye in the bun at the back of her head! " Can I eat these" I said.
" Yes, of course you CAN~~~ but they will kill you, so you MAY not eat
them"
While still a toddler she prepared my very first little garden patch and
I
planted some 'seeds' including apple pips, acorn and popcorn!. First thing
the next morning I rushed to the plot and was broken hearted that not a
single flower had grown! She patiently explained that we had forgotten to
water them. Sure enough the very next morning any number of flowers had
grown~with their labels too. In consequence I was smitten and only
eventually understood what she had been doing after I was asleep!!

Calling in Ground Force with the contents of the local garden centre?

Looking back I found that her annual wage was much less than one day of
my
eventual earnings.
She remained with us and as she grew older became not a little
eccentric.
One morning she came down to breakfast, at a time when I was feeling very
grown up, and as she passed me, she looked behind my ear and accused me of
not having had a proper bath and said that she would give me a real bath
after the meal.
I objected and did manage to have my own way. I was twenty-seven!!

LOL!

UR Christopher Robin AICMR