A few well positioned play logs or stumps add endless physical and imaginative play possibilities to your back yard:

Late last fall, my Dad, who has been in the tree business all his life, cut down a couple of massive Maple Trees for his next door neighbour. Now, I have to tell you that this was no small feat. My Dad is in his 70′s (his SEVENTIES!!), and there he was 70 feet high in these towering Maples, spurs on, ropes tethered, chainsaw roaring, dropping huge limbs and branches like he was a man half his age.

My Dad is honestly the most amazing man I know.

Dad admitted that this job was a bit much at his age, and that he wouldn’t take on anymore of this size.  I’d been pining play logs for a while, and knowing that this would his last big job, I asked him if he would set aside a few pieces of the trunk for me and the hooligans.  Being that it was so late in the fall, we agreed that he would just hang onto them until I was ready for them in the Spring.

My parents live just a couple of blocks away from me, and one night a couple of weeks ago, Dad pulled into the driveway with my logs in the back of his truck.  I was so excited, you’d have thought he was delivering bars of gold.

He and my oldest son used a fridge cart to move these 4 beautiful beasts into the backyard, and the following afternoon, on my day off, I got to work positioning them in the back corner of the yard, where we hooligans spend a great deal of our outside time.

To incorporate them into the area that most of the pretend play happens in, I positioned all 4 play logs beside the sandbox and playhouse. Three of the logs I placed upright and far enough apart that the hooligans would have to challenge themselves to step from one to another,

but close enough together that they could use them as a gathering spot to sit and chat, concoct great plans, and tell secrets.

The 4th log, I placed on its side to add a little variation to the set up. This one is the biggest hit with the jumpers.

To stabilize the logs, I dug down into the soil a little and tossed in a little sand before positioning the logs for good. I stood on top of each one, rocking it back and forth, and making adjustments until the logs were completely stable. and there was no fear of a log rolling or toppling under the weight of the children.

Once all the logs were in place, I set out a few of our outdoor kitchen items; just enough to spark the imagination, and this is what the hooligans discovered when they arrived the following day. I love how magical and inviting it looks. Rather Alice in Wonderland, don’t you think?

If you ever have an opportunity to score a couple of logs for your own backyard, jump at it! There are so many benefits to having a few of these in your outdoor play space.

They provide children with a natural place to climb and jump, and they help to develop gross motor functions.  Balance, co-ordination and decision-making skills all come into play when a child decides to take a step from one log to the next, and without knowing it, they take depth, distance, risk and their own abilities into consideration every time they climb up or jump down from one of the logs.

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A log can also provide a place for a child to exercise his or her imagination and creativity:

One moment it’s a stage on which to perform,

and the next, it’s an instrument for making music.

Ours are most often used as an extension to our play kitchen, 

and as tabletops for sorting “tools” and treasures on.

I can say without a doubt that our play logs have been one of the best backyard additions yet.

In the weeks to come, I’ll be following up several more posts, in what I’m calling my “Backyard Series”.  I’m really looking forward to sharing them with you, and passing along more simple ideas for creating a natural and inviting play space in your own backyard.

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See you there!