06 Nov, 2009
Christmas gift idea #1: embrace your trees
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Oh! Things!
Halloween is over so it’s legal to start thinking about Christmas gifts.
My Christmas shopping motto for 2009 is this: Fewer gifts, thoughtful gifts.
Say it with me now: Fewer gifts, thoughtful gifts.
Since the Fewer gifts, thoughtful gifts way of the shopping requires a bit of planning, I thought I’d share a few gift ideas in the coming weeks based on some of our favourite playthings here at Casa Fishbowl. You game?
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I’ve always wanted a treehouse, or at least a really really cool fort. I’m not talking about temporary structures made of blankets and clothespins, I’m talking about a permanent kid-friendly shelter with a roof and a door, and maybe a window with shutters and curtains and a window box.
When the kids came on the scene my own desire for a tree house became my desire for them (funny how that happens). I’ve always wanted to build the girls a fantastic tree house but the money for a really great one (and I couldn’t have anything less than great) has never materialized.
We don’t have swings or slides here at Casa Fishbowl either, but we do have a yard. And some trees. We love our trees.
When I was a kid I used to talk to the trees, even hug them on occasion. I always thought of them as living, breathing giants, silently watching everything that goes on around them, like long-standing members of extended family.
I think it’s good to be close to the trees in our lives and we should encourage a relationship with them. There’s no better way to do this than get outside and make them part of our playtime.
For the youngest children you can pick up a swing at almost any toy store. (Just make sure you attach it safely and in a way that doesn’t damage the tree.)
You can also make one yourself.
- Here’s some DIY tire swing info on the Martha Stewart website
- Here’s another page about building your own wooden swing (the kind you’d suspend from a sturdy branch)
- Or if you prefer, Ikea has a swing that’s ready to hang – and Amazon has some too
Swings are great for kids of all ages but I have always liked the idea of the climbing ladder too, especially for people (like us) who don’t have the kind of tree that will accommodate a swing.
The Fishbowl girls spend an awful lot of time in the trees. You’d think they were half-monkey or something. That’s why I had been on the lookout for a climbing ladder. I even considered making one, but then I saw one at the Richmond Road location of Mrs. Tiggywinkles. Here it is:
It not exactly easy to climb, mainly because it swings wildly out from under you as you go. But this makes getting to the top an extremely satisfying achievement which requires a surprising degree of muscle.
This was a very worthwhile purchase and would make a great gift for the monkey in your family too.
And for the oldest kids and grownups? There’s a company out in Wakefield called Wild Adventures that co-ordinates tree climbing tours. You get to climb a big ol’ tree while tethered and under proper professional supervision. There was a great article about it in the Globe and Mail.
I’d say that is a gift worth giving!*
* Mark doesn’t agree with giving gifts you can’t use right away. I guess this would fall under that category, but I don’t think it matters. What do you think?
