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Here is part two in our series on designing the perfect kids garden written by professional garden designer Helen Spry from Ezyplant. Helen is a mother of two very active boys and has been a domestic garden designer for 10 years. In this post Helen looks at equipment that can be added to a kids garden to encourage imagination, play, relaxation and exercise.  To see part one where Helen discusses matters relating to productive gardens, turf and paths for kids click here.
Trampolines provide hours of fun and physical activity and are available in a range of sizes.  Apart from the physical benefits they can also be used for reading and doing homework.  A quiet outdoor classroom provides a wonderful space for learning and can be helpful for remembering spelling words or math sums.  Jumping on a trampoline or bouncing a ball while saying the word/sum out loud can make all the difference in retaining information for some children.  Give it a try!
Sandpits provide a creative space and will guarantee hours of play.  The bigger the better especially if you are catering for more than one child.  Essentially a 3m X 3m size pit will allow 2 children to play happily.  If your garden allows, consider a huge pile of dirt for hours of fun digging, making mud pies and creating cities with roads and houses.  Continue reading →

Today’s first guest post, in a two-part series, is by domestic garden designer Helen Spry.  A mother of two very active boys, Helen has been a domestic garden designer for 10 years.  She operates a garden design consultancy business, Eco Garden Design Pty. Ltd., and an online garden planning website.  Greatly influenced by her great-grandfather and grandfather, who were both garden designers in their time, she has had the advantage of a lifetime of learning.  Her passion and immense interest in domestic design led her to establish Ezyplant.com.au, a D.I.Y. garden planning website for the home gardener.  
As parents we can struggle to balance our lives with the added pressure to keep a healthy balance in our children’s lives.  With technology so accessible, it can be an easy option at the end of a long day to give in to their requests.
Imagine coming home and having your children racing to get into the garden!  Here’s some important design elements you can incorporate into your garden to entice your children away from technology. Continue reading →