| When I was growing up, the metal jungle gym in our | | | | safety awareness and health studies, they're |
| backyard made ours the most popular play spot in | | | | designed with fun AND safety in mind. They often |
| the neighbourhood. Built of tubular steel in bright | | | | include horizontal ladders for climbing and swinging, |
| orange and yellow, it was a honeycombed hexagon | | | | slides, and bars for more intricate feats of balance |
| that provided days of climbing, swinging and acrobatic | | | | and swinging. They're the closest to the old monkey |
| fun. These days, the jungle gym is called a climbing | | | | bars and jungle gyms that we all grew up with. |
| frame, and it may be made of wood, metal or | | | | Made popular by such manufacturers as Playskool |
| plastic, but the fun factor remains the same. If you | | | | and Little Tikes, plastic climbing frames are made of |
| have young children, a climbing frame in the back | | | | high impact, sturdy plastic that can withstand |
| yard or garden can offer hours upon hours of fun | | | | weather and rugged use. Bright colors, rounded |
| recreation and activity. | | | | corners and clever designs make plastic climbing |
| Climbing frames come in a wide variety of sizes and | | | | frames the perfect choice for toddlers and small |
| configurations, and most are customizable with | | | | children. Generally closer to the ground, it often |
| add-ons and accessories. You can start with a simple | | | | features holes and tunnels for crawling and climbing, |
| ladder type climbing frame and add accessories like | | | | broad-based support for safety and slides with |
| platforms, ladders, rope climbers, tents, rope bridges | | | | rounded rails to prevent tumbles. |
| and more. One easy way to classify climbing frames | | | | Finally, there are hybrids - metal frames with wooden |
| is by materials used. | | | | structures or plastic components like crawling tunnels |
| Wooden climbing frames are generally more | | | | and climbing walls. These are most often found in |
| expensive than either plastic or metal framed | | | | public playgrounds, but there are some available to |
| climbers. Made of pressure-treated lumber, they use | | | | build in your backyard. They may be based on a |
| galvanized screws for fastening and often include | | | | metal frame with a wooden structure or canvas tent, |
| enclosures, platforms and rope climbing ladders. | | | | or have a plastic crawling/climbing tube up to a |
| Wooden climbing frames can last a lifetime if properly | | | | wooden platform. |
| cared for, and be used by generation after | | | | Considerations when buying a climbing frame for your |
| generation of children. Popular additions to wooden | | | | back yard or garden include the age of the children, |
| climbing frames are canopies, swings, rope climbers | | | | the amount of use it will get, aesthetic considerations |
| and platforms. | | | | and safety features. A well-constructed climbing |
| Perhaps you recall the swing sets of your childhood - | | | | frame, whatever the material, is one of the best |
| tubular metal in bright colors with swings and a slide, | | | | investments you can make for your family's |
| and perhaps a glider. Todays metal climbing frames | | | | recreation needs. |
| are the next generation. The product of increased | | | | |