In article , dave @ stejonda
writes
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.

Paving slabs is child friendly?
Round here they are digging them all up and replacing them by nice
'soft' bark. I should stick to grass if I were you!!

The only child 'friendly' garden I can think of is one that is flat and
covered with a deep layer of sponge:

- You can't have a slope because they might lose their balance and fall
over.

- You can't have any flowers because they attract bees that might sting.

- You can't have any plants of any sort because most plants seem to
have: poisonous, prickly or irritative properties.

- You can't have any trees because a child might climb one and fall out
of it.

- You can't have any structures or they might swing upside down on them,
fall off and split their skulls open.

- You can't have any soil because the neighbours' cats crap in it and a
child might eat it.

- You can't have a pond because they might fall in and drown.

- ad infinitum

And a child would hate a garden like that anyway

For heaven's sake, children like a wilderness that they can play cowboys
and indians in, and Robinson Crusoe and hide and seek and stuff like
that. Don't, what ever you do, make your garden 'safe' or your children
will never develop an instinct for danger. If it never hurts a child to
fall over, it will never develop a proper sense of balance. If they
never fall in a pond they will never learn that ponds are contain horrid
smelly water and contain creepy crawlies like leeches. If they never
climb a tree they will never learn the danger of heights!!!!!!!

When I think of some of the things I did as a child (including catching
snakes in Singapore) I go sweaty all over but I never suffered more than
a few cuts and bruises - children have more sense and resilience than we
give them credit for )
--
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