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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jon Lyons / Rex Features (573026a) Children playing on a roundabout CHILDREN PLAYING IN PLAYGROUND – 1950S

Train a tree for free: How to make a cordon; espalier; fan; stepover and more! This is plant-a-tree season. There's no better time to get those roots down into the soil so they can establish while there's still some warmth in the ground. You can buy mature trees if you wish. But if you can be a little patient it's usually better to plant a young specimen. It will establish quickly - what's more, you can train it to the shape you desire. ‍ These Prunus have been grown as tiny saplings and trained around a wire frame to achieve the desired 'tree people'! Minor grafts were used where necessary and these bonded very quickly onto the young wood. Take fruit trees, for example. There's a range of shapes that can be achieved if the tree is trained when young. The resulting tree will fit into even a small space, allowing people with a tiny garden or courtyard to enjoy fruit-bearing stems. A fan shape is suitable for a wide range of fruit trees and even fruit bushes. Apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, almonds, cherries, figs, gooseberries and redcurrants can be trained against a wall or fence in a fan shape. Easy to harvest, great to look at - what's not to love? ‍ It's simple to train a young fruit tree. The new shoots just need tying into the most appropriate positions such as a fan. It has a flat back and can sit comfortably against a wall or fence. ‍ You can buy young fruit trees already trained and held into place using a simple frame. This one's a cherry. The ultimate size depends on the type of tree - but also the rootstock. It's always wise to check what rootstock your fruit tree has been grafted onto. Apples have the widest range of rootstocks available (they normally have a prefix of M or MM, plus a number). The smallest rootstocks are M27 but for a fan shaped apple or pear, for example, the most appropriate is M26 (semi-dwarfing, MM106 or MM111. Which shape makes the best use of space? Probably a cordon. What's more, a cordon fruit tree should produce a crop when the tree is still very young - perhaps in the second summer. A cordon tree just needs to have its main stem secured at an angle of around 45 degrees. All its lateral (side) shoots should be pruned to about three buds from the main stem. It is these that will bear fruit. Simple or what? ‍ It's the lateral, or side, shoots on a cordon that will bear the fruit. This is so simple to achieve if you plant a young fruit tree - it is highly suitable for apples and pears. ‍ A double cordon style of pruning, where two stems are trained at 45 degree angles, produces this wonderful diamond shape. A row of pears or apples trained in this way makes a beautiful architectural statement - and it's productive too. Another useful shape is Espalier. This is probably the most common. it has several horizontal tiers which are spaced at around 45cm apart. Many different fruit trees can be grown as an espalier including apples, pears, medlars, even mulberries. ‍ It's easy to train a young tree into an espalier. Create the initial shape during autumn and winter - just select appropriate lateral (side) shoots and train them into at least a 45 degree angle from the main stem. Prune off any stems that don't fit into the desired shape. As the tree gets used to its position, these side shoots can be lowered to horizontal, and secured. As the tree grows in the spring you will need to repeat the process, selecting appropriate lateral shoots until all tiers (typically four) are completed. At this point the leader can be pruned. ‍ These espalier-trained pear trees take up hardly any space. They can be easily trained against a wall or fence and the fruit can be collected with ease. What's more, with some twice-yearly pruning they are easy to maintain and it's simpler to keep pests at bay. So you get beauty; structure and more fruit. If you want to create a low edge to a bed or even a partial partition in the garden, consider a 'step-over' fruit tree. It is really only suitable for apples which have been grafted onto the most dwarfing rootstock (M27). Space your step-over apples at around 1.5m centres. ‍ Need an edge to a bed? A step-over pruned tree is basically a single tier espalier or you might consider it as a horizontal cordon. Just train the lateral shoots out to each side and tie them to a cane at a 45 degree angle. The central stem can be removed during spring or summer. Then lower the side shoots to horizontal and keep the shape by pruning off the laterals. ‍ Want an apple tree that is unobtrusive? A stepover tree can act as a boundary to a bed, a pathway or even a garden division. It's grafted onto the very smallest dwarfing rootstock and can be very successful. Have some fun with trees! There's so much you can do with young trees. Willow in particular is highly suitable for forming into living willow structures, using varieties such as Salix alba var. vitellina; Salix daphnoides; Salix alba var. vitellina 'Britzensis', Salix viminalis and more. Living structures for a garden can be formed to create secret dens; archways; an arbour; a dividing screen; a chair or a little house. The only thing you need to bear in mind is that the plant you use must like being pruned! ‍ There is plenty of fun to be found in training trees! This willow seat (Salix) has been formed by training a young tree against a metal frame. Once the shape has formed, the frame can be taken away. The top of the tree will grow as normal! ‍ Salix, or willow, is one of the easiest of trees to train into shapes. This 'moon hole' makes you want to explore the woods! The young stems of willow are easily bent into shape - but you will need to plant the young whips in late autumn through to early spring so they have a chance to root before the dry weather. ‍ A shady seat for two. Living willow makes a great feature and it's relatively easy to keep its shape by pruning regularly.

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What Is a Sensory Garden? A sensory garden is a garden that has a collection of plants that are appealing to one or more of the five senses; sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. Sensory gardens s…

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The Duchess of Cambridge paid tribute to her own parents as she spoke about the 'crucial' role grandparents play in raising children in a speech at the opening of her garden at RHS Wisley.

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Our local nature center just opened a new play space with a Fairy Grove theme. They had a Fairy and Gnome celebration to kick off the grand opening and I am SO glad that Lydia and I went. We explored a little bit of the nature center, like the butterfly pavilion, but mostly we hung out in these round igloo structures made from sticks (stickloos?) They had large openings for doors, small round openings for windows and were all natural found materials. I want a stickloo or two in my yard! The play space is completely shaded, wooded, hillside. Some areas are covered in ivy with only tiny paths between the hilly mounds, but what a great place for a kid to explore. Lydia loved the stepping stone path made out of tree stumps. That May or may not be video of Lydia the Fairy in action at Ijams Nature Center. Fingers crossed for a sucessful upload!

Growing a willow den or playhouse for your child is easier than you might think. This article will guide you through the process and show you how you can even get your children involved.

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Toddler Playscape Cherokee Tribal Childcare Center – Cherokee, NC Cultural Inspiration Here we created both a small protected infant area and a large free-flowing toddler “discovery” park. Many features were added to introduce the traditional Cherokee culture to the children including elements of mythology, traditional building techniques, sculpture, traditional plants and symbols. The tricycle track is...

Last winter was a dry one here in Seattle, mild and dry with more sunny days than we're accustomed to seeing here in the Pacific Northwest. It was pleasant, but I for one am glad that we're back to normal this year as the atmospheric rivers have returned to their proper course, alternatively dousing and dribbling on us, filling our water reservoirs to overflowing and building up snow pack in the mountains that provide us with plenty when the dryer summer months return. They say that wars of tomorrow will be fought over water: I reckon I live on a future battle field. If you've read here for any length of time, you know that I have many bones to pick with how our public schools do business, but in all honesty, the thing that provides the sharpest burr under my saddle is how they deal with rain. I mean, more often than not, when it's rainy, and it's pretty much always been rainy for weeks now, the kids stay indoors for what's called "rainy day recess." And when they do go out in the damp, the kids are commanded to stay out of the puddles. In fact, a couple years back the mother of a former student sent me pictures of a magnificent puddle that had formed at her son's school. She said that the kids spent their recess standing outside of a line of caution tape watching the custodian try to sweep it away. That is a special kind of crazy. In contrast, we play with a lot of water at Woodland Park, going through a hundred gallons or so a day, most of which flows through our cast iron water pump and down through the sand of our two level sand pit, even when it's dumping from the sky. I know this sounds decadent to those of you who live in water challenged parts of the world, but, you know, I'm sure you have things aplenty that we would covet. Still, I recognize how lucky we are and have no problem living with the 9-10 months a year of cloud cover that is the price we pay for living in one of the greenest places on earth. Children never tire of playing in and with water: experimenting with it, studying it, attempting to control it, splashing in it, feeling it soak through their pants or shoes or sweaters. Perhaps the most popular fashion accessories, after rubber boots, are what we call "Muddy Buddies," light-weight, full-body rain suits that cover the kids from head to toe. I see it as one of my special missions as a preschool teacher to spend as much time in the rain as possible. I mean, after all, we all know how important it is for all of us, and especially children, to be outdoors. If we don't play in the rain, we don't play outdoors at all. I once met an educator from the Reggio Emilia region of Italy who was touring our area. She said to me, "All the preschools here say they are Reggio Emilia. How can they be Reggio Emilia in Seattle? Why can't you be Seattle preschools?" Well, rain and mud are Seattle, which is why they are a central element of what we learn about through our play. Most of our rain comes in the form of misty drizzle, but last week we played in torrential rain, the kind that feels as if someone is dumping buckets of water on your head. A magnificent puddle formed at the bottom of the sand pit. There was no caution tape or custodians and when there were breaks in the rain, the kids kept it full with the pump. I put a lot of time and effort into this blog. If you'd like to support me please consider a small contribution to the cause. Thank you! -->

By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I love loose parts. I love playing with loose parts and sharing loose parts with other educators. My hope is when adults mess about with loose parts that there will be…

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After writing an article for Landscape Middle East in April about Adventure Playgrounds, I have to admit I am obsessed. I find I am looking at nearly every American version of play with irritated disgust and am trying to figure out how I might integrate myself into a movement that will help bring more of […]

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A recent blog post at Londonist describes “Five London Nursery Rhymes Depicting Death and Ruin.” The rhymes in question have diverse origins and histories, but what seems incontrovertible from James FitzGerald’s work is that they describe dark and portentous matters from English history. Or do they? Looking closely at these rhymes, and at scholarship …

2x4 Xylophone: I copied this from the children's museum that we take my daughter to. It consists of 3 2x4x8' kiln dried (don't use pressure treated... bad for kids), about 15' of rope, some staples and a wooden dowel. The total cost is und…

My name is Jules and I am a mama to three sweet little beauties, I am a wife to a wonderful man, and I am a few other things too. I love to garden, craft, knit, quilt, and do just about anything creative. It feeds my soul. This space is my creative outlet to share our family projects, the wondrous and the messy. So come and join me as we explore life, love, and family! I'm happy you stopped by to visit!

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Build a sunflower fort, a pizza garden, a pole bean teepee fort or create fun children's garden design ideas. Create fairytale garden with fairy wands

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Normally rock fountains are constructed in accordance with their size, but one must select the space after thinking about the noise the fountains will make. A pond is merely a hole full of water. The Liner Every pond wants a liner.

When it comes to nature play, sticks are some of my favorite toys – not the least because they’re free and extremely versatile. What may just look like a typical stick to an adult can immediately be transformed to a sword, fairy wand or ladle in the hands of a child. Sticks are also great...