Monday, April 18, 2011

Backyard Playgrounds 2011 - Spring and Summer Top 5 Picks for Kids

It's time to play outside again - and the top 5 backyard playgrounds 2011 are great collection of play sets that allow kids to burn off some steam in "the great outdoors" - or at least in "the great back yard."  =)

No matter what age group your kids might lie in, there is sure to be one among this list that would be a good pick (and if not there are additional choices toward the end of this page).

So - based on shopper/parent popularity this year, here they are:

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1. Step2 All Star Sports Climber

Ages: 2 to 8 years of age


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This appears to be the most popular playground for the backyard this year. The Step2 All Star Sports Climber is specifically designed for little ones as young as 2 years of age - styled with coordination practice and skills in mind.

Product Info:

* Teaches children to toss, shoot and kick on target at a young age
* Kids can keep score themselves with the built-in score keeper under the basketball hoop
* Fun rock wall gives your climbing toddlers a safe and easy challenge
* Includes an inflatable junior-sized football, basketball and soccer ball
* Maximum weight limit 60 lbs. (27.2 kg)

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2. Step2 Naturally Playful Lookout Treehouse

Ages: 18 months to 5 years old


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This was a borderline choice on my part - I couldn't decide on whether to call it a "playground" or not - but the gray area became clearer to me when I examined the features closely. It is a good choice for little ones, with safe and fun play.

Product Info:

* Sturdy tree house for young children
* Large 19" high platfolm
* "Shingled" roof for shaded play
* Periscope pivots 180 degrees
* Adult assembly required


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3. Step2 Clubhouse Climber Backyard Playground

Ages: 2 to 6 years old


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This is actually an excellent choice for young ones in 2011 and is my personal favorite for this age group. The Step2 Clubhouse Climber makes a great backyard playground with quite a number of features that make it just as fun as going to the park.

Product Info:

* Dual windows, skylight and rotating steering wheel
* Two slides for energetic fun
* Climbing ladder and sure grip hand rails assist young climbers
* Bridge connects to look-out tower
* Hide-out area underneath and crawl-thru tunnel


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4. Swing N Glide III Backyard Playground



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Here is a good choice in backyard playgrounds for a bit of an older age group, and also is more workable if you are on a tight budget. The Swing N Glide III is a classically designed play set.

Product Info:

6' Ivory Wave Slide with U.V. Protectorant to prevent fading -Air Glide Rider for 2 -2 Kid Comfort Swings with adjustable height vinyl coated 2/0 chain -Ivory & Blue Powder Coat painted steel tube frame with U.V. protectorant -Made in USA -Tri Lingual Assemby Manual -Up to 5 children can play on gym set at once

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5. Little Tikes Fold Away Climber Playground



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The Little Tikes Fold Away Climber is another good choice for the younger ages - providing a number of features that encourage coordination skills and early learning of sports.

Product Info:

* Features climbing wall and slide
* Features basketball hoop and soccer and hockey net
* Great for indoor or outdoor use for year round fun
* Easy up, easy down design folds for compact storage
* Includes a basketball


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There most certainly are additional choices among the top backyard playgrounds 2011 - including full-fledged wooden playsets with swings, slides and more. To take a look at the complete list this year, visit:

Top 10 Backyard Playgrounds 2011 - Squidoo Toys and Games

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Step2 Neat and Tidy Cottage for Kids and Where to Buy it Online

For the spring and summer months of the year (or any time it is warm outside), the Step2 Neat and Tidy playhouse is actually - per parents - a wonderful pick. It comes in at the top position of a list of the very best backyard play houses 2011.

This playhouse promotes clean-up activities (could there be a better “skill” to learn according to us parents?), and is also in general a high quality as well as entertaining choice for kids. This house even has its own working door bell and phone to help make playtime even more realistic. More features as well - this is a safe bet if you are searching to get a great backyard toy for little ones.

Here's exactly where I suggest to search for the Step2 Neat and Tidy Cottage:

Buy it at eBay.com auctions - At this resource you won’t come across a great quantity of online auctions, nevertheless , you will see some, and it's likely that you could still find it on eBay under retail price - sometimes likely quite a bit lower than retail, but you may need to continue to keep checking out the auctions to find one for a very low price. (Just make sure to check the seller’s rating before buying or placing a bid.)

Buy it at CSN Toys and Games Online - Here is another recent favorite site we discovered in relation to obtaining kids toys for a low cost. For this particular outside playhouse we found it for below some other retailers on the internet, and they've got an excellent collection of kids toys generally.

Recommended resource:

If you would like to check out other currently popular and high quality kids play houses for outdoors, here is where I recommend to check - Top 10 Outdoor Playhouses on Squidoo

Step2 Lookout Treehouse for Kids and Where to Buy it Online

The Step2 Lookout Treehouse comes in at the top of a wonderful list - the best outdoor playhouses 2011 with regard to level of popularity, and it will likely stay quite popular for a while.

This particular kids’ play house is a good toy that makes it a lot more enjoyable for little ones to enjoy being outside - it is a type of a little home as well as mini back yard play area in one. It has steps on one part and a slide on the other side, and is a great choice for kids as young as 1 1/2 years old (up to about age 5).

Here are my choices for purchasing this particular outdoor treehouse online:

Buy it at CSN Toys and Games Online - Here is where we found the best price for the treehouse in terms of individual merchants. (As a note, we have been seeing more and more of CSN specialty stores, and they are a great place to find just about anything you might want to shop for online!)

Buy it at Buy.com - This is another good place to check for this Naturally Playful outdoor playhouse - and there are other “Naturally Playful” choices there as well. We found it here for a good price.

Find it @ eBay - This is a more interesting place to buy this outdoor playset - there were not a huge number of auctions when we searched for it there (3 or 4), but it appears that it can (sometimes at least) be found for a lower price than anywhere else. It is possible that it can be found “gently used” (is there such a thing with toys that have been played with?) - for a much lower price.

If you're just checking this specific playhouse to compare it with a few alternatives, here is an additional place to check - regardless if you are shopping in the season of 2011 or later on:

Click here to find more great outdoor play houses for kids for the year

Monday, April 4, 2011

Top 5 Outdoor Playhouses 2011

It is springtime - time for kids to play outside!  And, with the top 5 outdoor playhouses 2011 it isn't hard for kids to have a great time along the lines of some extremely creative "lets pretend" games!  Play houses for kids have evolved into some fun playtime - as well as being a great choice for kids who have guests over to play.

For those little ones who like to play "cooking in the kitchen" just about every one of these is a good choice.  There are also playhouses that also act as playsets (having slides, etc.) as well as "community" playhouses that are ideal even when 7 or 8 children are playing together at the same time.

For this year of 2011, here are the best outdoor playhouses in terms of what parents are buying the most:

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1. Step2 Lookout Treehouse

Ages: 1 1/2 to 5 years old


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This is the "tip top" selling outdoor playhouse for 2011, and as it turns out, it is a "lookout" tree house that is also a little mini playground. =)

Product Info:

* Sturdy tree house for young children
* Large 19" high platfolm
* "Shingled" roof for shaded play
* Periscope pivots 180 degrees
* Adult assembly required


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2. Step2 Neat and Tidy Cottage Playhouse

Ages: 1 1/2 to 5 years old


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This little outdoor playhouse will have little ones playing cleanup in no time - and having a great time doing it! It also has a special "stay clean" floor and even has its own play phone and doorbell that actually work.

Product Info:

* Molded-in floor with integrated drain holes
* Molded-in kitchen table with faucet, burner, and two seats
* Working dutch door and shutters
* Electronic play phone and doorbell


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3. Little Tikes Tikes Town Outdoor Playhouse

Ages: 3 to 6 years old


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There are so many different functions (and thus many different "lets pretend" modes of play) with the Little Tikes Tikes Town outdoor playhouse that it is actually tough to play them all! If you are looking for an extremely creative and active play house for kids, this is an excellent choice.

Product Info:

* Four different walls with play features
* Sports wall with ball, Schoolhouse/Firehouse with table and chalkboard
* Gas Sataion wall includes a gas pumper
* Grocer Store/Bank wall has a drive up window


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4. Little Tikes Home and Garden Play House

Ages: 1 1/2 to 6 years old


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This playhouse has the concept of kids actually putting it together and figuring out how the parts fit together. It also has a surrounding "growing things" theme that can give kids some hands-on experience with growing plants.

Product Info:

The Home Garden Playhouse is the fun fixer-upper! Bring out the do-it-yourself skills in your kids! Kids will love helping to put this house together. They can build the fence and hang the flower box all by themselves!

* Kids will love helping to put this house together. They can build the fence and hang the flower box all by themselves!
* Includes pounding bench and toolbox, and a sand & water/planting play area.
* Kitchenette has pretend stove with clicker knobs and a faucet for imaginative play!
* Plant and grow real flowers in the flower box!
* Playhouse features an open design with a working door, mailbox with flag, and multiple play areas


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5. Step2 Sweetheart Outdoor Playhouse

Ages: 2 to 7 years old


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Do you have any sweethearts in the house? =)

This outdoor playhouse might be just the thing for little ones who love the color combinations and the heart detailing.

Product Info:

* Features a heart-shaped flower pot, full sized door, working shutters and skylight
* Inside features electronic cordless phone, clock with movable hands
* The range top flips over to become a grill with clicking knobs
* Electronic doorbell with realistic chime sound


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These are some wonderful choices for kids outdoor play this year, but there are more to choose from.

If you would like to check out more selection, here is a page that I recommend you see - it is updated for the current year and gives some great options on where to buy them online if you are shopping:

Top 10 Outdoor Playhouses - Squidoo Toys and Games