Play Fort

For a while, we've toyed with the idea of getting the kids a play fort for the back yard.  We decided to try to find one on craigslist used because they can be crazy expensive to buy new.  Around Labor Day I found one that needed a little work and was also already taken apart.  (In fact, they had moved and moved the whole thing with them--sounds nuts to me!)  So, the good news about having one that's already taken apart is that you don't have to spend the time and energy to take it apart.  The bad news is that it's already taken apart.  I had a few pictures the guy sent me via email to go by, so it took a two good weekends (and some evenings) to get it put together enough to actually play on, which I'm sure drove the kids nuts.

But now it's together.  The old setup had monkey bars with swings hanging off of it, but the wooden rungs had all rotted, as well as most of the framing.  Plus it would be way too high for Sophie to use as monkey bars.  So I made some new monkey bars next to the slide.  I still need to add an A-frame and beam for swings on the far side (under the shade of the pine tree).

Sophie LOVES the monkey bars.  I put them about 15" higher than her reach, so it's lower to her than jumping off our couch.   Since she learned how to do them this spring (and broke her arm), she's been trying to work her courage back up to do them at school and at the park, but always wants me to hold her.  These she can do by herself and she does them over and over.  She already has multiple calluses on her palms, and the monkey bars have only been finished for just about 2 weeks.  (the grass underneath them is suffering, too.  Hopefully we don't have a mud pit there all winter).

It also keeps the kids more in our backyard (we have the back fence open to 2 other neighbors) and we can see it from the back kitchen window.

Here's some before, during, and after pics.