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The "Swing Monkey" was designed by Playground Ideas intern Tyler Sall. It was inspired by a childhood memory. In an email, Tyler writes, "the original idea was meant to be like the palm fronds my brother and I used to swing on when we were little (in Panama) they'd hang down off of really tall […]

For years we've been on a quest to find the perfect slide design. We think we just may have found it. Check out this little video of our journey to create what is, to the best of our knowledge, the world's first brick and floor tile slide: This was our first model, built last year […]

  The "Sports Pole" will allow many children to interact with each other in a friendly competition. Playing sports is a great way to aid children in the development of their social skills as well as their mental and physical skills.   Follow the link to get the step-by-step instructions for building your own “Sports […]

  This climbing frame can be built on its own or it can be attached next to a two story cubby to function as a ladder. This rope net “ladder” provides a more challenging way to reach the cubby. The play structure creates two different types of play in one set: one for more active […]

  The "Half Tire Circle" is a simple build and all you need are tires. It's a great element that allows children to jump and leap as they develop coordination and balancing skills. Follow the link to get the step-by-step instructions for building your own “Half Tire Cirlce.”(Note: must create a free user account to […]

  This element brings the garden to eye level for up close observation and full sensory play. Small children will love digging, planting, watering, bug catching, or building small worlds within the plants from leaves and twigs. It's great to include fragrant flowers and plants or ones with interesting textures, like sage or lamb's ears.The […]

The "Swing Truck Tire Hammock" is one of our tried and true, very favorite designs. It is perfect for preschool age children and is best placed in a quiet, shady area for daydreaming, gently swaying, napping, or chatting with friends. Placed near a book station, it would also work well as an outdoor reading spot. […]

The "Triple Shrimp" is a fun swirly-gig of tires kids will love leaping over, jumping off, or burrowing under. Check out this variationKathleen Paananen built during her Peace Corps term in Thailand. Follow the link to get the step-by-step instructions for building your own “Triple Shrimp."(Note: must create a free user account to see full […]

The "Concrete Cubby" first came to life during Playground Ideas' early years on the Thai/Burma border. In that area, pre-made concrete rings were available in every hardware district for next to nothing. This element was designed to make use of this resource by crafting a stacked ring cubby house topped by a timber platform. If […]

The "Caterpillar Bridge" is a flexible playground element. The bridge can be built in any length or shape. While caterpillar bridge is a climbable element, it can also function as a tool to help organize the playground. As organizational equipment, it can be used to bridge between two or more different play elements, or it […]

Did you catch ourpost yesterday on the “Maxi Tunnel with Tractor Circle Seat”?It’s a great design if you have lots of massive, tractor tires. But more often than not, you’re only able to get your hands on a few of these giants. If you are so lucky, consider the “Tractor Maxi Seat,” a simple design […]

Marcus Veerman, Playground Ideas founder, was all set to begin a play space build in Davos, Philippines. The community had been consulted, design drafted, and materials ordered. They were just awaiting the arrival of 60 donated car tires before they could begin construction. But when the load arrived, Marcus was met with a surprise. Instead […]