play it safe in the garden this summer (Health and Safety in General)

Name: Nanny Karen

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Product:	Health and Safety in General
Date:	20/07/02 (198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: free to play, care saves lives, have fun

Disadvantages: so many dangers

The sun seems to be shining longer and brighter so we take our children to the garden to play but please remember to take care to ensure all is safe and well.

A child's vivid imagination can turn any object into a toy or game whatever their surroundings. But with ponds, pesticides, prickly bushes and pests, it?s important your garden is a safe place.

Active play stimulates active minds so fill your garden with play equipment such as swings and slides ensuring that wooden equipment is splinter free.

Always build structures such as climbing frames on a soft surface, such as bark chip at least 15cm thick should provide adequate cushioning and protect against grazed knees.

Consider planting small to medium trees such as ornamental crab apples, the dwarfer flowering cherries or even multi-stemmed silver birch to help screen the play area and to prevent the neighbour's from feeling they are being spied on!

A shed will be essential for storing toys, bikes as well as your tools but always amake sure it is locked with all harmful products high on shelves out of the way.


Sandpits and paddling pools enable your children to get their hands dirty and be creative!
These are especially good for small gardens, as they can be covered and stored away in the event of bad weather or if the area is needed for something else. Ensure you use washed sand or play sand If you make a permanent sandpit this can later be made into a herb garden or raised bed.

Ponds can be a safety hazard but if you do have one, consider fixing mesh just below the waterline so that small hands cannot handle fish and minimise the risk of drowning should anyone fall in.

Always ensure that any playing area, particularly those involving water and sand, is situated close to the house and not shielded from view. And keep an eye on choldren at all times to ensure no accidents happen.

The garden lawn is the perfect s
urface for most ball games as it not only provides cushioning when children fall, but it can also be marked or mown in different directions to form specific zones or pitches.


Avoid plants that are poisonous such as Laburnum or can cause blisters and skin inflammation, such as Euphorbia.

Avoid trees and shrubs with thorns or spines, such as roses, which may injure small children. Choose a variety which has been developed without thorns, such as 'Congratulations', a rose-pink Hybrid Tea Rose which features an abundance of well-shaped blooms on long thorn-free shoots.

Plants such as Alyssum, Helianthus, Papaver and Chrysanthemum, attract wildlife including butterflies and birds which are a great source of interest and education for any age group.

A bird bath or feeding table will proved lots of entertainment as wella s education, but takle care to secure to prevent youngsters climbing them.

With careful choice of plants and clever garden design, your garden should stimulate your child's imagination without compromising their safety.

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