Outdoor garden games are for kids - or so I thought. I've always enjoyed sitting out in the garden when the weather decides to be pleasant and pretend it's summer. My children enjoy the garden too, but tend to either run around trampling all my flowers, or sit on the lawn playing with their mobiles. However, in true family spirit I have revived our garden and our family with a selection of games equipment!
I'm well aware that over the years there are plenty of outdoor garden games we could have played - football and rugby perhaps, with a little cricket or volleyball thrown in for good measure. But the trouble is that these games require more room than my garden can offer. Many people have the same problem, and the solution is either not to play these games, play them in reduced form or let the kids go off to the park whilst you sit contemplating the joys of having a family around you.
I was determined not to accept the idea of seeing my kids become extensions of their mobile phones, or disappearing off to the park to play. I wanted us to play family games in the family garden - and so set off to buy a few outdoor garden games. I was astonished not just at the range, but in many cases the quality. I found a beautiful skittles set made entirely from wood, and a quoits set made from wood and high quality rope - cotton, not nylon.
I wasn't going to admit to my children that I had never played quoits before. Foolishly I bragged that I was something of an expert - an overstatement clearly revealed after my first throw landed in the begonias. The kids became very competitive, and actually got rather good at it. We spend ages hurling our quoits at the hoops, and had many laughs.
I was delighted to come across a variety of other outdoor garden games - ones I would never have thought suitable for the garden. Take chess for example - a typical indoor board game for two players. However, with a gigantic six foot board and pieces as large as a skittle we had the whole family gathered around the board, walking across it and exploring possible moves. It actually made for a really good team game, getting us all up out of our seats and joining together as a family, without working up a sweat in the heat.
The range of outdoor garden games is really quite surprising, with so many games I would simply not have even considered - such as dominoes for example. With this version each domino was about the size of a shoebox, and the resulting game posed some particular challenges as the layout of the garden offered its own restrictions on positioning! What really struck me was just how simple it really was to get the whole family involved, playing together, rather than sitting in silence ignoring each other.
With several of the games being inflatable it meant that they took up almost no room in the shed, so storage wasn't a problem. All of the games came with racks, boxes or methods for packing them away easily - and what was really good was that they are easily portable. We've taken to carrying one or two with us on picnics, and often end up gathering interest from others as we fight out a game of draughts together after our cheese sandwiches!
If you're interested in purchasing some outdoor garden games yourself I'd highly recommend the site I went to - Cleverclicker.co.uk. They have an excellent range, and offer free delivery. When you consider that many of these games are solid wood, that not only represents great value but convenience too. You'll certainly be delighted with your games, and will, like me, rediscover the delights of your garden.
I'm well aware that over the years there are plenty of outdoor garden games we could have played - football and rugby perhaps, with a little cricket or volleyball thrown in for good measure. But the trouble is that these games require more room than my garden can offer. Many people have the same problem, and the solution is either not to play these games, play them in reduced form or let the kids go off to the park whilst you sit contemplating the joys of having a family around you.
I was determined not to accept the idea of seeing my kids become extensions of their mobile phones, or disappearing off to the park to play. I wanted us to play family games in the family garden - and so set off to buy a few outdoor garden games. I was astonished not just at the range, but in many cases the quality. I found a beautiful skittles set made entirely from wood, and a quoits set made from wood and high quality rope - cotton, not nylon.
I wasn't going to admit to my children that I had never played quoits before. Foolishly I bragged that I was something of an expert - an overstatement clearly revealed after my first throw landed in the begonias. The kids became very competitive, and actually got rather good at it. We spend ages hurling our quoits at the hoops, and had many laughs.
I was delighted to come across a variety of other outdoor garden games - ones I would never have thought suitable for the garden. Take chess for example - a typical indoor board game for two players. However, with a gigantic six foot board and pieces as large as a skittle we had the whole family gathered around the board, walking across it and exploring possible moves. It actually made for a really good team game, getting us all up out of our seats and joining together as a family, without working up a sweat in the heat.
The range of outdoor garden games is really quite surprising, with so many games I would simply not have even considered - such as dominoes for example. With this version each domino was about the size of a shoebox, and the resulting game posed some particular challenges as the layout of the garden offered its own restrictions on positioning! What really struck me was just how simple it really was to get the whole family involved, playing together, rather than sitting in silence ignoring each other.
With several of the games being inflatable it meant that they took up almost no room in the shed, so storage wasn't a problem. All of the games came with racks, boxes or methods for packing them away easily - and what was really good was that they are easily portable. We've taken to carrying one or two with us on picnics, and often end up gathering interest from others as we fight out a game of draughts together after our cheese sandwiches!
If you're interested in purchasing some outdoor garden games yourself I'd highly recommend the site I went to - Cleverclicker.co.uk. They have an excellent range, and offer free delivery. When you consider that many of these games are solid wood, that not only represents great value but convenience too. You'll certainly be delighted with your games, and will, like me, rediscover the delights of your garden.
About the Author:
The great weather is here and everyone wants to eat and play outdoors. So if you are searching for some all purpose traditional garden games, then take a look at cleverclicker.co.uk. They have a wide range of childrens outdoor games from skittles, to chess, to football and volleyball. In fact there is something for the whole family and if you spend more that 50, they deliver free.
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