garden--grass or hard

[mushpea]

at the moment we have a small patio area and a larger patch of grass for the children to play on , the grass is fenced of so the dog cant go on it. in the winter spring and autumn its always so muddy and yuck on the grass the kids cant go on it and get to the play shed, we were thinking of getting the artifical grass but as we also have rabbits who can access the grass i was concerend about them digging, chewing and pooing on it! so now i am thinking of block paving the whole garden.
i just wonded how ofsted would view not having a gras area and how those of you with only hard areas get on with things like paddling pools and play tents as i normaly put them on the grass so they are softer to sit in, would these things be ok on a hard surface?

[Ripeberry]

Might be worth investing in some 'playmats' that are padded and link together. I use those for our paddling pool as it is on a patio and it's to stop sharp stones puncturing it.

[sandy64]

goodmorning i use to have a lawn but like you could only use it when dry so stripped it away and flagged it best thing i could of done as we use it all year round when i have slide paddling pool or evan babies i put lots of the soft mats down ofsted saw the children out playing and didnt say anything as they like you being out providing you r.a you will be fine i do have small area of false grass where play house is but i dont have rabbits, plus after a messy play you can hose flags down. hope this helps.

[Mouse]

My aim is to pave the whole of the mindees' grassed area so we don't have to put up with muddy grass through the winter.

A cm friend from a few years ago had a totally paved area. She had mats, cushions, bean bags etc for the children to sit on & none of them ever complained about it being too hard. It was great because they could go out all year round without a second thought.

I don't see that Ofsted would object to there being no grass. And if you want to give the children chance to play on grass, you could always take them to a park.

[estrelas]

I only have a paved area too
My back garden is out of bounds

We spend more time at the park opposite tho and use the paved area more for things like mark making and ride ons

[sarah707]

I have 3 areas - paved patio which is covered for all year access; barked area for little ones; grass which gets really boggy.

I find that most children will stay off the grass if I explain to them that it is muddy etc and we do love the grass in the summer.

I imagine bean bags and cushions would work just as well though, so long as you have a natural bit too for mini beast hunting / planting etc.

:D

[mushpea]

oh thanks i feel much happier about doing this now, i hadnt thought of the chalk marking and they will have much more room for the ride ons as my OH wont allow them on the grass cause they 'churn it up'!
like the idea of the mats and bean bags, can you buy bean bags that are just for out doors or do you use any and just bring them in?

[onceinabluemoon]

I have the same problem and am going through the same dilemma at the moment.

Our tiny grassed area has been completely ruined by tons of little feet running all over it when it's been wet/snowy so now we're left with a mud bath rather than a garden.

My plan was to pave the grassy bit and to leave a wide border with shrubs plants etc in around the outside. I cannot stand not having the garden to use at the moment...

[chel]

i have a large gravelled area that we are about to change, im having some quotes done for artificial grass as it isnt a huge area

[Mouse]

oh thanks i feel much happier about doing this now, i hadnt thought of the chalk marking and they will have much more room for the ride ons as my OH wont allow them on the grass cause they 'churn it up'!
like the idea of the mats and bean bags, can you buy bean bags that are just for out doors or do you use any and just bring them in?

I'm buying these with my grant. I won't leave them out all the time, but I thin they'll be better than normal cushions.

http://www.tts-group.co.uk/Product.aspx?cref=TTSPR1195399

[sweets]

i have a mixture of patio and grass. the children stay off the grass if its really wet, mine does drain quite well though.

to me a garden isnt a garden without grass!

[MrsT333]

I'm buying these with my grant. I won't leave them out all the time, but I thin they'll be better than normal cushions.

http://www.tts-group.co.uk/Product.aspx?cref=TTSPR1195399

Those look great! bit pricey though.
I am going to have 1/2 grass & 1/2 paved when we do our garden this spring. we have only been here 5 mths so our back garden is like a blank canvas! cant wait to start planning it! :clapping:

[Twinkles]

I just wonder about the environmental impact of having no grass. Wildlife , insects, water levels ?

[Mouse]

I just wonder about the environmental impact of having no grass. Wildlife , insects, water levels ?

We have a big garden, with one section fenced off for the mindees. That's the area I would like fully paved.
The rest of the garden is grass & we have a fab 'wild' area. It's overgrown, full of wild plants & creepy crawlies. And the whole garden is surrounded by trees.
Despite living in a city we have a garden full of birds & insects. We also have frogs, squirrels, foxes & hedgehogs as regular visitors.

So I suppose I wouldn't really go for a totally paved garden, just the mindees bit :thumbsup:

[Twinkles]

We have a big garden, with one section fenced off for the mindees. That's the area I would like fully paved.
The rest of the garden is grass & we have a fab 'wild' area. It's overgrown, full of wild plants & creepy crawlies. And the whole garden is surrounded by trees.
Despite living in a city we have a garden full of birds & insects. We also have frogs, squirrels, foxes & hedgehogs as regular visitors.

So I suppose I wouldn't really go for a totally paved garden, just the mindees bit :thumbsup:

That's lovely , you are lucky to have such a large garden. I just think in terms of my small plot, lol.
In that case a paved area for the mindees would be great :thumbsup:

[thinkfun]

Like you we had the same problem and couldn’t use the grass area for months at a time unless the children wore all-in-one waterproof, everything ended up covered in mud. Spent a long time trying to decide whether to pave the whole garden or not. In the end we used artificial grass as I like to be able to look out of the window and see greenery, it was the best decision we ever made, the children love it and all wanted their parents to do the same at home. We also have a rabbit, we just keep her on the patio and grow trays of grass for her, and children enjoy helping to grow the grass.

Artificial grass is very easy to take care of, just needs to be swept every now and then and if it gets dirty you can just hose it down. It’s also free draining.

[Tink]

This is something I want to improve.

My garden is horrible.

Concrete just outside the door and a concrete path and the rest is grass and a small garden area.

My plan; is to deck the top concrete bit, get rid of the rest and have soft play.

Like you say the children can never go on th grass as it's always so muddy.
Just need some pennies:thumbsup:

[mushpea]

I just wonder about the environmental impact of having no grass. Wildlife , insects, water levels ?

A fair comment, we are hoping to get an allotment soon, apprently i am next on the list so that will ofset it a bit and also we grow lots of veg and fruit in our front garden which is also brick paved but this is the 'growing' area, i think you have to way up wildlife etc against the welfare of the children ie fresh air , excersise etc, i teach them about the wildlife and recycling etc and its somthing big to me, we regaurly go for walks in the woods and parks etc.

[haribo]

just to add -if you did go for the artificial grass it would be rabbit proof as its also used for dog runs so can withstand digging etc although they would get confused if they tried to eat it :laughing: if an animal poos on it you can pick it up and the rain washes through as its backed with drainage holes .you can also bleach it . ive never looked back since having my small patch done its like having an extra room :clapping: