The Ultimate Covered Outdoor Kid Zone
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When building our house we focused heavily on the kid spaces. The truth is the more areas they have to escape to the less time they’re spending in front of the T.V. or asking for a snack to feed their boredom. That is ultimately something very important to me. I think the less time kids are in front of a screen the more time they have to use their imaginations! Giving our kids an outdoor kid zone to foster independence and a love of the outdoors was my goal. This is how the idea of a covered outdoor kid zone was born. It was meant to be a place where our kids could escape to at any point in the day to play and get some fresh air (all while doing so in a safe place!) After dreaming this space up I look forward to creating it and I believe this is the ultimate outdoor kid zone that will get used often and for many years to come!
While I did focus heavily on the kid zones in this home, I also made sure each “kid zone” was a space they could grow with and could be transitioned with in time. Each space in our home can start out as a “kid zone” now then transform to a “teen zone” and then ultimately an adult multi-use space down the road. So, when I came up with this idea specifically I wanted to make sure it could be a space we would always find useful beyond the childhood years. The goal never wavers, it will always be an outside safe haven. With that said, this space can easily transform into a tanning outdoor lounge area with sun beds or a putting green (as it will already have the holes built in to the turf) that any resident of the home can appreciate!
Every Kid Zone in our home will have multi-purposes. As I spoke previously about the playroom’s-under the stairs playhouse – concept in our First Look post. This space to can grow with our kids and can also be used for a reading nook or library in the future. So, don’t be scared to go all out for the kids now because these spaces can be used later in their life as well!
Kid Zone Concept:
The original idea was to have a space where the kids could play safely and independently with their outdoor toys but in a somewhat controlled environment of being screened in. The spot I chose for this is behind a media wall we have for our outdoor T.V/ I chose this area because the wall creates privacy AND blocks the children’s area/toys from the relaxing outdoor lounge area creating two separate spaces that don’t conflict with the experience you get in either one. This space will be a place the children can retreat to on their own and is going to hold all their favorite outdoor pieces including their:
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Greenville Garden Station by KidKraft –
This is going to be multi-fold. It will be a place for the girls to plant flowers since it is something they enjoy doing but this will also be a great place for a butterfly habitat or a bin for their rock collection (so that doesn’t end up in the house like usual!)
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Kidkraft Picnic Table –
We have had this table for a year now and this area will be the perfect home for it! The girls love sitting here and playing with their outdoor dinosaur figures or eating lunch outdoors so it gets used often! This set is well made and will last a long time!
We also plan to get some more fun outdoor items for the space like this outdoor bean bag chair lounger pictured above! I see this being a space where we will do lots of activities to fully take advantage of the space. Maybe even a little put-put with the kids!
Play Surface:
As briefly mentioned above we chose artificial turf for this area because it would be softer than our travertine floor that the rest of the pool area will be getting and is very kid friendly. Also as mentioned we will have put-put holes put in for present and future use of the space. Our biggest concern was that we were told the artificial grass tends to get very hot in the sun but this area luckily stays mostly shaded throughout the day. If we do need more shade I will hang something similar to this shade sail over the top of the screened area above. The shade will also protect the toys inside from the weather elements. I also love how it will add a pop of color to the space as well! Another thought I have is to install some misters in this space to really make it somewhere the kids can enjoy year round!
I can’t wait to get this area set up for the kids and I will be sure to share the finished product here as well as in video form on our YouTube channel! Please make sure you have subscribed to our channel so you can see it when it is live!
Enjoy!
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