When designing and manufacturing our climbing frames we pay special attention to the features we include. It is important to us that children get as much enjoyment out of their swing set as possible, so the more exciting and varied the features the better. Buying a climbing frame with monkey bars is a fabulous way to increase the longevity of the swing set. Whilst the younger children may be content on the swings and slide, not yet ready to attempt the monkey bars, older children will love the sense of adventure they bring. Also if your children are still quite young the addition of the monkey bars means the climbing frame will continue to offer new challenges for years to come.

It is great to offer children a variety of challenges. By taking on a challenge and completing it they are learning how great it is to achieve something and this will hopefully spur them on to keep challenging themselves and keep aspiring to reach certain goals. Swinging above the ground can seem a little daunting at first but it is always great to encourage children to come out of their comfort zone and try new things.

It goes without saying that monkey bars add that little extra excitement to a climbing frame, however, as well as being great fun they also have huge health and learning benefits. Getting to grips with monkey bars teaches and improves co-ordination as well as strength.

Monkey bars create the real sense of an adventure playground in your own back garden. Perfect for keeping little monkeys occupied and enjoying themselves for hours.

There are many considerations to think about when purchasing a climbing frame and one of the most important is the size of your garden. There are three climbing frames in particular that are suited to small gardens.

The Andorra Junior Climbing Frame is the smallest swingset. It is 3.14m wide and 2.72m deep and includes a vinyl chalk board, wavy slide, rock wall and 2 belt swings.

The Andorra

The Belfort is a fantastic climbing frame. Along with everything you would expect from a swingset such as swings, trapeze, slide and deck it also has a 2 child picnic table attached, perfect for messy play or outdoor eating. The Belfort is 3.89m wide and 3.15m deep.

The Belfort

The final climbing frame we would suggest for any of those with a small garden would be the Meadowvale II. This is a great value set and has all the elements a climbing frame should have. It has a 2.2m high railed wavy slide, rock wall, 1.2m high deck and trapeze bar. There is even room below the deck for a sand or ball pit area. The Meadowvale measures 3.91m wide and 3.21m deep.

The Meadowvale

It is also important to bear in mind that once the climbing frame is in place there should be a 1.8m perimeter left around it. This is to allow enough space for children to swing and play freely.

These swingsets are ideal for those with small gardens so never rule a climbing frame out.

Here is an exclusive look at next week’s deals:

Monday 7th: Columbia
Tuesday 8th: Kettler double swingset
Wednesday 9th: Panorama
Thursday 10th: Admiral swingset
Friday 11th: Highlander

To view these climbing frames in more detail click here

We have done our best to listen to your comments and feedback and hope that the installation of Live Chat will make buying your climbing frame much simpler and far more convenient. Live chat allows you to connect with real swing set experts instantly. It is not a computer generated response, it is our knowledgeable team thoughtfully answering any query you may have.

The beauty of Live Chat is that we are making the online buying process far more like a face to face retail experience (minus the queues, car park costs and un-cooperative children). Once you are on our site there will be an icon which you can click, once you have clicked on it you are instantly connected to us. We really know what we are talking about when it comes to outdoor play equipment and can advise you on the ideal purchase with regards to your garden size, number and age of children and any other specifications you may have.

The Climbing Frames Team you will be talking to:

Nicola	Chris
Kim	Olivia

Aimée

Laura

We hope you enjoy this amazing new feature. We will keep you updated with Live Chat developments over the next few blog posts.

Let us know what you think.

A fairly long time ago (1872) in Borge, Norway, Roald Engebreth Gravning Amundsen was born. As a teenager Roald had become fascinated with English explorer John Franklin and had dreamed one day of becoming an explorer himself. In 1899 he became a sea captain and in 1910 set sail for the North Pole, planning to be the first to reach it. However just before setting sail he received word that fellow explorer, Robert Peary had actually beat him to it. Not the type to be easily defeated Roald continued with his expedition, telling only his brother that the course had changed and they were now heading for the South Pole. On December 14th, 1911 Roald and his team reached their destination, beating a British team under Captain Scott by four weeks.

Roald Amundsen would buy: The Ridgeview

Roald Amundsen

The Ridgeview £699

Roald is clearly not afraid of a little cold weather (temperatures get as low as -74 degrees Fahrenheit in the South Pole) so he would love any Climbing Frames UK playset as they can be used all year round. Playing in the snow is one of winter’s great joys. Many think a climbing frame is just for warmer months but it is great to get everyone in the garden when the snow falls too. The Ridgeview is fantastic value and has everything you could want from a climbing frame. A true adventurer needs monkey bars, rock wall, wavy slide, swings and a glider. In fact they would expect nothing less.
To purchase this item or see the features in full go to http://www.climbingframesuk.com/climbing-frames-1.htm

Are you liking our adventurer posts so far? Any suggestion son the next person we should feature?

Hanging out at the Selwood Cottage	The Selwood Cottage £399 - much plusher than most of our own houses.

On Friday we chose to ignore that little piece of advice and get ten (yes, really, ten) children down to a sunny location in Suffolk near Climbing Frames HQ. ‘God, why?’ I hear you scream. Well in the coming months we plan to launch a more interactive approach to our product. As a web based company we understand that people need as much information about a product before the commit to buying it. For some buying online can be a little scary so we want to offer reassurance that you are definitely making the right decision. The best way to do this is with product videos as well as still images. The videos give a 360 degree view of our climbing frames and other outdoor products, as well as showing how children play and interact with the toys. We hope this will give the peace of mind needed before purchasing.

Back to the day itself. One of our little ladies kept us waiting half an hour while she got changed (diva in the making), so we had a bit of a rush on our hands and trying to control that many children, surrounded by climbing frames and high on Friday afternoon sunshine is no mean feat. But we managed it. The biggest hit of the day was the Selwood Cottage children’s playhouse. The post box, the sink, the flowerpots (which were mainly used as hats) all kept our budding actors and actresses occupied long after the camera stopped rolling.

Head-Cam	Our little diva

We also pulled out our secret weapon – The head cam. We wanted to give you the rare chance to experience our play sets from a child’s point of view. The head cam (which looks a little like a camera popped on top of a bike helmet) was strapped to Sophie’s head whilst she explored several of the swing sets. A reluctant wearer at first, Sophie soon took her role as chief head cam wearer in her stride. After a few fun filled hours we were exhausted but also pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the potentially disastrous day had gone.

All aboard the sandboat £79	Perfect weather for a picnic - picnic table and 4 chairs £99

Whoever said ‘never work with animals or children’ clearly didn’t have climbing frames, sand pits and playhouses to keep them occupied.

American Adventurer Jonathan Trappe

Trappe travelled 94 miles across the Alps and reached altitudes of 15, 000ft.

‘Well that’s not that adventurous,’ ‘I could do that!’ I hear you cry. But could you do it using just helium balloons? Having already crossed the English Channel using the same method of transport, trained pilot Jonathan wanted to try his hand at being the first ever person to cross the European mountain range.

It took the quirky adventurer, originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, almost twelve hours and 54 gas-filled balloons to go from Gap in the South-East France to the Italian town of Andezeno.

The trip was a total of 94 miles and Jonathan reached awesome heights of 15, 000ft. “The most enjoyable part of the trip was also the most terrifying. At one point I thought I was heading straight for a Monte Viso,” he said. “My altimeter told me I was clear of it but my eyes told me I was going to slap into it and in that moment I was really scared. In the end I sailed right past it without a problem, which was just exhilarating.”

This mode of transport, known as cluster ballooning, is relatively new and was started back in 1982 by American, Larry Walters. By attaching 42 helium filled weather balloons to a patio chair, he managed to rise 15, 000ft into the air.  The highest altitude reached via cluster ballooning was 18,300ft by Mike Howard and Steve Davis back in 2001.

Trappe would buy: The Summerville Climbing Frame

Real life Disney 'Up' house lifted into the air	The Summerville Climbing Frame would suit the quirky adventurer perfectly

Someone with such a love for vibrant colours needs the bright spiral slide. The spiral is a little different from the normal straight slide and we know that Trappe loves doing things differently. The enclosed higher lever playhouse also bears a resemblance to the house Trappe sent soaring into the air, shown in the picture above. With the wave rock wall, open lower level cubby with café style opening and room for 2 belt swings and a 2 child glider this climbing frame was made for someone who loves fun and loves excitement.

To purchase the item or see the feature in full go to http://www.climbingframesuk.com/summerville-climbing-frame-210330.htm”>http://www.climbingframesuk.com/summerville-climbing-frame-210330.htm

Can you think of other fun and bizarre ways to travel?

One American restaurant has now given chips a PG certificate

More outdoor play could help reduce child obesity

A lot has been said in the press over recent months about child obesity. It is a sensitive subject that most of us don’t really want to broach. However in the US, First Lady Michelle Obama has made it her personal mission to reduce what has been called an ‘epidemic’. Today 1 in 3 children in America are classed as obese, and her Let’s move! campaign is a step towards curing this. This is a very similar approach to our own change 4 life initiative, launched back in 2008, which encourages healthy eating and an increase in activity.

However, one restaurant in America has taken the initiative one step further by putting a PG rating on chips. Darden restaurants, who own several chains across the US, have banned children form ordering the popular food without parental permission. Do you think this is the right approach? Should we adopt the same tactics here in England?

Here at Climbing Frames UK our job is to encourage as much outdoor play as possible. It is common sense that having children sat in front of the television or computer for hours on end is doing nothing for their health. Child obesity is a touchy subject and no parent ever wants to put their child on a diet or restrict their food so an easier option is to encourage more play and more movement.

This weekend’s, ‘weekend special’, the Highlander Multi-Level Climbing Frame Swing Set, is just £899 and has a 3 position swing beam with 2 belt swings and a 2 child glider, rockwall, step ladder, spiral slide and multi-level playhouse, which allows for a variety of activities and movements. It’s the perfect way to encourage more exercise sensitively and with no bribery, begging or cajoling needed.

Go to http://www.climbingframesuk.com/http://www.climbingframesuk.com/highlander-multi-level-playcentre-6010.htm to purchase the highlander.

Like many parents at this time of year your thoughts will be turning to Christmas and what to get you children, and you won’t be alone if you’re feeling really stuck for a good ideas of what to buy.

So, Climbing Frames UK are here to help with a few ideas below to inspire you and help out with featuring some of the best presents available in 2011.

How about a flying fish… (?)

Or, maybe something with a little more longevity?

If you think the novelty of the flying fish might wear off before 2012 even arrives, then why not consider something with a little more longevity? The outdoor toys from Climbing Frames UK will last for years rather than days, and we can assure you Santa will be more popular than ever if he brings your children a climbing frame, swingset or trampoline for Christmas this year!

Imagine their happy faces, looking out of the window and seeing their very own brand new (snow covered?) climbing frame, and their joy and laughter as they run out to experience the swings and slide for the first time! It’s an experience that many of us as children couldn’t have dreamed of, but now you can purchase a climbing frame or playset for only a few hundred pounds!

Specialists, quality products & designed for home build

Climbing Frames UK are specialists in quality and beautiful wooden playsets, pre-manufactured with all parts cut to length and pre-drilled, all sets are flat packed and ready for home build. With a range of prices and sizes to suit any family, and every garden, you’ll struggle for a reason not to get one!

Why not show your children now and help you decide? Our full range of climbing frames, swingsets and trampolines is on our website at www.climbingframesuk.com.

Not looking to buy now? You can even chose you set, reserve it with a 10% deposit, and not make your settlement payment until just before your delivery in December. The Xmas Pre-Order Scheme is just another example of Climbing Frames UK’s fantastic customer service.

We look forward to delivering to you soon.

Ideal for those with younger children and limited space, the complete set-up dimensions measure 8’ 10″ x 9’2”.

Natalia Swingset

Features:

Fully Enclosed Metal Corner Brackets

2-Child See-Saw Swing

Single Adjustable Swing Seat (Green)

Age Range 3-12

 The wood is all pressure treated to ensure the swingset last as long as possible. Our wooden swingsets are safe and durable and will last for many years to come and fit into any garden setting.