ᐅ Children’s play area with sand and mud

Created on: 31 Jul 2021 21:44
T
Träumerle
Hello!
I want to create a children's play area in a former shrub bed, including a playhouse (which we already have, but without a floor), a sandbox, and a mud kitchen. Available materials are sandstone blocks and tree trunk pieces (I’d like to use these to build the sandbox border), as well as an old sink with a faucet.
What advice can you give me? Especially regarding the preparation of the ground? How deep should the sandbox be dug? What should be placed at the bottom to allow drainage but keep weeds out?
How would you prepare the ground for the playhouse?
Do you have any other nice ideas for this children’s play area?
So far, we have only cleared out the bed...
Thanks for any feedback and tips! :-)
T
Traumfaenger
2 Aug 2021 23:33
Träumerle schrieb:

What tips would you give me? Especially regarding the preparation of the base? How deep should the sandbox be dug? What do you put underneath to let water drain out but keep weeds from growing inside?

We used a ring section from a drainage pipe, buried it, and lined the bottom with a thick weed control fabric from the hardware store. It’s completely water-permeable, and even though the sandbox is uncovered, the water never pooled inside – not even during the heavy, persistent rainfall that flooded the area around Cologne. For the sand, we chose a scented variety from the hardware store that is supposed to deter cats. This has worked well for two years so far, since we have stray cats and occasionally find droppings on the lawn, but never in the sandbox. Overall, this was a very affordable setup; the ring was leftover material, and the fabric and sand probably cost less than 50 EUR (around 55 USD), though I don’t remember the exact amount.
H
haydee
3 Aug 2021 03:48
Scented sand? There’s really everything out there.
We use washed Main river sand inside, and that’s it.
Nida35a3 Aug 2021 10:34
Our grandchild’s sandbox has just one section, and in nice weather, half a bucket of water is poured in and refilled every 10 minutes.
It is covered with a trailer net.