The 6′w x 6′d x 7′h Enchanted Cottage is our most popular playhouse, and we have one available right now at a special price. It was built to be a display model but has never been used. It normally sells for $3895, but we’re willing to let this one go for only $3,200!

Pictured above, it includes:

• safe, durable LP Smart Side construction
• wood plank linoleum floor
• paneled and painted luan interior
• 4 screened safety glass windows
• 4 sets of light blue window shutters
• 2 skylight windows
• a dutch door
• 1 polyethylene flower box
• blue weather Resistant LP SmartSide Wood Roof
• porch with redwood decking and two vinyl side rails
• white exterior with dark blue trim

As usual, delivery and assembly are included in the price (if you are located more than 40 ,miles away, there will be additional charges for delivery). And if you prefer a different color scheme we can accommodate you. But if you want it, act quickly! We don’t expect this deal to be available for long.

One of our previous customers recently moved, and sadly could not take their playhouse with them. But their loss can be your gain. We don’t have a photo, but this custom playhouse is very similar to our Enchanted Cottage.

This playhouse measures 6′W x 8′D x 8′H. It doesn’t have the front porch or decorative door crown that come standard with the Enchanted Cottage. Instead it has a 6′W x 3′D loft with a ladder. And instead of the green L.P. SmartSide roof it has an attractive and water resistant asphalt shingled roof. It’s in great shape, and we will paint it in your choice of colors. We can also customize it further at your request.

This playhouse is a steal at only $2595!

It includes:

• wood plank linoleum floor
• paneled and painted luan interior
• 4 screened safety glass windows
• 4 sets of window shutters
• 2 skylight windows
• dutch door
• asphalt shingled roof
• 6′W x 3′D loft with ladder
• your choice of 3 exterior colors

As usual, delivery and assembly are included in the price (if you are located more than 40 ,miles away, there will be additional charges for delivery).

But if you want it, act quickly! The floor model we put on sale last week went in just a couple of days.

If you’ve been wanting to buy our Enchanted Cottage, right now you can snatch one up at spectacular savings.

The 6′ x 6′ Enchanted Cottage is our most popular playhouse, and we have one slightly used display model available. We’ve cleaned it up and added a little fresh paint. Its as good as new.

It normally sells for $3895, but if you act quickly you can pick this one up for only $2895!

Pictured above, it includes:

• safe, durable LP Smart Side construction
• wood plank linoleum floor
• paneled and painted luan interior
• 4 screened safety glass windows
• 4 sets of window shutters
• 2 skylight windows
• dutch door
• 1 polyethylene flower boxes
• green weather Resistant LP SmartSide Wood Roof
• porch with redwood decking and two vinyl side rails
• pink exterior with white and light pink trim

As usual, delivery and assembly are included in the price (if you are located more than 40 ,miles away, there will be additional charges for delivery).

But if you want it, act quickly! We don’t expect this deal to be available for long.

I checked out the main page for the sale and its impressive. They are advertising discounts ranging from 25% on car seats all the way up to 45% on select cribs!

I know some of you have babies of your own, and most of you have friends or family with babies. With the holiday gift giving season soon upon us, this looks like a good opportunity to save some serious money.

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We’re on TV, folks! Our Enchanted Cottage playhouse was recently featured on an episode of HGTV’s “The Outdoor Room With Jamie Durie”.

For those of you who don’t normally watch HGTV, “Jamie Durie is one of the most well-renowned and sought-after landscape artists in the world”, according to his home page at the HGTV website. This is a makeover show in which Jamie Durie and his top notch crew transform a family’s problem yard into a beautiful haven they can enjoy to the fullest. These transformations are inspired by Jamie Durie’s travels throughout the world.

Our playhouse was featured in an episode called “The French Garden” which aired twice on July 30th. They tell me it may air again, but have not supplied a date yet. When we get it I will post it here.

The lucky couple, Shingirai and Erlinda, ended up with a beautiful, tranquil French-inspired back yard for their new home in Windsor Hills, California. And their super-cute little daughter Rihighna got a fantastic playhouse of her very own.

With space at a premium, we assembled our 6′ x 6′ Enchanted Cottage in a comfy little corner of the yard, nestled between some nice shade trees.  We painted it a tasteful shade of yellow and adorned it with window boxes filled with pink and purple flowers, Rihighna’s favorites. The interior was filled with decorations and furnishings befitting a little princess, and the attractive child-sized bench and chairs placed out front added a nice finishing touch.

So how did little Rihighna feel about her new playhouse? Watch the video (embedded to the right), the smile on her face says it all.

You can click the “fullscreen” button to view the video in full screen mode.

There’s a 13 second commercial that plays first. When that’s done you will find our playhouse at -9:52, -8:49, -7:40, a longer clip at -3:23 and Rihighna inside the playhouse at -0:36. I know, its weird to have negative times but I didn’t make the video

And here’s our crew getting it all together…

Your inner child is the part of you that remembers what its like to be a child. It remains from childhood, but for most of us it gets pushed deeper and deeper inside over the course of years as life lessons, responsibilities and baggage come along and reshape us into adults. Now I’m not talking about being childish, I’m talking about being childlike, there is a BIG difference. Please try not to be too childish, that doesn’t help anyone.

When you think about the positive characteristics that children exhibit, what usually comes to mind? My list includes traits like:

• playfulness
• creativity
• curiosity
• inventiveness
• imagination
• innocence
• trust
• spontanaity
• inventiveness
• optimism
• straightforwardness
• honesty
• enjoyment of simple pleasures

How many of these character traits do you express in your daily life? Do you remember when you did? Do you miss them? Well, you don’t have to. Reclaiming your inner child, this suppressed part of yourself, can change your life for the better. It can keep you feeling young. It can stimulate your imagination and creativity. And when simple things give you pleasure it allows you to be a much happier person.

Here is a list of 101 ways to reclaim your inner child, most of them either free or very inexpensive to do. See if there are some you would be willing to try. You can do most of these are activities with your children. But you might also want to try some of them without the kids. Make it about you once in a while. You’re worth it, right?

You may notice there are actually more than 101 ideas in this list. I guess I got a bit over-enthusiastic. Think of it as a bonus. Anyway, here is my list.

1. Write a story.
2. make up a joke.
3. Chew some bubble gum and blow the biggest bubbles you possibly can.
4. Take a bubble bath.
5. Blow soap bubbles or plastic bubbles.
6. Try some kind of food you never ate before.
7. Go to a “pick your own” farm and pick your own berries.
8. Take a long walk or a drive with no predetermined end point in mind.
9. Take a different route than usual when driving someplace familiar.
10. Make pancakes in the shape of animals or faces.
11. Finger paint.
12. Eat cotton candy or a jelly apple.
13. Eat an ice cream cone. Bite it from the bottom and suck the ice cream out, then eat the cone.
14. Find a farm where they’ll let you try milking a cow. Of course, this won’t be much un if you already do this for a living.
15. Go to a petting zoo and feed the animals.
16. Play tag or hide and seek.
17. Ride a go cart.
18. Catch fireflies on a warm summer night.
19. Lie down on the grass at night and watch for shooting stars. It doesn’t really matter if you see any, just watch.
20. Do the same during the day and look for animals and people in the clouds.
21. Build a model rocket and send it skyward.
22. Build a model car.
23. Build a Mentos and Diet Coke rocket. Sure, its kind of old news now, but you’ve never tried it, right?
24. Go bird watching.
25. Buy a telescope or go to an observatory and use theirs.
26. Play with legos or building blocks.
27. Drink your juice from a sippy cup. Or try a crazy straw.
28. Go sailing.
29. Swim with dolphins.
30. Put on a silly hat and take a walk through town.
31. Take dance lessons.
32. Buy yourself some drums and learn to play. Or don’t learn, just play.
33. Hug someone.
34. Go to the beach and hunt for star fish.
35. Ride a unicycle.
36. Ride a scooter or skateboard.
37. Eat  jelly beans.
38. Make a roaring fire at a camp ground or beach (make sure the laws allow it) and then dance around the fire.
39. Toast marshmallows.
40. Collect dolls or GI Joes.
41. Write a song or poem.
42. Chase after an ice cream truck.
43. Go see a children’s movie without your kids.
44. Pick wild flowers and give them to someone.
45. Get a full body massage.
46. Play kids board games without your kids.
47. Talk with your spouse or best friend in pig latin.
48. Have a snowball fight.
49. Play in the mud, and don’t be afraid to get good and dirty.
50. Find a local park with swings and start swinging.
51. Join a pickup game of volleyball at the beach or local park.
52. Bake cookies in the shapes of animals or faces or anything you want, use M&M’s or other candies for eyes or decoration.
53. Make a collage.
54. Make a mobile and hang it in your room or on the porch where there’s a nice breeze.
55. Get yourself a box of crayolas and draw a picture. Be sure to use lots of colors. Or draw in a coloring book, but be sure to allow yourself to draw outside the lines.
56. Intentionally wear socks that don’t match.
57. Draw mustaches on people’s faces in the newspaper.
58. Next time you’re out with your kids or around someone elses kids, really observe their behavior and try to imitate it. Don’t do it to make fun of them, do it to re-experience the feeling of just being a kid.
59. Get a subscription to Highlights Magazine and read it regularly, or at least choose it over the sports or fashion magazines when waiting in the doctor’s office.
60. Go to a car dealership and test drive your dream car, even if you don’t have the money to buy it right now.
61. Hula hoop.
62. Hula dance.
63. Go to a thrift store and try on the strangest clothes you see. Consider buying the ones that make you laugh the hardest.
64. Go to a driving range and wack the golf balls as hard as you can. Don’t worry about accuracy.
65. Camp out in your back yard.
66. Go to the circus.
67. Play dressup. Let your imagination run wild. You can play this one naughty or nice, whichever floats your boat.
68. Try a Native American sweat lodge.
69. Make up a story in which you and some friends take turns adding two sentences until its complete.
70. Make up a game from scratch and play it.
71. Make up your own mad libs.
72. Go to the zoo.
73. Go to the library and browse a section you would never have considered before.
74. Find a grassy hill and roll down it.
75. Go to an amusement park. Be sure to ride the roller coaster and the ferris wheel.
76. Go to a karaoke bar and sing. Remember, it doesn’t count unless you actually sing.
77. Turn up the music in your car and sing at the top of your lungs.
78. Take an acting or improv class just for fun.
79. Find a nice snowy hill and go sledding.
80. Go fly a kite.
81. Build an ant farm. Sit for hours at a time and watch it.
82. Start a fire by rubbing 2 sticks together.
83. Grow sea monkeys.
84. Go out when its snowing and eat snow flakes.
85. Go out when its snowing and see how many different shapes of snow flake you can find.
86. Gather your loose photos and make a photo album.
87. Play in a sand box and don’t be afraid to get sand anywhere and everywhere.
88. Have a water balloon fight.
89. Shave your shaveable areas into interesting designs.
90. Build a rubber band ball and see how big you can get it.
91. Build something out of popsicle sticks.
92. Find interesting odds an ends in your garage, a yard sale or a junk yard and build a sculpture or something useful from it.
93. When you eat your food, take small bites and take the time to chew them well and really savor the flavor before you swallow.
94. The next time you think about something you don’t know the answer to, take the time to find out the answer.
95. Take a walk through your neighborhood and see if you can identify all the different trees, plants and flowers you encounter.
96. When you walk on the sidewalk see if you can avoid steppping on the cracks.
97. Catch a frog and then let him go.
98. Rent a bunch of 3 Stooges or Marx Brothers or Abbott and Costello DVDs and have a TV marathon day.
99. Find a quiet spot in a park or by a stream or somewhere else in nature and sit quietly for a couple of hours. Try not to focus on your work or your problems.
100. Volunteer to walk all the neighbor’s dogs at the same time.
101. Lie down in the snow, flap your arms and make snow angels.
102. Build a snow man.
103. Go to the beach, build a sand castle or sculpture. When I was a kid my grandmother took me to the beach and we sometimes built a sand lady. She brought along sunglasses, a bra and various other items to decorate her – we always attracted crowds of amused onlookers, especially lots of pretty young girls who I was too young to fully appreciate.
104. Learn to speak another language. Or learn how to say hello in many languages
105. Make your own greeting cards or gifts.
106. Try a different hair style or color. If you’re a man, try different a style of beard or mustache.
107. Climb into your kids’ playhouse. Have a tea party with friends, your significant other, or even your kids. Ours playhouses are big enough to accommodate an adult or two.

So, that’s the list. It’s by no means exhaustive. Please feel free to add your own ideas using the comment form below. But more importantly, try these activities for yourself.

How do you know which ones to try first? Well, as you were reading through the list was there anything that brought a smile to your face or made you laugh? Brought back a particularly good childhood memory, or a particularly bad one? There’s your starting point.

Enjoy!

A playhouse is a wonderful gift to give your kids. It provides a safe place they will enjoy playing in for many years, in the comfort and safety of their own badkyard. It encourages kids to get away from the TV and the video games and play outside in the fresh air, in the company of other children (in the flesh, so to speak).

It also gives them an opportunity to engage in imaginative, self directed play. They get to make up the games and the rules, and to be the boss for a little while. Psychologists will tell you this is very important to a child’s growth and development.

There are many kinds of playhouses available, in a variety of price ranges. Here are some important points to consider when choosing for yourself and your kids.

Available Space

The Enchanted Cottage

If you are in the market for an outdoor playhouse then you have to consider the size of your yard and the size and shape of the playhouse space itself. Check the dimensions carefully so will know your size constraints. Also, consider the ground surface. Is it grass, gravel or concrete or earth? Is it flat and level? An outdoor playhouse needs to be on a flat, level surface for the best stability. And it should be assembled on a hard surface that will keep it from sinking and protect its base from dampness that may ebventually cause it to rot. It may be necessary (or at least recommended) to install a cement pad, decking or gravel before the playhouse can be installed.

Location

Try to choose an area of the yard that gets plenty of sun and fresh air. It should be somewhere you can easily keep an eye on the kids too. Keep the area clear of tree stumps and sharp or otherwise dangerous objects that might be a hazard to your kids. And don’t forget about your own comfort. Try to situate the playhouse such that it allows you and spouse and friends to continue to enjoy the yard as well.

Playhouse Size

How large should the playhouse be? This is determined not only by your available space, but also by the number of children you have and how many friends you expect to have hanging around your house once you are a playhouse owner. You will probably want ot furnish your children’s playhouse to some extent so they can enjoy those tea parties in comfort, so keep that in mind when determining how many kids will fit inside comfortably.

The Garden House

For example, our 6′ x 6′ Enchanted Cottage can accomodate 6 kids when empty, or 3-4 kids furnished. The 8′ x 8′ version can easily handle 6-8 kids furnished.

If you don’t have much available space in your yard, or if you have an unusally shaped space, or even just a patio area (for example, in a condo), it may still be possible to get your children a playhouse. We have a 4′ x 4′ playhouse called The Garden House that will fit in a very small area. And we have custom built larger playhouses for unusal spaces. For example, our Suwara House was built for a family that had only a very deep and narrow space available.

If you decide to go for a larger playhouse you should also consider the building laws in your city, you may have obtain a permit before beginning construction. Also, the playhouse size may determine how the playhouse will be built and assembled. Our smaller playhouses, up to 6′ x 6′, are built in our workshop, delivered as a group of panels and then assembled onsite. Our larger playhouses are generally constructed entirely onsite.

Aesthetics

A wooden, outdoor playhouse is a large, solid structure (or it should be). Plan on it adorning your yard for years to come. So you should choose a playhouse that suits your yard in terms of style and color scheme. Our playhouses can be designed to any stylistic specifications and you can choose any colors you wish.

Durability

Consider the building materials used in your playhouse. Our playhouse walls and roof are constructed of LP SmartSide siding. It is a manufactured wood with all of the warmth and beauty of traditional wood plus the durability and workability of engineered woods. It is devoid of knots and voids and resistant to rot and termites. And it is made from trees grown in accordance with Sustainable Forestry Initiative® standards, so it is kind to the environment.

Prefabricated or Custom Made

Eden's Manor

If you have very limited finances you may want to choose a smaller, prefabricated playhouse. These can often be bought at rock bottom prices. However, your choices are limited by what’s available. if you want to ensure that you get the best quality playhouse, something that is uniqiuely suited to your yard, your aesthetics, your budget and your kids, consider buying a custom handmade playhouse. You can literally get just about anything you want, limited only by your imagination and your budget.

As they say, you get what you pay for. But right now, you have an opportunity to get much, much more. Until the end of August 2010, we are running a huge sale on our 3 least expensive playhouse models. Check here for more details.

Some of you have contacted us and said that you would like us to build a playhouse for your kids, but you need something at a more economical price. Or you just don’t have much space and need something a bit smaller.

Well, we aim to please. So we are proud to announce the arrival of our newest model, the Garden House. At just 4 feet square, its small enough to fit in any yard, even on the patio of a condo.

But we’re not skimping on anything. When it comes to quality of materials and the care with which we build each unit, the Garden Houserivals each of its more extravagant brothers and sisters.

This time we decided to go in a slightly different direction with regard to the color scheme. With a mixture of red, yellow, green and white, this playhouse has a more playful and cartoonish feel to it. But as with all of our other models, the color scheme for your playhouse is entirely up to you.

Get more details here. And feel free to contact us for more information by calling 1-818-988-1652, or let us know how to reach you and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Oh, and by the way, another lower priced model is coming soon!

Note:

Just a quick preliminary announcement. We’re coming out with a new playhouse model in the next few days. Photos and a detailed description are forthcoming. But for now I’ll just say that it’s a little cutie and a worthy addition to our catalog. The important thing to know is the base price: Just $1495!

So, for those of you who have wanted to get your kids one of our playhouses, but just couldn’t swing the price, here is your opportunity. Let us know if you’re interested. We’ll contact you just as soon as our newest playhouse makes its debut.

Problem solving skills are an essential ingredient in each of our lives. And as a parent you want to do what you can to help your child develop these skills. Problem solving generally requires imagination and creativity. There are many ways to strengthen these faculties in your kids. One way is to read to them. When kids are read to, they have to picture the story in their minds. It isn’t spoon fed to them like when they watch TV.

So reading to your kids is important, but what you read to them is also important. Stone Soup is an old classic that was one of my favorites when I was a young boy. Maybe it was one of your favorites too. Stone Soup is the story of a small band of French soldiers wandering through the countryside in enemy territory. These soldiers had no provisions. No food, no money. All they had was the clothes on their backs and their own creativity and imagination.

They entered a village and got a frosty reception from it’s impoverished inhabitants. They had to find some way to get these villagers to feed them. So they concocted a story. They told the villagers of a delicious meal they intended to prepare. It was called Stone Soup. All they required was a large pot, some fresh water, and some proper stones. The villagers were intrigued. How could one make a tasty soup from nothing but stones and water? So they followed the soldiers around the village as they prepared to make the soup.

The soldiers wove their yarn, telling the villagers about how they must find just the right stones. They found some perfect stones and put them in the pot. They began heating the pot full of water and stones. They continued to extoll the virtues of this marvelous soup. One soldier explained that, although the soup would be delicious with no additional ingredients, it would be even more delicious with the addition of a few carrots to the pot. What a shame they had none. One intrigued onlooker disappeared for a few minutes, but soon returned with a few carrots, handing them to the soldier, who tossed them into the pot. He told the villagers, now this soup will be truly delicious.

But soon, another soldier lamented that even though the soup would be delicious just as is, it would have been so much better if only they could have found a bit of celery, or maybe a onion or two. A few minutes later a couple of villagers showed up with some celery ad a couple of onions, which were tossed into the pot. Well, this went on for a while, with more and more vegetables being tossed into the pot.

Finally the soup was done. The soldiers removed the stones from the pot. After all, the stones could not be eaten, they were only in the soup to give it a wonderful flavor. They shared the soup with all of the villagers, who agreed that the soup was indeed delicious. The hungry soldiers used their imagination and creativity to get themselves a delicious meal, with only some reluctant strangers to help them out.

Exposing your kids to stories like Stone Soup will teach them problem solving skills and encourage them to use their own imagination and creativity to solve their own problems.

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