Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Play Domes?

  1. #1
    pastrygirl is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    New England.
    Posts
    5,795

    Default Play Domes?

    I thought there was a thread about Play Domes here, but now I can't find it. Maybe it was on another forum...

    Do you have one of these climbers? We're thinking about getting one since both boys seem to be more into climbing than swinging. I figure we can go to playgrounds to get the usual swingset activities, but this climber is only at one playground that I know of.

    Thoughts? Reviews? Do I need to put playground material underneath? Do I need a huge perimeter around it? Does the ground need to be completely level? How heavy is it to move? We don't have the land prepped where we were going to build a swingset, but I figured that maybe we could put a Play Dome down anywhere on the lawn, and move it to the permanent location once we clear/prep the land.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States.
    Posts
    3,017

    Default

    I've seen families that have pea gravel under their structures, and I've seen families that just have grass... and the injuries are the same. I used to be of the mindset that you had to have something soft underneath, in case of a fall- but, now, I'd rather just have the lawn. You don't have to worry about the neighbor's cat pooping in it- like in our sand box, and you aren't going to be bringing in pocketfuls of gravel....

  3. #3
    fivi2 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    5,278

    Default

    We just ordered one. Tbh, I had been thinking we might not need to put something under, since it didn't seem that high... But now all these posts have me freaking out, so I don't know what we will do about it. I guess dh and I need to talk about it and do some googling

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Virginia.
    Posts
    8,281

    Default

    which one did you order?
    Margaret and
    (DS 2/06) and (DD 3/08)

  5. #5
    kwc is offline Gold level (500+ posts)
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA.
    Posts
    981

    Default

    We have one and it is on the backyard lawn. Ours is smallish, about 4-5 tall in the middle and 8-9 feet wide... circle.. duh.

    My ILs bought it from a store on Skymall for us (DH and sibs had one when they were little) 3 years ago... I don't see it on Skymall anymore. Ours is plastic (?PVC) so it is lightweight (though stable) and we move it around the lawn as needed (or the landscapers move it when mowing)... DH did not want something we had to anchor as he wanted to be able to use the whole lawn for parties, bounce houses, etc.

    It gets played with sporadically in the spring/summer... sometimes a lot (esp with friends over... they will often throw a blanket over and build a fort, etc) and sometimes DD likes to go in there and chill out and read a book (hanging a towel over to create what shade she wants.

  6. #6
    brittone2 is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 1999
    Location
    back to where we started
    Posts
    23,590

    Default

    I get why people don't want to do the surfacing. Yes, you can still break bones and receive serious injuries even with surfacing in place. I think the major goal is to really reduce the risk of a life-threatening traumatic brain injury. You might not make a huge impact on broken arms with surfacing but I think there's pretty good evidence it can help prevent TBI?
    Mama to DS-2004
    DD-2006
    and a new addition-ds born march 2010

  7. #7
    pastrygirl is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    New England.
    Posts
    5,795

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brittone2 View Post
    I get why people don't want to do the surfacing. Yes, you can still break bones and receive serious injuries even with surfacing in place. I think the major goal is to really reduce the risk of a life-threatening traumatic brain injury. You might not make a huge impact on broken arms with surfacing but I think there's pretty good evidence it can help prevent TBI?
    The only reason we don't want to is time. We have to clear trees, fill in the slope, etc. My husband started to do it last year then sprained his ankle. I don't know if he'll be able to get to it this summer, but even if he does, it won't be ready until the fall or winter. By then we've lost another season.

    But, I also want the safest option. If putting it over grass (instead of the area that needs to be cleared) so that we can do it as soon as the snow melts is not safe, then we won't do it.

  8. #8
    fivi2 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    5,278

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by elephantmeg View Post
    which one did you order?
    I think it was called Lifetime Geometric Dome Climber. It was $200 and qualified for Prime on Amazon. It should get here tomorrow. I guess I was thinking it wasn't that tall and wouldn't need the surfacing. I will look into it because now I am all paranoid about it.

    The last thread had some talk about a costco one, but I don't know if it was there last year or this year (and mine doesn't have it now).

  9. #9
    lhafer is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    5,534

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by fivi2 View Post
    I think it was called Lifetime Geometric Dome Climber. It was $200 and qualified for Prime on Amazon. It should get here tomorrow. I guess I was thinking it wasn't that tall and wouldn't need the surfacing. I will look into it because now I am all paranoid about it.

    The last thread had some talk about a costco one, but I don't know if it was there last year or this year (and mine doesn't have it now).
    Keep us posted!! I was seriously thinking about this one for our yard because we have a smaller yard. Let me know how you like it!

  10. #10
    fivi2 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    5,278

    Default

    minor update - dh and I talked and I do think we are going to put mulch under it. Apparently I was the only one thinking we were not going to!
    We haven't priced it out, but we have a big shady corner where nothing grows, so I don't think it will mess up the yard too much. Not sure what kind/how much, but time to start investigating.

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •