Important feature of our family friendly allotment site

We are lucky in that this allotment site is very popular with younger, family members who between them have 39 children and grandchildren. The emphasis is on teaching and learning BUT it is important to mix education of the journey in the way vegetables and fruit arrive at our dinner tables....... with play.
With this in mind, a dedicated children's area has been set aside which is well used, especially school holiday time and weekends. All toys are plastic and inspected weekly for damage, splits or dangerous edges when the large area's grass, (seed sown by the children,) is cut.

A wendy house is the base and 'lookout'. Old tyres with scores for kicking the ball through them are liked even if the balls do manage to go over the 8ft deer fence next to them. A sizeable piece of astro turf gives the children a chance to picnic on dry land and a very special picnic table made by workers at 'Resorce' recycling group means mum and dad can sit for a while next to the area and have lunch with Junior happily playing.

  We try to keep adding to the toys but is not always easy as money does not run to buying new all the time so it was a real bonus when Cathy came back from her brother with a whole car boot full of scooters, ride on toys, toy lawnmowers and a kitchen, mini wheelbarrow, etc, too much to list, if you read this David, a big thanks from our younger members.
Future plans this summer include a tent and a sandpit and we may organise a time capsule burying which should intrigue.
The 3 pictures show the area before the children sowed the grass seed in the first year, another at distance showing the whole area and another taken today displaying the new additions.

This area is regarded as an important feature of our site and I don't know of any other allotment site with this extra, email me if I'm wrong please, address on contact page.
 
I have been told several times that the children beg mum and dad to go to the allotments to see what's new which is a change from refusing because 'it's boring up there'.