Stay Home
Consider These Kids' Play Sets to Spice Up the Backyard
If the kiddos are missing the playground, bring it to them.

Might as well jump (on a trampoline).
Image: Shutterstock/Ramona Heim
Hopefully she doesn't read this, but my youngest daughter is turning one year old next week, and we're getting her a slide for the backyard.
Let's be real—we have to. I can't believe it's been more than a month since my kids have been to a playground. With the COVID-19 stay-home order still in full effect, we now have to bring the playground home, and that doesn't mean using me as a human bumpy slide.
If you're looking for some play equipment for the yard to keep the kids occupied, look no further than these options, either made in or found in Houston.
Fish & Steak
Safe Space Concepts of Houston develops a range of outdoor play sets designed for discovery and building basic skills. Of all the sets, the Surf & Turf may be my favorite: babies and infants can climb "waves" and then crawl around in a sandbox-like space. My kid is almost a walker, so this is more appropriate for those younger than one, but who's to say you can't turn it into a pretend fire pit, as well. $2,935, safespaceconcepts.com
Do the Slide
Maybe this is the time you finally buy that playground set for the kids. Tree Frog Showrooms, with multiple locations in Houston and online sales, offers dozens of options, including the 7.4 Fuzion Megalopolis – Supreme, a $24,000 set that looks like it has its own zoning. For a more economic choice, there's the Toucan Playcenter with both tarp and wooden roof options. Here you'll find a bumpy slide, rock wall, rope ladders, and swings. For a 3-year-old? Just right. $2,199, treefrogsshowrooms.com
Point Out the Bounce
Back in high school, I found out one of my friends had a trampoline ... life wasn't the same. Give your kids the gift of a real bounce house by checking out Springfree Trampoline, which is based in Austin but ships to Houston. The best for your little ones? The Small Round, six feet around with a 30-square-foot surface area. $799, springfreetrampoline.com