Why Do They Love This So Much?

If someone forwarded this to you, don’t miss the next one! Join hundreds of other dads getting weekly outdoor inspiration: Subscribe

Why the Best Playground Might Already Be Yours

“Everything the light touches is our kingdom…”

Or in our case, everything the fence surrounds is your playground—and my duty to maintain. But you get the point.

To our kids, the backyard can be anything they imagine. The high seas crawling with pirates. A gritty downtown alley filled with cops and robbers. A farmer’s field that needs plowing. It doesn’t take much for their imagination to take off.

It always surprises me how much entertainment my kids get from the simplest things. We have a small plastic slide that flips over into a rocker, and that thing has been in steady use for years.

Just the other day, my wife (an expert at free finds on Facebook) picked up a few kids' items someone was giving away. One was a little teeter totter that can fit up to three kids. They’ve hopped on that thing every day since.

The amazing thing about kids is—they don’t need fancy, expensive stuff to have fun. What they need is imagination, a bit of space, and something new (at least to them) to spark fresh ways to play.

This Week’s Backyard Mini-Adventure: The Free Find Challenge

This week, try refreshing your backyard setup with one or two free or cheap finds. Kids outgrow things quickly, and those castoffs often become someone else’s treasure.

Here’s how to get started:

• Facebook Marketplace – Save searches for things like “kids slide” or “play kitchen,” set the price to free, and enable notifications to be first when they’re listed.

• Free Local Groups – Look up “Buy Nothing [Your Town]” or “[Your Town] Free & Recycle” groups on Facebook.

• Yard Sales – Especially those with lots of kid stuff. Prices are usually lower, and near the end of the day, you might score freebies just so people don’t have to haul things back inside.

Here are a few age-based ideas to look for:

Ages 0–3
Push toys, water tables, baby swings, small slides, or rockers

Ages 4–6
Playhouses, trikes, scooters, kids' gardening tools, bubble machines

Ages 7–10
Sports equipment, bikes, fort-building materials (pallets, tarps, rope), old camping gear

Let your kid pick something out, or surprise them with a new-to-them find—and then get outside and enjoy it together.

Remember this:

The best moments spent with your kids won't be defined by how much money you spent, but by the laughter, adventure, and love they felt in those moments.

These things you find are mere tools you can use to create those moments of adventure with your kids.

Whether it's a well-loved slide or a freshly discovered teeter-totter, what matters most is that you're there—watching their eyes light up with excitement and their imaginations transform your ordinary backyard into something extraordinary.

So this week, keep your eyes open for those free treasures, but remember that the real magic happens when you step outside together.

—Ted

P.S. What's the best free or hand-me-down item your kids have ever played with? I'd love to hear your stories—just reply to this email to let me know. I read and respond to every one.

P.P.S. Enjoying my newsletter? Then you may enjoy the 1440. Quick, easy to read daily newsletter. Check them out below!