Ever wonder what it would be like to have a kids playhouse six feet up in the air and totally surrounded by a wrap-around deck?  A kid could be totally engrossed in creative play and not even have to worry about touching the ground the entire time!

This playhouse does exist and strangely enough it was built primarily upon two old-time clothes line poles, anchored in cement.  If one looks closely enough in the video, the two metal clothes line poles can be seen under the playhouse. 

The playhouse was built very high above the ground, about 6 feet, and was accessible by a wooden ladder.  The wonderful thing about the wooden playhouse was that it’s surrounded entirely by a wrap-around wooden deck with tall, sturdy wood railings.    On three sides of the playhouse, the deck was narrow.  Near the front door to the playhouse, the deck widened out and was very spacious. 

  When entering the playhouse, one went through a door that was three-quarter the size of an adult door.Not only was there one door, but there was an additional door.The first door was solid wood and the second door was a screen door.  The screen door had been removed during the snowy and cold winter months but it can be seen off to the side in the video. 

  The first impression upon entering the kids playhouse was the bright, cheery and roominess of the playhouse because of the numerous windows and the high ceiling.  On each wall of the playhouse there was a window and each window had, at one time, matching curtains which were in storage during the winter months.

The windows had screens and could be opened or closed depending upon the outside weather.  This was a handy feature when kids had sleepovers inside the playhouse - no bugs and plenty of air movement.

There were two decorative, half-moon windows in the playhouse. The first was above the door and the other was on the wall opposite the door, above the window. The half moon window above the door had a faux stain glass accent allowing for colorful dancing sunbeams inside the playhouse.

The spacious deck was used in a variety of play including fending off invading pirates or as quaint as pretending to play "restaurant" using kid-sized chairs and tables.

In the spring, portable flower boxes are hung from the railing and planted with white and red geraniums. To create an inviting and cheerful environment for children, a variety of flower pots with overflowing foliage and flowers were placed on each side of the playhouse door.

The kids playhouse was very interesting due to the wrap around deck, the elevation of the deck off the ground, the screen door, two half moon windows and the fact that the inside of the playhouse was so airy and open.  What child wouldn’t want an elevated kids playhouse like this to enjoy creative play?

Learning happens daily. A kids playhouse may not seem like it should be a platform for a history lesson, but these small kid-sized structures actually have many great qualities that lend itself to learning about history . There are many ways in which a playhouse can be used to introduce and explain some historical concepts to kids. Here's how:

Some of the more basic outdoor playhouses are actually a great replica of what a house was like before the technological advances that we have gotten accustomed to having available .

If a child has a wooden playhouse, which is reminiscent of life on a prairie or in a rural village, there are many features that it is likely to have that are of historical value. For example, some wooden outdoor playhouses look like they were made from rustic logs or have thatched-styled roofs. Parents can discuss with their children how homes were constructed with resources available only in the immediate area or with manual tools as opposed to electically powered tools. Making it fun, you may want to do a basic compare and contrast with today's tools, building materials, modern ammenities and architectural features.

Not all playhouses have electricity for lighting.Ask your child how kids from past generations did their school work without lights, computers and other modern amenities.  Historical events and their timing can be hard for a child to understand.  A fun activity is one where children can pretend they are from a particular time in the past where they can use only items from that time period.  For example, they can pretend they are a pioneer in the plains of the midwest,  child from the Victorian era, or an owner of a medieval castle. 

Another area of historical interest is how food was prepared and stored in lieu of having things like refrigerators. Without refrigeration, how was food able to keep from spoiling?A simple experiment that you and your child can do is that using food, like a slice of bread or slice of fruit. Have the child put the food in a safe place inside of the playhouse and watch how it deteriorates because of lack of refrigeration. To compare the difference that refrigeration makes, have your child place the food in an "ice box" or cooler.

Refrigerators were not invented until much later in history.  Talk to your child about the many ways people in the old days were able to preserve their food: salting meat, canning fruit and drying vegetables.  There will likely be many conversations around what people were able to eat and how they were able to eat foods without getting sick!

It's easy to be able to help children understand history a little better when one uses a kids playhouse. These may seem like simple concepts, but for a child, learning all of this is valuable and encourages more questions and a more in depth study of other historical concepts.

Playing to learn is one of life's best ways to educate a child, and it's one of the ways that kids learn lessons that stick with them for life.

Being outside in a kids playhouse may seem like what some would consider to be standard kid's play. However, those precious moments could actually be a major force in inspiring a child to go after work that is nature or environmentally based. Every minute that kids have outside is a minute that they are interacting, in some way, with the Earth and its many elements and inhabitants. So, for a kid, their play easily translates into a broader interest and deeper investigation into the world around them.

Some kids will want to pursue a nature-based career because they were so inspired by their outdoor experiences as a child. A nature-loving kid has several possible jobs available to them when they get older:

Horticulturalist - Plants are captivating. They are often pretty. They generally smell very nice, and they are important factors to how we live and breathe. Kids can learn more about plants through dissecting them, viewing them under a child's microscope, or just by picking them for a vase for their playhouse. These small opportunities to interact with plants and flowers may be the spark for a kid to want to learn more about jobs dealing with them.

Floral Design - Most people love receiving flowers. Children will gain experience with many types of flowers, and plants as they play in and around their kids playhouse. As children begin to fashion bouquets for parents or to decorate their playhouse, they are actually learning some of the basic elements of what it takes to create gorgeous floral arrangements.

Animal Trainer - How exciting to train animals to do a variety of tricks! While their first experiences may only be with a lady bug that they get to move along with a stick or a lizard that they keep in a shoebox in their outdoor playhouse, some children will relish those moments and want to learn more about the field of working with animals. Fields that these children may find interesting when they grow up could include animal trainer, animal rescue worker or zoologist.

Kids playhouse fun and interacting with nature go hand-in-hand. Kids whose parents encourage them to embrace and explore the Earth and it's wonders, may develop a deeper love and interest in science or nature-based careers.