“Okay, Mommy! I’ll see you later! I’m going to my house, and you can go to yours,” my daughter informs me. She then proceeded to go into her house in our front yard and closed her little door. My little girl loves playing outdoors and the idea of having a place to call her very own. So for her third birthday, just two weeks ago, my husband and I got her a little play house. Selecting the right house can be just as intense as looking on the market to purchase a real house. What features should it have? Should there be a sitting area? Should it have enough room for multiple children? What color would Quinn like it to be? Though I wanted the house to be a surprise, I thought it was only fair to have her be a part of the selection process since she would be the main one playing inside of the house.

I showed her a few. One had a sliding board attached. Another had a little bench, but the one she actually liked the most was the Little Tikes Go Green Eco-friendly Learning Playhouse. Now, of course, my three year old did not say, “I want the eco-friendly one,” but she did like that it came with a sink, has an outdoor and indoor light, collects rain water and has an area to plant a little garden. I love that it is teaching her the importance of protecting the environment, saving resources and energy. The sink recycles the water, there is a drain to catch all of the rain water that can be used for watering the flowers in her garden along with the flowers and plants in our yard. There are two areas for recycling, and the house has a green roof feature and solar power for the lights. This is the wave of the future, and I’m excited that my daughter is learning about it at a young age.

Last week, the weather was chilly, and it rained just about everyday, so Quinn did not get to fully enjoy her house, but her container did catch quite a bit of rain which was awesome because we were able to use it when we did the green roof this week. I think it’s fair to say that Quinn will be spending a lot of time in her house throughout the course of the spring and summer.  We’re both looking forward to seeing the grass grow on her green roof and flowers grow in her flower bed on the side of her house.

All the best,

Tanya