Winter is almost upon us. Days are getting shorter and shorter, temperatures are falling and the wooden swing set in your backyard isn’t getting much use.

But while it may be too cold for your kids to spend much time outdoors, that doesn’t mean you can’t get some use out of your backyard playset for at least part of this winter.

You’ve already put up holiday decorations on the front of your home? Why not do the same thing with your swing set?

There’s precedent for this concept; a few months ago, we talked about ways you could decorate your swing set for Halloween. Doing the same thing for Christmas can happen in a few easy steps.

Lights and Garland

It’s easy to string lights along a swing set, whether you’re hanging icicle lights from the horizontal beams and wrapping lights around the legs. You could also decorate the space around the swing set by putting up plastic or inflatable decorations: Candy canes, reindeer or a Nativity scene.

The weather is getting cooler, but that won’t stop your kids from playing outside.

And when they’re done playing, they’ll want something to nibble on, whether that means after-school snacks or a mid-afternoon treat during their weekend playtime.

That’s why Swingset & Toy Warehouse has put together this guide to making your kids some fall snacks. These are things they can enjoy at your kitchen table or the picnic table, the lemonade stand or inside their swing set fort. Enjoy!

What do Apple’s Macintosh, Katy Perry and Swingset & Toy Warehouse all have in common?

They were all born in 1984.

And after 32 years, we know we have many reasons to be thankful. We couldn’t have lasted this long without our wonderful, loyal customers and their families.

So, as Thanksgiving approaches, let us thank you.

When we say something is “child’s play,” we mean something that’s easy and simple.

In truth, there’s a lot going on when kids are at play. It’s an activity that has a host of physical and psychological benefits for children:

1. It Helps Them Behave

According to a 2009 study in the journal Pediatrics, children who get a break for recess tend to act up less in the classroom. The study looked at two groups of 8 and 9-year-old students and found that the ones who got more than 15 minutes of playground time each day behaved better than kids who got no recess time.