backyard importance?

[EmilyGF]

As a homeschooler, how important is a backyard to you? Do you need a big one? Is a small one OK? Could you go without?

 

We live in a big city and are trying to buy a house. I want a house so that the others in the condo don't tell me I'm too loud! Still, even if we buy a house, we probably won't get much yard if we're near where we currently live. DH has an incredibly demanding job, so I don't want him to add a commute.

 

I saw a perfect house in a perfect location with a super-dinky yard, but a yard none-the-less. I'm trying to figure out what we "need". It would be about 1 house from an open space and 1 block from a park. What I'm concerned about is low-key outdoor play time.

 

Thoughs? Your experience?

 

Emily

[dbmamaz]

it depends on you guys. some kids need to be able to tumble outside and get out a lot of energy, at times when mom isnt available to help. some kids really want to play sports in their yard. for some families, being able to walk to the park is plenty opportunity. if you are planning on having another baby any time soon, you might not be up for trips to the park. but . . everything has its pay-offs. a yard is a great thing to have, but its not required unless you say it is.

[regentrude]

I have lived in an apartment in the city with no yard, but a green park across the street and a nice playground in the next block when my kids were little. It worked out great; we spent several hours every day on the playground, the kids made friends with other regulars, and I with other moms. We did not miss having our own yard.

 

We then moved to our current house and have a nice yard with trees. I like it for the privacy, the kids liked it for play, but they really did not need much space (when they got older, they'd bike or walk on the public bike trail) . Honestly: it is a luxury. If the house you found fits your needs, is conveniently located and you have access to public green spaces, that will work fine.

[2squared]

For US a backyard is hugely important, but that's why we live in the country on 7 acres. We wouldn't live in a big city again.

[EmilyGF]

For US a backyard is hugely important, but that's why we live in the country on 7 acres. We wouldn't live in a big city again.

 

 

This isn't an option for us. Just to move to a suburb would mean a 45+ minute commute each way. To move to "the country" would mean a 90 minute commute each way. To move to a big yard for the city would mean being in places where guns get shot. Not willing to risk that. :-)

 

Plus, we like that our kids have friends around the corner, that we can walk to church, and that we rarely drive places. Except to Costco. And Ikea.

 

Emily

[rdj2027]

Not important at all. We prefer spending our "outside" time in public areas with other people.

[NotSoObvious]

We had a tiny backyard on our subdivision, but we were a block from the park. We used the backyard for the hot tub and a garden, and spent playtime at the park.

I didn't have to maintain the park, so it was perfect. :)

[happypamama]

It depends?

 

We have almost 3 acres, and we like it because we have a lot of room to play (and for the future, to garden/raise animals), but we also live a fair distance from parks and such. But we have a swingset, and some trees, and a sledding hill, etc., so it's not a big deal that we don't have other outdoor things closer. Being far from everything and having no yard would be hard.

 

It also depends on the weather where you are. In the winter, it's very windy and either frozen or swampy in our yard, so we don't spend a ton of time outside. In the summer, it's hard to spend a lot of the day outside because it hits 95 degrees often -- but we spend our summer evenings outside. In the spring and fall, the kids go out and play and dig and swing and get dirty and all of that good stuff a lot, and *that* is why we love it here and think the yard is worth it. (We don't need 3 acres for that, though; a smaller yard would work too.)

[Halftime Hope]

Will you ever want a pet? A small pet might be fine in a tiny yard, but walking a big pet in the dead of winter is a huge PITN.

[lynn]

with 3 boys we wanted a big back yard but now those boys are teens and one just turned 20 the yard is to big. It use to be filled with boys playing in the sandbox, swingset, jumping on the trampoline playing ball, war games, tag, riding their 4 wheelers, and motorcyles,. Now it's just to much. My dd does play in the yard still but not as much and it's a lot of work now I would not have had it any other way.

[2squared]

This isn't an option for us. Just to move to a suburb would mean a 45+ minute commute each way. To move to "the country" would mean a 90 minute commute each way. To move to a big yard for the city would mean being in places where guns get shot. Not willing to risk that. :-)

 

Plus, we like that our kids have friends around the corner, that we can walk to church, and that we rarely drive places. Except to Costco. And Ikea.

 

Emily

 

I understand. For US, we chose a different life. We chose a lower paying job in the middle of nowhere on the road to nowhere. It's far from perfect, but if you're talking about backyards, acreage is very important to us.

 

When we lived in San Antonio, we rented the house with the nicest, biggest yard we could find in our price range. We also had a park down the street. Our neighbors were awful and our house was about six feet from the houses on either side, but our back yard was big. My kids were little so our "big" little backyard worked just fine for that stage of life.

 

Before that, I worked in St Paul, MN and we bought acreage over the border in WI. I had a long commute to work, but we had land.

 

So, yes, backyards are high on our list of wants and priorities. We have five active kids so space outside is extremely important for us. You will have to balance your family's priorities and lifestyle.

[happyhomemaker25]

I would love a nice big yard. I tell people regularly I would live in a trailer to have a yard. Our kids can't even play in our tiny subdivision yard right now because we've had some strange people wandering around the neighborhood and our house is right by the entrance.

I understand where you are coming from as well. I think if a park were within walking distance it would be fine.

 

 

ETA: Not that I think there is anything wrong with trailers, it would just be a little cramped for our ever expanding family. :) But then on nice days I could just kick everyone out. :)

[texasmama]

We currently live on over four acres (and have for about 13 years) so outdoor space is a priority to us. However, we could make a house on a quarter or third of an acre work nicely for us if needed. My kids like to garden, and we have two small outdoor dogs.

[Terabith]

Yards are not a need for us. I actually like a smaller one so that there is less maintenance. But we like to spend time in nature in public spaces, generally.

[Tess in the Burbs]

we used to 'need' a yard. but honestly, they played in the street more even then. We have a yard now and they still play in the street more. A yard used to be important but now I would take cul de sac over a yard. And walking to a park would be nice.

[GSOchristie]

We lived in a twin home before this house with a pretty small yard. My kids were fine. We put a sandbox next to the patio and you could get a water table. Well, I guess that would depend on our kids' ages. Anyway, we were fine with a small yard, we went to the park (5 min) if we needed a bigger space to run.

[mommymilkies]

I would never buy a house with a small yard. We've lived in apartments and rented for years. There is zero chance I would ever do so again. Being outside and gardening are top priority for us, and we wouldn't live in a big city, so community plots and parks aren't really feasible.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We have a large yard, I'd pick being near a good park over a large yard. I do like having a small bit of privacy to sit outside and read, I don't need a large yard for that though.

[TranquilMind]

Not important at all. We prefer spending our "outside" time in public areas with other people.

 

Not important to us either. I have a huge yard and we rarely step into it.

[briansmama]

I think it depends on your neighborhood. We lived by the beach and had NO yard at all so I used to have to take ds to the local parks and beach to play. The streets were crowded with lots of traffic and cigarettes, etc. it wasn't my thing. I really wanted a yard. We moved to a suburban neighborhood on a cul-de-sac with a yard and my kids rarely played in the yard because the neighborhood was so family-friendly.

 

Now we have both and we are very happy. I love eating dinner in the yard in the summer and playing ball with the dog. My kids play on the street though as it is very safe and they are usually organizing some sort of game with the neighbor kids.

 

So, at this point, they rarely use the yard. But after not having a private, safe place to play for years, I'm grateful we have one.

[BigMamaBird]

We have a fairly small backyard, at least it's smaller than I would prefer. But we live in a very safe neighborhood with terrific neighbors. So I'm comfortable allowing the kids to run across the street to play with the kids over there or to wander down to the creek.

[Pawz4me]

As others have said, it really just depends. A yard isn't important to us. At our former house we had an acre lot and got really, really sick and tired of all the yard work. We moved closer to town and into a larger house with a much smaller yard. And we're much happier. Our neighborhood is great for walking and biking, has a community pool as well as a small playground for younger kids (which mine were never interested in even when they were younger). The walking and biking and pool provide plenty of outside opportunities for us.

[justamouse]

It doesn't qualify for us with homeschooling, it DOES make a difference as far as gardening, flowers, pool. I need to grow things. The back yard provides that opportunity.

 

AND what matters most in that aspect is the kind of land. I had two acres that grew nothing, it was all acidic clay. Now I have .6 acres and have so much gardening to do I can hardly keep up.

[Donna]

A backyard is very important to us. We have 1.5 acres and have a garden, herb garden, and chickens. At our house before this one we lived on a pond where the kids could canoe, fish, and catch all sorts of creatures. We've always had room for them to ride bikes, skateboard, and have a basketball hoop. I would not want a house without a yard even with my kids getting older.

[Susan in TN]

I thought we'd need a big yard but the house we found and loved has a fairly weird yard - no back yard to speak of, and a little side yard that is mostly trees and mud and just enough space for our chicken coop. It's been great, actually. The kids climb the Bradford Pear tree, dig holes, help plant small gardens, and play in the tree mud. There is a sidewalk that they play on with scooters and chalk. Across the street is a huge park, so we go there to run around and ride bikes in open spaces.

[6packofun]

We are a somewhat loud family and I feel like we *need* backyard space. Not a ton, but enough to run around and always have the possibility of a veggie garden. If I were to pick a place to stay long-term, I'd want at least 1/3 acre.

[Tita Gidge]

A less-than-stellar yard wouldn't keep me from buying an otherwise great home, especially with a park and open lot nearby :)

 

I think one's climate should influence once's prioritization of "great house" versus "great yard" -- if you're in an area with mild temps year-round, an outdoor space can prove essential. If you're in an area with more pronounced seasons, and a yard would be less desireable or even unuseable during part of the year ... maybe a dinky yard is okay, you know? LOL

 

I briefly lived on a mountain. Lots of neighbors loved being outdoors in the snow; me, not so much! In that case, I'd have chosen great house over great yard. But I grew up a block from the beach, so great yard won out over great house because we spent so much time outdoors.

[Acadie]

I keep vacillating on this very question! I'm definitely drawn to what I see as a more European lifestyle, with a minimalist, smaller living space and the expectation that we'll go out to local parks and more distant wilderness areas for recreation. But I also love the idea of my children having space to roam, explore, and create imaginative worlds, which is how I felt growing up on 3/4 acre. I think you can have a wonderful life either way, and minimizing commuting time is a huge factor in terms of quality of life.

 

Currently we have about just over .1 acre, which is enough for a hammock, basketball hoop and small garden, but not enough to give that free range feeling.... No commute to speak of for dh, though. He can walk to work in 10 min, and since he works at a university it means we all have easy access to the gym, performances, etc., and that we can own just one car. The benefits are great, and I think we'll end up sticking with the current arrangement, even though I have these longings for more land and fantasies of associated freedom.

 

Amy

[Jennay]

I had no idea I would be in the minority in saying that a decent sized backyard is very important to my homeschooling life. When I had a nursing/sleeping baby I couldn't always take a walk with my boys to the park. It was so nice to just send them out into the fenced in backyard to play. Our backyard is off the main level so I can sit in the living room and work with one child on their schoolwork while the others are outside playing and I can still keep an eye on them. Our yard isn't huge - but it's big enough for a swingset, a sandbox, has a perfect size sledding hill for little ones, and enough space for a game of catch or tag.

[Starr]

Make good use of the small yard and go to the park every day. I would love living in a city near a park.

[HollyDay]

*I* want a big back yard with room for a garden and a playset and a pool and a cozy hammock and patio furniture and an area to grill and enough space for kiddos to run around and play badminton and furry children to romp.

 

Dh wants a huge backyard.

 

Dc want to read, watch old movies, put together lego sets, knit, play music (as in instruments), and generally stay indoors.

[RoundAbout]

I would rather be near a park. I have an only child so a small yard for a sand table and some digging is fine. For bigger play we need to go to a park with kids anyway.

 

If I had a large family a if yard would be much more of a priority.

[~*Beatrix*~]

My DH does commute 45 minutes to an hour for a demanding job that requires many hours. Why? Because here, we could afford a house on a big culdesac with a huge backyard. Our kids climb the huge willow tree, dig, plant, run, ride bikes and scooters in the culdesac, etc.

 

Is it for everyone? No. But for our family it was the right choice. Our kids are "outside kids." They play outside literally all day long if I let them, even in the snow (we live in Minnesota). My husband loves that he gets to leave behind the stress of the city when he comes home. So he really does not mind the commute at all. His big draw to this house is that he can literally exit out of our backyard and attach to hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails! He was out on it today and took the kids for rides to the corner store for a candy bar. Our neighborhood also hooks up with a major trail system and a huge regional park, so we regularly go for long bike rides on the trail, go geocaching, go hiking, etc., when the weather is nice.

 

Those are our reasons for choosing a .6 acre lot on a cul-de-sac and a longer commute vs. a tiny city lot and a shorter one. But every family is different.

[bettyandbob]

I like the idea of walking to everything and dh having no commute. No commute maximizes his time with the kids--that is more important than a yard. I have a townhouse and a small yard. I like going to parks. I have just enough for small garden. When ds was little he liked to dig,s I let him dig up the front yard. That kept him occupied for hours. He outgrew that I have now planted a few perrinneals in front. As far as yard and homeschool, I don't think there is a correlation.

[Mrs Mungo]

We have had a tiny yard. But, I like to have a yard of some kind, mostly because we have a dog. We have chosen less of a drive time for dh and a smaller house/yard. But, we have also done a bigger house with a commute. It has really depended upon the location, job and activities available for kids.

[windmillmarie]

I grew up half the time in Chicago and half in Rockford and both with tiny yards. I know exactly what you are talking about when you mean city-wise yard space. I'd say go with the better house in the neighborhood that makes you happy and make your small space work for you.

 

Do you mind if I ask what city you are in? You can shoot me a PM if you'd rather. One thing I have noticed from moving around this general area so much is that people that have grown up in small towns or suburbs don't really get the neighborhood idea of bigger cities. That's not a slam on it- my DH is like that- but there's just a completely different vibe to living in a big city and a big yard is not necessary.

 

If your DH's commute would be killer to get to a safe suburb, than I don't know if I'd go for that. I have a lot of friends that do, don't get me wrong, but it wouldn't be for me. My old job was about 40 miles down the tollway from a place we were renting a few years ago, but the traffic was ridiculous. That wouldn't have lasted long at all for me if I had stayed at that job.

[EmilyGF]

My husband loves that he gets to leave behind the stress of the city when he comes home. So he really does not mind the commute at all. His big draw to this house is that he can literally exit out of our backyard and attach to hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails!

 

I totally understand this, but for my hubby, his job is the hobby he would literally do for no money, so he doesn't need or want to get away from it all. I guess I shouldn't be complaining!

 

We're just trying to figure out how to weave all the parts of our lives together.

 

He also grew up on the 4th floor of an apartment building and thinks kids grow out of yards (and into parks) at a fairly young age. Also, I'd need to be in charge of yard work if we had one... but still... :-)

 

Emily

[itsheresomewhere]

I have to have a yard. We garden, play outside nonstop plus have dogs. DH drives over 1 hr to work daily because we don't like living near the city.

[~*Beatrix*~]

Emily, I totally get it-- different strokes :) My DH grew up on a farm, lol! So obviously there are different schemas and expectations there when it comes to priorities :) And for many kids, trips to the park are just what they need. No yard required. We have three within walking distance that we do love. I think it's just a matter of knowing your family's needs, and it sounds like you do. Good luck! Buying is a fun and stressful process!

[MrsJewelsRae]

It would be pretty tough for us with our 3 and the dog. We're used to lots of space now. We're on 10 acres, with an orchard, forest, creek, and some farmland. My kids are used to a lot of space and they're loud. Before we moved here 5 years ago we lived in a town house with a 3 and 5 yr old, we had a shared yard with all the other town house renters, there was no privacy, no fence and we hated it because any kid would wander over to play with our kids whether we wanted them there or not- and there were some kids we did not want our kids playing with so we'd have to excuse ourselves and go inside. If the neighborhood was nice to walk in (sidewalks) and close to parks, I suppose we could hande it so long as the backyard we had was fully private.

[Dandelion]

We live on 5 wooded acres and we make full use of all that space. The kids love to run around and they spend most of the day outside 9 months out of the year (we're all going stir-crazy right now). We even do school outside when it's warm enough. I don't think a tiny backyard would work for us.

 

But since you'll be close to a park and an open space, I think you could make that work if everything else (the house, the commute, etc.) is what you're looking for.

[MistyMountain]

I wanted a decent sized yard for a suburb city anyway to turn it into a big garden. My yard is only just under a quarter acre but I plan on making the most out of every square inch for gardening. I live in a suburb city so a nice walkable neighborhood isn't really available except in a few places that have other issues. I could live with a small yard if it was the right neighborhood. I lived in a condo until recently and we still got outside a lot. We were close to a trail and I prefer that to a yard anyway. We use the trails in out city a lot. There are many advantages to living in a city especially being close to work and within walking distance to everything. To me that beats having a yard. It is great that you are right next to open space and walking distance to a park. It also would depend on the layout of the neighborhood but it sounds like a good layout. A long daily commute isn't an option for us because of the carbon footprint.

[Rosie_0801]

Ds would start chewing things again and wanting to wrestle with me every minute of every day if we moved out of here and back to a suburban block. We used to live two blocks from a park, but he was so exhausting I could hardly ever haul us over there without feeling sure I'd end up asleep on the park bench. I didn't realise how much better life could be for both of us until we moved out to the sticks. If your kiddo doesn't have sensory issues and can be trusted to play nicely in a park without running for the road, I'm sure you'd be happy with a small yard and a park around the corner. A small yard with a park nearby would be better than having an extra 200 square metres and no park nearby.

[J-rap]

You can make do with just about anything! I would much rather live with a smaller yard and less commute. We lived in a 3rd floor apt. for several years with three children and a dog. We've lived in our home now for 20 years though, with a very small yard. As long as we have a yard, I'm really glad it's fenced in. That way, when my kids were young, they could safely could out there and I wouldn't have to worry about them wandering. There was enough room for a tree swing and a sand box. They were plenty happy. They rode their bikes in front on the sidewalks a lot, and there are several parks in the area.

 

One thing, we are a dog family. When we had a lot of young children at home, it was nice to be able to just let him out to "do his chores," even though it was a small area. I could even run him round and round in circles for exercise. :) And we never had small dogs. We have a big church parking lot across the street, and late at night I'd often bring the dog there to get in a good run.

[Night Elf]

I had a fairly big backyard when my kids were the age to use one. And they never did. The most they did out there was use the trampoline which would have fit into a smaller backyard. We had a swingset but they very rarely used it. They just weren't outdoorsy kids. When we moved, we ended up with a small fenced in yard, a must have for our dogs. The kids missed the trampoline when we moved but our house insurance was going to drop us if we didn't get rid of it. They only used the deck for reading after that.

[AnIslandGirl]

We have friends that live in the city, and they have the most beautiful rooftop garden. Depending on the style of home you are looking at, this might be a great option for that extra outdoor space you desire.

[Carrie12345]

My kids are like dogs; they have to run, lol.

We have a large piece of property, but only small sections of it are really usable for the kids, which stinks. But, if we were a block from a park, I wouldn't worry about it so much.

[Ottakee]

We had to have a minimum of 5 acres when we bought our house last year. We though have 3 horses, 10 chickens, 3 cats, and a dog.

 

If you have access to a playground, walking trails, sidewalks, open spaces, etc. I think it certain could work..........and you would have a lot less yard work than we do.

[Mimm]

I need a yard. When my kids were little they used to spend hours in the sandbox my father-in-law put under the tree when we moved in. We had a swing set and we would set up kiddy pools on the porch in the summer. Now the swing is gone but we have a trampoline and a garden. Plus we have two small dogs that need an outside to run and play in. I feel like our back yard is a pretty good size. It's not huge but it's adequate for what we need.

[Mom in High Heels]

It is not a big deal to us. We've lived in military quarters (apartments) for 11 years with no yard at all. The last time we lived in the States, we bought a house on a cup de sac with a HUGE backyard, thinking Indy would play in it. Nope. He played on his swing set and drove his little electric car around in it, but that was about all. The dogs (small) roamed around, but they didn't need a large space either. It was mostly a big empty space. We wanted to do big flower garden areas in the yard, but it was crazy expensive, so we didn't. A small yard would be fine for us, and far less maintenance.