You will need
- Plywood, woodworking tools, sheathing material, sound component, wires, lighting lamps, toys and accessories.
Instructions
First you need to decide what exactly yours will be. It’s quite difficult to do it in a city, unless you have a two-story apartment. Best for creating a labyrinth Vacation home or dacha. Think about where you want to place the future labyrinth. It could be basement your house. This will give your labyrinth more mystery and mystery. You can also make a small maze for your children to play in. By placing it under the second floor, you can watch from above as your child tries to find the only correct path.
Let's say that you have chosen the basement as the location for the future labyrinth. now is the time to think about the drawing. This is one of the most important parts of building a labyrinth. There are labyrinths different types and of varying complexity. The best labyrinth in the house is rectangular or square. This labyrinth is easy to build. Design a detailed maze on paper. You can take it already ready-made diagram from any source, or you can use your own imagination. Remember that there should only be one correct exit to a maze. Also try not to make the paths too complicated. Still, this is a little entertainment for your guests, not torture. After making the sketch, make an accurate drawing with dimensions. The width should be sufficient for an adult to move comfortably in it, but not too wide so as to create the impression of an enclosed space.
Now that I'm ready detailed drawing, you can proceed directly to preparing the premises. It is necessary to completely clean it of unnecessary items. Also examine the floor, walls and ceiling for unevenness. They need to be removed. Now you need to purchase the material from which you will make the corridors of the future labyrinth. It is best to use thin sheets and plywood. They are easy to process and do not take up much space. You need to take the material with a reserve in case you spoil some of the workpieces.
Make labyrinth blanks from the purchased material. There will be a lot of them, so you should collect them as they are made, starting from the far wall. It is recommended to fasten the parts together with screws. Make sure that the bottom of the parts fits tightly to the floor and that there are no small gaps through which light can penetrate. When all the pieces are installed, you need to think about lighting. Here everything depends only on your imagination. It is best to install small lamps in different parts labyrinth, but this must be done evenly so as not to highlight the correct exit path.
After installing the lighting, you need to take care external decoration. You can paint the walls of the labyrinth in some color or imitate the surface oak boards. But it is best to cover the walls of the labyrinth with fabric, for example, a material similar to velvet. Also think about accessories. Install stylized toys with mysterious dim lighting. They will look beautiful the bats with glowing eyes. You can also hang portraits of magicians or sorcerers, lightly lighting them. It will be very realistic if you add sound to everything. To do this, install several speakers on the ceiling. To do this, use round speakers.
You can also equip your labyrinth with a video tracking system, then you will be able to monitor all the movements of the guest. Don't forget about the correct exit route as well. It needs to be highlighted somehow. It is best to use light signals. For example, in the middle of all corridors lay LED strip. Lay a green tape on the right path, and red tape on the wrong path. Connect the tapes to one button or remote control, now when you press a button, a lost person can easily find the exit.
Do you want to diversify your children’s holidays by turning available materials into a field for creativity? Then, when arranging a playground and making play equipment, use old household equipment and natural materials that have not found use in the household. Be sure that the children's playground created by your hands will always be filled with laughter and the ringing voices of the children playing on it.
Playing with water is one of the most favorite activities for children of any age. They can not only entertain an inquisitive child, but also serve as a means of understanding the world around them.
You can enjoy communicating with the water element by setting up an impromptu water labyrinth on the grass in the play area of the site
You can assemble a water labyrinth from containers of any size. For this purpose, feel free to use:
- plastic bottles;
- an old teapot with a spout;
- flowerpots and pots;
- metal bowls and bowls.
But it is still most preferable to use plastic bottles when arranging the labyrinth. It is convenient to cut them both lengthwise and crosswise, giving the desired shape. Some of the bottles can even be screwed on with plastic caps, after drilling small holes in them.
The containers only need to be placed on a vertical plane so that the water smoothly flows from one to another, going down to the foot of the structure. To create grooves and tunnels, it is convenient to use polypropylene rigid or corrugated, easily bendable pipes of different diameters.
As a reliable, but at the same time lightweight support for placing the structure, it is easiest to use a fence, a firmly fixed trellis or one of the walls of the house
There is no strict technology for creating a water supply labyrinth: containers can be placed on a vertical plane in any order. The easiest way to secure bottles and bowls to the shield is with clamps and screws. Elements can be made either stationary or removable. The second option is preferable because it allows children to change the location of the bowls during the game, each time creating new paths for the flowing streams.
The bowls suspended at different heights can only be connected with pipe sections, laying them under different angles so that when the water flowed down it created interesting turns and unexpected turns.
To make the process of water flowing more spectacular, first tint the liquid with watercolors or gouache paints in the desired shade.
Such a labyrinth, created from improvised materials, will certainly cause a lot of delight in children, giving an excellent opportunity to have fun doing an interesting activity.
Playing with water will contribute to the development of coordination of the child’s movements in the eye-hand system and tactile-kinesthetic sensitivity, while at the same time relieving tension and providing a psychotherapeutic effect.
Option #2 – natural constructor
Small stumps, round cuts and those remaining after pruning orchard branches can also be used on the playground. They will serve as an excellent basis for creating a natural building set.
It will be pleasant for a child to pick up carefully cleaned blocks, using them for the construction of multi-tiered towers and high castles
From stumps, young designers will be happy to build forest houses for dolls and reliable fortresses for the soldiers guarding them, and from round saw cuts, children will build pyramids and multi-level structures.
Thinner branches and fir cones can be used as material for laying out puzzles on the grass or for creating geometric patterns
To protect babies from scratches and splinters when playing with natural material, each workpiece must be thoroughly cleaned sandpaper from nicks and sharp edges.
Material about crafts for the playground will also be useful:
Option #3 – twister on the grass
Young fidgets will appreciate the invitation to play an active game of twister. The main task of the game is to maintain balance by resting your feet and palms on the circles drawn on the playing field at a certain distance from each other. The rules of the game are so simple that children can master them in just a few minutes.
It’s hard not to laugh when trying to fulfill the leader’s task and reach the desired circle with your foot or palm without burying your face in the grass
The beauty of the twister game is that it is interesting not only to play. Watching from the side how the participants try to twist themselves into the position indicated by the arrow is very exciting and funny.
In order not to bother with laying out a large canvas each time, the playing field for the twister can be built directly on the grass. To work you will need:
- string and pegs for marking the area;
- round cardboard stencil;
- a set of thick cardboard strips;
- 2 cans small diameter;
- spray paint in 4 colors.
The playing field circles in a traditional twister set are painted in four colors: yellow, red, green and blue. In the absence of such shades, you can use any other color you like. The main thing is that it looks contrasting against the background of green grass.
When choosing paint for applying circles, give preference to compositions based on latex, vinyl-acrylic or water-based. They have bright, rich colors and do not pose a risk to children's health.
To arrange the playing field, select a flat area measuring 4x2.5 meters. Using pegs and string, mark the boundaries of the future field and mark 4 lines for placing rows of colored circles. Then, dividing each line into 6 equal sections, mark points for placing colored circles. You should end up with a field consisting of 4 rows, each of which contains 6 circles of the same color.
To ensure that the colored circles have smooth edges and the playing field has a neat appearance, use a stencil when painting the “islands”
Spray the paint through the stencil, forming row after row of the playing field. While the paint dries, begin making the tape measure. It will indicate which position a particular player needs to take. It can be made from the same cardboard. But you can do it much simpler. This will require 2 jars. They will contain strips:
- in the first jar - strips of the corresponding four colors;
- in the second - white stripes with the image of the right and left foot and, accordingly, the right and left palm.
During the game, the presenter will simply take one strip out of the jars and form a “paired” task for each of the players one by one.
An exciting game on fresh air will become a bright attribute of the recreation area and will easily turn an ordinary day off into a fun holiday
Option #4 – music wall with xylophone
Noise instruments contribute to the development of children's musical and creative abilities, not to mention the joy that a home orchestra organized by them brings to the children. By combining all kinds of “noisemakers”, “rattlers”, “ringers” into single design, you can build a musical wall.
DIY noise instruments made from improvised materials will make your child hear in a new way. amazing world sounds
To create a music wall you will need:
- empty tin cans;
- metal covers;
- plastic bottles;
- old cutlery.
In principle, you can use any kitchen utensil from which you can make sounds. Plastic bottles can easily be used as rattles by filling them with old buttons or persimmon and apricot seeds, and then hanging them on a strong thread from the shield.
Several hanging on old hanger metal corners and old discs will make a sound similar to bells every time they come into contact with each other.
To turn nut shells into “ratchets” and plastic lids turning bottles into “rattlers” requires a minimum of effort and skill
By varying the ways of playing, the baby will explore sounds, creating musical images that are close to him and taking his first steps in playing music.
To create more muffled sounds, but not inferior in melody, you can even build a xylophone. The instrument externally resembles a small shield, including up to twenty wooden plates connected to each other in a sequential scale.
Assemble a xylophone from 10-15 wooden blocks. The longest plate can reach 50-60 cm, and each subsequent one should be 3-4 cm shorter than the previous one
To protect young musicians from splinters and scratches, each block is cleaned with sandpaper. The middle of each “note” is marked with a marker. Stepping back from the center 4-5 cm in each direction, mark points for the holes for fixing the rope. A rope is attached along the intended contour, securing it with nails or paper clips so that the distance between the bars is at least 1.5 cm.
When hanging a xylophone, pay attention to the angle of inclination: it largely determines the sound of the instrument.
Playing with sounds is a sure way to start improvisation, thanks to which a child will successfully develop figurative-associative thinking
Such outdoor games will help develop imaginative perception of music, opening up wide scope for children to express their “I”.
Option #5 – stone cave of the “elves”
All children, without exception, love to spend time building different shelters. They can spend hours tinkering in the garden with branches, blankets and curtains, then creating their own home.
However, such buildings have one annoying drawback: if they move carelessly during active games, they can literally collapse before our eyes. Take the initiative into your own hands and offer to build a stronger house for the young fidgets.
Having built fairytale house“elves”, you will provide the children with their own space and give young dreamers the opportunity to develop their imagination
A fairytale house that looks like a stone cave is easy and fun to make. It is better to choose a place for its arrangement on an open area that is clearly visible from all sides. Its surface is leveled and cleared of stones and plant roots.
To make an elf house you will need:
- a piece of tarpaulin or thick polyethylene film measuring 2.5x2.5 m;
- reinforcing wire mesh;
- wire ties;
- plastic pipe d20 mm;
- M300 concrete, sifted sand and water.
For work, you can use either a metal reinforcing mesh or one made of polypropylene.
From the materials you need to prepare:
- scissors for working with metal;
- container for mixing the solution;
- plaster trowel;
- spray;
- insulating tape;
- protective clothing, gloves and glasses.
The prepared base is lined with a layer of tarpaulin. This will make the cleaning process easier later. construction remains and pieces of falling frozen cement mixture.
Material on how to create original figures for a garden from cement will also be useful:
The first step is to build a circle for the base of the frame. To do this, cut a piece of pipe 5 meters long and connect its ends to each other.
The easiest way to form a circle is to connect the ends of the pipe end-to-end using a connecting tube of a smaller diameter, securing the joined edges by wrapping electrical tape
Vertical arches of the frame are erected using the same PVC pipe d20 mm. To do this, take 4 equal segments 3.5 m long. Arches are formed from the segments, placing them at right angles to each other. The edges of each segment are fixed to the base, evenly filling the gaps around the entire circumference.
Two horizontal crossbars are fixed to the vertical arches: the lower one is 4.7 meters long, the upper one is 3.4 meters long. Cross members are placed along outside frame, fixing them to the arches with electrical tape.
To form the walls of the cave, the finished frame is wrapped with reinforcing mesh. Wire ties will help ensure reliable fastening, which must be done along the entire plane every 250 mm. To create more reliable design The mesh is applied in 2-3 layers.
Having marked the place for arranging the doorway, use wire scissors to cut off the excess part of the mesh and bend the edges. Using the same principle, a small window is made opposite the doorway.
The walls of the house are “built” from cement mortar, diluted in a separate container, laying it on a mesh and evenly distributing it over a vertical surface
Apply the cement mixture only with protective latex gloves, the dense structure of which will protect delicate skin from “corrosion.”
Laying out ready mixture on the mesh, do not press too hard, otherwise when pressed it will fall through the cells. To create strong walls, the solution is laid out in several layers, maintaining a time interval of 5-8 hours before applying each subsequent one. There is no need to rush at this stage. The labor-intensive process can take several days. If the plaster dries out too quickly, wet the surface with water from a spray bottle or a regular hose before applying each subsequent layer.
If under the weight plaster mixture the wire base will begin to sag; until the solution hardens, support the walls with wooden blocks.
Laying out each layer of plaster and waiting until it acquires the necessary strength, you should use a plaster trowel to correct surface unevenness.
After applying the last layer, all that remains is to slightly level the walls of the cave, carefully cleaning out the defects, while trying to preserve its “natural” appearance
To protect the building from precipitation and make it more presentable appearance, coat the outer and inner walls with oil or water-based paint. Yes, to create such a cave you will have to put in a lot of effort. But the result will fully justify this: there will be no limit to children’s happiness. Little dreamers and young fans of elves will enjoy spending time in their new fairy-tale “home”.
If you wish, you can even build several caves nearby, creating a small town for children to role-play and transform into fairy-tale characters.
Svetlana Plyukhina
for teachers and parents
for making the board game “Labyrinth”
do it yourself from available materials
Dear colleagues and parents!
I present to you board game"Labyrinth" for children
junior and senior preschool age.
Board games are increasingly winning children's hearts. They diversify their leisure time in a fun and colorful way. My advice to you is not to rush to buy games in stores, but try to make them yourself. This will help you create a special playing style.
Among the old and favorite varieties of board games and puzzles lives a labyrinth.
The labyrinth has always been considered a difficult challenge, requiring attentiveness and perseverance. Of course, labyrinths in educational games for children are not as intricate and treacherous as those for adults, but the child will need some effort to find a way out. Ball Maze is a puzzle game aimed at developing not only logical thinking, but also coordination of movements, concentration, perseverance, and concentration.
Remember how earlier in our childhood, in a small thin plastic box with one transparent side there was a labyrinth through which you had to roll a metal ball to the center or to a hole where it was supposed to fall through.
You can make these kind of labyrinths yourself - fun, entertaining and educational. And everything that is made with your own hands is also incredibly expensive and valuable!
I bring to your attention “Labyrinth with tunnels”.
It is not difficult to reproduce such a labyrinth at home for children; for this we will need:
Cover from a cardboard box,
Rolls from leftover toilet paper,
Small bead, you can use a big bead,
Gouache or colored paper,
Scissors,
PVA glue,
Pencil,
Ruler.
It is most convenient to use the lid from the box - it is strong and not deep.
We glue bushings into it, which we paint in different colors or cover it with colored paper. In the corner of the box we mark a square for the ball to start.
All is ready!
Place the ball and start playing!
Board game "Labyrinth"
for children from 3 to 7 years old.
Purpose of the game: development of children's skills in spatial
orientation on a plane;
developing the ability to move the ball in different directions
through the labyrinth.
Progress of the game: the teacher suggests looking at the box with the labyrinth.
located on the plane of the box. Offers to play and
roll the ball through the maze. Place the ball in one of the corners
boxes. Take the box in your hands and slightly turn the box,
move the ball through the maze, trying to roll it into the tunnels.
If the child is at a loss, offer him help and advice.
adult. With the help of an adult, guide the ball and make the right one
Younger children can simply try to roll the ball around
tunnelers.
Older children can complete tasks - they need to be prepared
cards with the same colors or numbers as on the sleeves.
The cards are shuffled and randomly drawn from
decks. And now we need to go through the labyrinth through the tunnels in
the order in which the colors or numbers came out.
This guide can be used to individual work With
children or the children themselves can use it independently
gaming activity.
Conclusion: The labyrinth is an amazing thing. It would seem that they are just riding
balls through the labyrinth, and it’s so attractive, it’s just some kind of meditation!
Create with your own hands and this board game will not leave you indifferent!
Publications on the topic:
Step-by-step master class for making a didactic board game - “What grows in the garden?” Using a step-by-step master class,.
Master class on making a didactic board game “Collect a sign” for older children, preparatory group. Using this game.
Methodological recommendations “Didactic games for the development of sensory abilities of children of primary preschool age” Guidelines " Didactic games for the development of sensory abilities of children of primary preschool age" INTRODUCTION "Game for.
Methodological recommendations for teachers and parents “Games and exercises used in mental arithmetic” The “Mental Arithmetic” technology is one of the youngest and most promising methods of educating children. The main teaching tool.
Dear colleagues and parents! I present to you a board game for senior preschool age. Many parents sometimes don’t know why.
!
Today we will do real game with a ball and a labyrinth. The author of this homemade product is AlexGyver.
Many of you probably know games in this style. We have a ball in the maze, we need to bring the ball to the exit from the maze. This is hampered by holes into which the ball may fall and you will have to start all over again. Such games appeared on the first smartphones with a normal color screen and a built-in accelerometer and were very popular in their time.
So, why not do something like this in real life, that is, material and maybe even control it, for example, remotely. Let's try.
The platform with the labyrinth will be mounted on two hinges so that it can tilt strictly along two axes. At first the author wanted to make a spherical hinge, but this entails a bunch of other problems. First, let's make a mini-version for debugging the program. To do this, take a square piece of plywood - this will be the table.
The walls of the labyrinth can be made of cardboard, glue it on hot glue. To create a hinge you will need a couple of screws and something to secure them to. The author used a piece of thicker plywood for this.
The ball is like this, 15mm steel.
Next you need to draw the labyrinth itself.
Then we build a labyrinth. I had to change it a little.
Well, let's start drilling. Then we continue drilling with a Chinese step drill.
Next, we complete the labyrinth.
This is how the labyrinth with the ball turned out in material form.
Well, let's try to go through our resulting labyrinth, so to speak, in manual mode. It's not that simple.
The author specially made holes that act as traps. They stand directly in the path of the ball. He also specially made a complex map in advance to make it interesting to play. long years. Well, it seems to be working out fine.
And now it's time to collect electronics. We will move the table using 2 servos; they will be controlled by the Arduino platform and from a smartphone via bluetooth. The scheme is very simple:
The power supply for the servo must be separate and powerful enough; a 2A USB charger or power bank is quite enough. You will find links to all electronic components on the PROJECT page.
There you can also download an archive with the project, which contains all the diagrams and firmware. All instructions are also on the project page. Don't worry, there's nothing complicated there.
First, let's cut and drill cubes for attaching the hinges.
Then we collect. The cube with two holes is central, both axes are attached to it. Now let's secure the field to the hinge using hot glue.
And from below the hinge is attached to a small piece of plywood - this will be more convenient. After successful loading of the firmware and power supply, the servos will rotate to the middle angle, in this position you will need to secure the rocker, that is, exactly in the middle.
Our layout will stand on cardboard box. We secure the servos along two edges using corners. We will transmit the movement using a paper clip, from which we will make connecting rods.
Pay attention to the location of the wire and the direction of the rocker and connecting rod - this is very important! It is in this position that we will attach the drives to the box.
From the archive with the project, download it to your smartphone and install the GyverBall application.
We first set up pairing with the Bluetooth module, the password is 1234 and go to the application settings. Let's connect. Ready. You can now control the labyrinth table. Here you can adjust the sensitivity and calibrate the table horizontally so that the ball does not roll anywhere in the zero position.
But the coolest feature is, of course, the accelerometer. We tick this box and get the same maze game with the same controls, but with absolutely real physics.
It is very difficult to play, because the design is very shaky and behaves a little unpredictably. The table also shakes constantly. At first it seemed that this noise was from the accelerometer, but it turned out that it was not. The problem turned out to be quite unexpected. The author connected the Bluetooth module using the SoftSerial library to be able to debug the program through a port monitor on the computer. But it turned out that using this library interferes with the operation of the servo drive. Keep this in mind if you are doing a project with bluetooth and servos. But this did not stop the author from going through the labyrinth. In general, bluetooth had to be connected directly like this:
And everything began to work perfectly, everything is absolutely stable and nothing shakes at rest. Before flashing the arduino, you need to disable the logical Pin with bluetooth, because the module will interfere with the firmware.
Well, now let's make a larger version. To do this we will need a large sheet of plywood and large powerful servos.
These are Chinese mg995, inexpensive, but very strong guys. The balls will be bigger this time.
The right ball is hollow, but the mass is the same as the left one. Due to the size, the author chose large.
The walls of the labyrinth are built from a 10 by 15 mm cable channel. It took 2.5 m.
This time the maze will have no holes, because we will go through it not for difficulty, but for time. The maze has a bunch of pockets into which the ball will fly by inertia when trying to quickly fly through the section - it will be interesting. Let's do the markings.
The author made a slight mistake and marked the field into 6 parts, but drew the labyrinth in a 5 by 5 grid. So I had to build a new and more interesting labyrinth, still 6 by 6.
We built and built and finally built it! Let's try to go through it manually.
Yes, it is very easy, but it will be difficult if you try to complete it as quickly as possible when controlled from a smartphone. We will make the fastening of the axles, which are M4 screws, from a piece of timber.
The axles themselves will be attached to these corners.
We put everything exactly in the center of the field and collect it. On the lower small square of plywood we will fasten it with screws and nuts. We attach the servos with hot glue.
You need to make slits under the rocking chairs; the mechanism will move there. Let's check.
We will make the connecting rod from an XXL paper clip. Carefully bend the paper clip around the rocking chair at the most right angles so that nothing interferes with its rotation. We measure the height to the bottom piece of plywood and bend it to the same height.
Then we make sharp U-shaped pieces to attach the connecting rod to the field and nail it down.
We collect and check.
Perhaps all owners summer cottages they are trying to do something unusual and original in the yard, something that would make it stand out from the rest. It could be small, hidden between spreading trees, other options. These are all classics, but there are others, more mysterious garden elements– remember, for example, the labyrinths during the Middle Ages, which were framed by luxurious palaces! And something similar (on a more modest scale, of course) can be done by any owner suburban area, if he has the capabilities and desire. And about how to make a garden labyrinth with your own hands, we will tell you in today's article.
Interesting! Did you know that there are several ways to remove tree stumps? If you want to know more about this, then this is for you!
But what's so good about a garden labyrinth? You will be surprised, but this idea has numerous advantages:
- the garden will be arranged in an unconventional, original way;
- it will be useful for children in terms of development;
- family and guests will be able to have great fun.
Determining what a garden labyrinth is
Let's say right away that any labyrinth is extremely complex system, which consists of intricate passages and paths leading to a single goal, namely the center of the entire composition. It is not at all necessary that the labyrinth in the garden be large - there are also relatively small ones among them, distinguished by their emphasized ease of implementation. In addition, to create a composition you can use the most different materials– from traditional hedges to original tracks made of stone.
And if you have children, then remember that such a labyrinth will very quickly become their favorite place to play, because it’s so interesting to play hide and seek there! For adults this is - a great opportunity take a leisurely walk, carried away by your dreams and thoughts.
Note! If we talk about a regular garden, then almost any type of labyrinth is suitable for it, while for a landscape garden it is better to use a fantasy or stone one.
Now - directly to the process of creating a labyrinth!
Stage one. Location, composition
Before you start doing anything, decide where the composition will be located. Obviously, almost all labyrinths can only be fully seen from above, for this reason it is very good if you have some kind of hill on your site or a house with two floors (from the second floor you can admire the delights of the composition). As for the location, it is better to arrange a labyrinth next to a children's playground or recreation area.
The most primitive version of the labyrinth is a twisted spiral, the paths of which connect in the center. But with compositions that have several exits or a dead end, everything is much more complicated. And any park labyrinth in Europe can be an excellent example of this, and if you simplify it, you can get your own original diagram.
When creating a labyrinth, attention should be paid to both the interweaving of the paths and the “heart” of the composition, that is, the central part. It is recommended to set up a recreation area there, for which you can, for example, put a table with chairs, build a pergola, and so on. Even a beautiful sculpture, flower bed, pond or even a sundial can become a “heart”.
Stage two. Choosing plants
If the labyrinth is small, that is, for children, then when creating it you can use annual plants(such as curly parsley), flower pots, small cobblestones. But if the structure is large enough, then it will require planting shrubs. It is important that they are such that neither cutting nor care will cause any particular difficulties (and all this is extremely necessary to give the composition the required shape and adjust the dimensions of the walls).
When creating a medium labyrinth, plants no more than 0.5 meters high are used (this can be low growing spirea, alpine currant, boxwood). All of these crops grow in middle lane. And if you are planning something truly large-scale - a composition in which even adults will fornicate for some time, then the best option there will be trees up to 3 meters high. According to experienced experts, yew, rose hips, Tatarian maple, hornbeam, and others are most suitable for this.
Note! The combination of crop types should be selected so that they have different flowering periods, that is, they bloom not at the same time. Only then will your garden labyrinth look great most of the year!
As already noted, traditionally garden labyrinths are made in the form of a circle, although if desired, you can use any other shape - a triangle, a square, it can even be made in the form of initials. In short, there are a lot of options, so you can safely involve children in the process - they will take part in it with great pleasure. The most primitive version of the composition consists of:
- entrance;
- several turns;
- exit.
As for the forms, the simplest of them are spiral compositions, where all the paths are connected in the center. There is also a cross-cutting design that lacks a distinct “heart.” Now let’s figure out what types of labyrinths are the most popular in landscape design.
Stage three. Let's get down to business - several possible courses of action
There are four main types of composition, and your further actions will depend on which one you have chosen. So, let's take a quick look at everyone.
Option #1. Hedge composition
The most attractive, and therefore tempting, option is a garden labyrinth made from hedges. It is quite obvious that this option is also the most time-consuming and difficult to implement. The crops (this can be either trees or bushes) forming passages in this type of composition require constant care and frequent pruning. Moreover, the area of such beauty will be considerable - no amount of 6 acres will save it in this case.
Although, if the area of the plot is large enough, and you yourself are filled with the desire to keep the hedge “in shape,” then such a structure will turn into your favorite place for walks! Most likely, not only children, but also grandchildren will be able to play in the intricate moves, since with proper care the composition will still be attractive for decades.
If you plan to use a hedge as a “building material,” we advise you to resort to:
- brilliant cotoneaster;
- laurel;
- privet;
- evergreen boxwood.
And if you don’t have the desire to wait for perennial bushes to grow, you can do everything quickly using fast-growing annual crops (this could be, for example, broom kochia, which grows no higher than 1 meter). It forms a dense green mass in record time, and is also quite easy to cut. Although there is a significant drawback - such a labyrinth of annual crops will have to be restored every year, for this reason it is rather a temporary option.
Option #2. Labyrinth made of stone
You can also use a stone to create a labyrinth - in this case finished composition will outwardly resemble the ruins of an ancient fairy-tale structure. Of course, it will be intended exclusively for viewing and, perhaps, for walking, since it will hardly be possible to use it for “wandering.” To lay out a decorative spiral, take small pebbles of the same size, or a masonry side. And if you use large stones, this will help create a kind of walking version of the composition.
If you wish, or, for example, if you think that the stone labyrinth looks too gloomy, you can “revive” it with the help of plants planted between the boulders. In this case, if small pebbles were used, then “alpine” crops (juvenile, sedum) are perfect. But to transform a stone wall, experts advise taking ivy, kobeya, honeysuckle or dichondra.
Option #3. Flower arrangement
Labyrinth in the form of a spiral flower planting enjoys enormous popularity. It is important to select compact flowers with erect stems. Crops must clearly repeat all the outlines of a given composition, which is why spreading flowers are unlikely to be suitable (they, as you know, “love” to grow). It is also undesirable to use reseeding crops to create a garden labyrinth (this could be eschscholzia or poppy), since, as the name implies, they are prone to self-sowing.
Note! If these self-seeding crops are nevertheless used, the composition will lose clarity and become a blurry spot. Therefore, it is better to take compact plants for this - a border rose, for example, or a bush petunia.
As for color, the labyrinth in this regard should be as clear and uniform as possible, otherwise the outlines will be blurred and will not be perceived holistically. And if the composition consists of two spirals connected in the center, then you can use two colors that contrast with each other. By the way, flower composition can only act as an ordinary flowerbed, that is, it can only be inspected or used for walks. If walks were chosen, then between plantings lay gravel paths that clearly follow all the passages.
Option number 4. Fantasy composition
This option is the most unpredictable, since it is away from clear lines and geometric laws. No circuit layout is required here, nor is the presence of a “heart”; the main emphasis here is on the extreme complexity of moves, the maximum number of turns, dead ends in unexpected places. And, walking through such a labyrinth, a person will be able to take part in an exciting journey, during which he will not know what awaits him at the next intersection.
Fantasy-type labyrinths are interesting in that they can be not only a strictly defined area of a suburban area, like the options described above, but can be located throughout the entire garden, including a play area, a recreation area, etc. It is only necessary that the transitions be insignificant and “mixed” with various intersections and turns. Only in this case, the person inside the composition will not know what awaits him just a few meters ahead. And for this, pergolas, trellises or arches decorated with climbing plants can be used.
All plant crops, including hedge, will grow freely here, grow as they “want”, in order to hide from people everything that is a few steps away. And after every turn, something unusual and at the same time pleasant will await the visitor: a beautiful flowerbed, a comfortable bench for relaxation, a plaster sculpture, etc.
Summing up
If you make a garden labyrinth with your own hands, then you definitely won’t regret your idea, since this element of garden design will always attract attention, and you, in turn, will be proud of your creation! And you shouldn’t be afraid that the path to your dream may turn out to be too confusing. There is always a way out in labyrinths, you just need to make an effort and find it!
