Clipboard : SWINGS N’ THINGS

Instead of packing up the car and taking the kids to the playground, many parents have opted to bring the park to their own back yards. And the definitive place to go to bring that fantasy home (literally) is swings n’ things in El Toro.

Children go wide-eyed wild as they run into the showroom, which is filled to the rafters with things to explore, climb up, slide down, hang from, swing on and peek out of and crawl through. In fact, there is a bright yellow sign with bold black letters encouraging them to do just that: “PLEASE DO LET YOUR CHILDREN SWING!”

But these elaborate, colorful combinations of monkey bars, tented clubhouses, swings and slides, made of California redwood or pine, are not only a lot of fun, but they “promote good health and exercise,” said George Gordon, who owns the store with wife, Cara. He points out that the playground sets enhance creative skills and develop hand-eye coordination and body strength.

The cost for a private back-yard indulgence ranges from $350 for a basic set with a ladder on each end, a monkey bar on top and two swings, to an elaborate $2,950 set that includes swings, rings, a separate monkey bar system, a rope ladder, tire swing, steering wheel, tented fort and a big slide.

But there are sets that can be customized to somewhere in between basic and elaborate. “All the parts are modular, so we can do as much or as little as you like. And that’s a real advantage since yards in Orange County seem to be so small,” Gordon said.

Yard space, or the lack of it, doesn’t have to be a major problem. When parents visit the showroom, the experts at swings n’ things will study the yard dimensions, and in most cases can come up with a well-designed set to accommodate almost any yard.

Gordon and his crew have installed more than 3,500 sets since they opened their doors seven years ago; business was so good, they opened a second store in Calabasas three years ago. “Most of our business is by referrals--we don’t get much foot traffic here in this industrial park,” said Gordon. “But when we go out and install a set, within 12 to 18 months, we’re back out in the same neighborhood installing a set for someone else.”

Installation can be done one of two ways: either parents can do it themselves, or for a $90 to $350 fee, an installer from swings n’ things will put up the set.

“The back of our T-shirts say ‘we install fun,’ ” said Gordon. And it’s true. Before he can even get the last bolt in, kids are excitedly champing at the bit, “anxiously waiting for us to finish.”

Sounds good, but once this set is installed, will a child neglect it worse than a week-old Christmas present from grandma?

“Nah. There are too many neat things on it,” Gordon emphasized. “Customers who weren’t sure how long their kids would play with it have come back to us and said it was the best investment they ever made. When you give kids so many things to do, they play on it for a long time.”

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sunday

Address: 22600-C Lambert St., Unit 905, El Toro

Telephone: (714) 770-7799