The ups & downs of backyard playgrounds

By Michelle Croyle

It seems no backyard is complete without some sort of swing set for the children to enjoy, but the costs, construction and composition of these backyard playgrounds can vary widely. How can you tell which set-up is best for your family? Take a look at what is out on the market right now.

While the standard, and somewhat old-fashioned, metal sets of the 60’s and 70’s are still in full swing, they often are pushed aside for the durable and attractive wood grain of more expensive and complicated play systems. A standard metal set of two swings, a slide, a see-saw and a trapeze can be picked up at a discount store like Walmart for about $119.00. The fun may be great for the kiddos, but the assembly required is enough to make a parent willing to shell out the big bucks for one of the backyard, corporate giants, like Rainbow Play Systems, Inc., to come in and fully assemble a custom-selected, redwood or cedar number that can be had for as little as around $2,000 and for as much as one that would top the $10,000 mark.

While the metal set may provide issues of rust and cementing the set’s legs into holes that one digs in the ground, and it may not contain all of the bells and whistles of the more pricey sets, one has to wonder if the sensation of flying through the air is really so much greater on the more expensive models to warrant taking out a line-of-credit to purchase one.

However, there is no denying that the accessories available today are an amazing array. Forts, ramps, climbing walls, picnic areas, corkscrew slides and practically any playground delicacy other than caviar served by Jeeves the Butler during playtime can be bought for a price.

Safety is, of course, an issue, and parents must be careful to purchase a set for which their backyard has enough spatial clearance. Topping the ground with basic mulch or highly expensive rubber pieces, or just leaving good, old-fashioned grass as a base are also options that vary the price. Don’t forget to consider the likelihood of splinters from wood, falls from high places and the location of bee hives and hornet’s nests when making your selections. Also consider that many sets suggest an upper age and weight range of ten-years-old and 105 or so pounds per child, especially the cheaper ones.

For the middle-of-the-road consumer, there are plastic sets for younger children and imitations of higher-end models in wood to be had from the Super Centers, as well. Again, consider the amount of assembly involved, and your ability to complete that assembly, or the cost to hire someone to do so, before you choose your purchase. These higher than low, but lower than high, priced models vary in their components, but they can be had for approximately $300 up to more than $2000

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Adult education — degrees online
By Jill L. Ferguson

American humorist, author and screenwriter Sidney Joseph Perelman once said, “Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century.” While this may have been said in jest, statistics prove this statement isn’t completely inaccurate. Learning is a large part of everything we do.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, more than 47 percent of working adults were involved in educational activities in 2004-2005 (the most recent year for statistical data). These educational activities included trainings related to work, classes taken at a college, university or vocational school (but not as a full-time student) and courses taken via distance education. In fact, 32 percent of the adults who took part in some kind of education “reported using some type of distance education.”

Distance education has not only become more popular during the past decade, it has also gained credibility. In February 2006, Congress lifted the “50 percent rule”, which had required schools to offer 50-percent or more of their classes in a physical classroom setting in order for the school’s students to be eligible for federal student financial aid. Now more than 2,500 proprietary, non-traditional schools receive federal student aid.

So maybe you’ve been thinking of going back to school, either to obtain a degree, to learn new skills or to take a class that seems interesting to you, but you’ve been concerned about the cost or you haven’t known how or where to find a “good” program. The first thing you need to do when deciding upon any schooling is to understand your objectives. Why do you want more education? Are you looking for mental stimulation and a night “away” from the kids? Or do you want to work towards a degree? Or maybe you are like Nelson Mandela and believe that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Does it matter to you if the school is state-run, a private institution or a for-profit corporation? The answers to these questions will help determine the kind of program you want.

Fifteen years ago only non-traditional schools offered distance education. Big names in the industry have been the University of Phoenix (whose tagline says that they are the “leading online school since 1976”), Walden University and Argosy University. In the last decade, traditional non-profit colleges and universities have started to offer classes online. Schools, such as Drexel University in Philadelphia and Penn State, for example, now offer e-learning classes and degrees.

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