Had to look up pami pebbles, never heard of them. If kids are just walking around or playing in it I can't see where it would matter. The difference comes if they're potentially jumping or falling into it. There's a table that breaks down the various materials (link below) Anecdotally, I'm not a fan of pea gravel for kids' play areas. We had a fancypants play area built when I was in elementary school and the flooring material was 5" of pea gravel. One got good at surreptitiously picking it out of one's legs during class post-recess to avoid getting sent to the nurse's office. No kid likes hydrogen peroxide. Here is a link that might be useful: fall table, more info

Nothing like the trample of little feet to kill off that lingering ivy! I would not use pea gravel though, that seems a bit harsh for bare knees. How about some plain wood chips? Shade areas are tough to grow flowers in. Several of the things you mention likely go dormant in the summer (not a bad idea if kids are more apt to run around in the summer). Good native perennials include ferns which tend to be very forgiving. Solomon's seal is nice but it has berries if it flowers and you may not want something that tempts. Tough native shrubs include Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) and Clethra. They both sucker a bit and so are more likely to recover from any "accidents". Viburnums and Aronia are also good candidates for that reason. I have to repeat that depending on how much shade you have, you may not get as many flowers as you'd like on these. Hope that helps! Good luck.

As far as I am concerned, NO. You may want to look up (google) the chemicals they are putting on. Over time most cause cancer, nuerological damage, fertility issues organ damage, etc. herbicides and especially chemical pesticides are designed to make living things die or sterile. People are living things. you might want to check out organic alternatives, gardensalive.com is a pretty straight forward catalog. treated lawns are bad for dogs too, as they roll, lay on them, and eat them. Kids then cuddle with the dog, and so on. On a grander scale, all the chemicals are washed away into our water supply and rivers causing damage to the entire community. Sorry to come on strong, I had cancer once and feel that I will do anything to keep anyone else from the pain of that. I really feel that lawn chemicals serve no purpose what so ever, they actually sterilize the soil, the salts and chemicals kill all the microbacteria and other living things in the soil, so over time, you will need more and more for anything green to survive in your yard. I'm may be really granola, but once you read up on soil structure, it is really mindblowing what is going on under your lawn. It is one of the few things that makes me believe in intelligent design. Please read up and make a decision... Thanks, Harriet

No freakin' way should a kid be on the computer that much! And no, an hour a day outdoors is not unreasonable. You're being a good parent. DH is being a lazy parent. My SS is 10. DH used to let him go on the computer when he woke up in the morning (so he'd haul himself out of bed before dawn of course) and be on it ALL DAY LONG. It was a convenient babysitter so DH didn't have to DO anything with him. I said no dice to that. SS was miserable to be around when he was on the computer that much (for example, he'd cry and scream when told to get off the computer and come have lunch) and no kid needs that much video game input. Now, on a school night, he gets a max of 90 minutes of video games. Usually only 1 hour, but sometimes a little more is OK. Many nights he doesn't go on at all now, and doesn't even complain about it anymore! On weekends, he is not allowed on computer or video games until 10am, he is dressed, with teeth brushed, breakfast eaten and bed made. And a max of three hours per day (except if he has a friend over or something unusual like that). He's much more pleasant to be around now!! We also boot him off the computer at least 10 minutes before a meal etc. He's less glazed if he has a few unplugged minutes. We're in Saskatchewan, so it's cold here in the winter and he can't play outside. But he can play Lego, or bedroom hockey, or read books, or colour, or play a game with us. In the summer I kick him outdoors all the time! DH was open to my "no dice" and likes that we can work together. SS was somewhat resistant of course - but has adjusted now.