Outdoor play equipment is an investment - no doubt about it - but having made the investment personally, we both think it is one that paid off in full! Our children have spent hours swinging, sliding and hanging from our equipment and we have even been able to add components to the systems as they got older. Interestingly enough, while we both installed our equipment when our kids were small, even our teens still like to swing on them.
Don't forget though, no matter how old your children, they still need supervision on play equipment. Please note that pressure treated wood cannot be sold as of December 2003. Also, be aware that grass is not an acceptable surface for injury prevention and consider checking some of the safer alternatives.
