A Simple Way to Choose the Right Backyard Play System
A clear, step-by-step guide to designing a Rainbow Play System that fits your yard, your family, and how your kids will actually use it.
If you’re exploring backyard play systems and trying to understand the differences between sizes, structures, and options, this guide will walk you through the key decisions in a simple, logical way.
At Skillful Home Recreation in Portland, we’ve helped families across Maine choose the right play systems for more than a decade. Rainbow Play Systems are built differently than typical swing sets—designed for long-term outdoor use, everyday play year around, and the ability to grow with your family over time.
For many families, a play system becomes more than just something in the yard. It becomes a place kids go without being asked, a daily habit of getting outside, and a gathering spot for siblings and friends.
The right setup depends on your yard, how many kids will use it, and how you want the space to be used—whether it’s everyday play for just your family, a place to gather friends together, or something your kids will grow into over time.
Guide Overview
Why Rainbow Play Systems?
If you’re researching playsets in Maine, you’re likely looking for something that will hold up over time, feel substantial in your yard, and actually get used day after day, year around.
At Skillful Home Recreation in Portland, we focus on Rainbow Play Systems because they’re built differently from typical swing sets.
Constructed from 100% cedar with large structural beams and heavy-duty hardware, Rainbow play systems are designed for long-term outdoor use and everyday play. Just as important, their engineering reflects a strong emphasis on stability, structural integrity, and safety from the start.
Rainbow Play Systems are backed by an industry-leading warranty, including lifetime coverage on structural components, major play features, and key hardware.
It’s a reflection of how these systems are built—designed for long-term outdoor use, everyday play, and years of reliability.
They’re also designed to grow with your children. Rather than being outgrown in a few years, these systems can expand and evolve as kids get older and more adventurous.
For families across Maine, that combination of durability, safety-minded design, flexibility, and everyday usability makes Rainbow one of the most thoughtfully designed backyard play systems available.
What a Backyard Play System Becomes
The best place to begin is how the system will live in your space and fit your family.
The right setup depends on your yard, how many kids will use it, and how you want the space to be used—whether it’s everyday play, a gathering spot for friends, or something your kids will grow into over time.
Before getting into sizes and features, it helps to think about what this becomes over time.
For many families, a play system becomes:
• a place kids go without being asked
• a daily habit of getting outside
• a gathering spot for siblings and friends
Over time, it changes how the backyard is used—and how time at home feels.
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Step 1 — Choose Your Style: Castle or Clubhouse
Rainbow Play Systems are designed in two core styles. Both offer the same durable cedar construction, expandability, and long-term use—the difference is how the space feels and how it’s used day to day.
Castles
Castle systems create a more open, active play experience.
They’re designed around movement—climbing, swinging, and moving between different parts of the structure. Elevated decks connect to slides, ladders, monkey bars, and swing beams, creating a layout that encourages constant activity.
Best for families who want a more active, high-energy play space.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse systems create a more enclosed, imaginative play experience.
They include larger roofed play areas and defined spaces where kids can gather, invent games, and use the structure more like a backyard hideaway.
Best for families who want a balance of play and imaginative space.
Step 2 — Choose Your Starting Size
Once you’ve chosen your style, the next step is choosing the base size of your system. Starting Size or Base Size refers to the size of the starting structure. The overall footprint can grow significantly depending on the combination of base size, package and options you choose.
A few things that tend to guide the decision:
- Available space in your yard
- How many kids will be using it regularly
- Whether it’s mainly for everyday play for your family or also for groups and friends
- How much room you want your kids to grow into over time
Rainbow Play Systems are built in five core sizes, each available in both Castle and Clubhouse styles:
Circus (M) — Compact
- Deck Height: 5′ | Swing beam height: 8′
- Best for smaller yards or one to two children
- Circus systems can be built with a variety of features and upgrades—but are designed as more fixed, self-contained systems.
Sunshine (L) — Taller, More Deck Space
- Deck Height: 5.2′ | Swing beam height: 8.5′
- Most popular starting point
- Substantially more add-ons and options
- Modular and expandable
Rainbow (XL) — Great for More Kids
- Deck Height: 5′8″ | Swing beam height: 9′
- Balanced and versatile (great for different ages)
- Bigger even more versatile with 8 rail openings which allows more design options
- Modular and expandable
Monster (XXL) — Larger Decks, Longer Slides, More Presence
- Deck Height: 6′ | Swing beam height: 9.25′
- Most unique series
- Better for bigger yards, more kids and more active play
- Modular and expandable
King Kong (3XL) — Largest, Most expansive
- Deck Height: 7’2″ | Swing beam height: 10.5′
- Best for large yards and multiple kids
- Fully expandable
Step 3 — Build Your Play System (Packages)
Rainbow Systems are built in layers—each package adds to the one before it. Packages are the primary way the system grows—adding structure, features, and overall size.
When you choose a higher package, everything below it is included.
How the Packages Build
• Package I → base structure (included in all systems)
• Package II → adds swing beam
• Package III → adds monkey bars
• Package IV → adds penthouse
• Package V → adds slide from penthouse
How to Think About It
- The package you choose plays a major role in how large and fully built-out the system becomes.
- Many of the larger systems you’ll see are simply higher package levels built onto the same starting size.
- You don’t have to get everything on day one—many families start with a Package III and add to it over time as their kids grow.
- Options can expand the system further, adding features or extending the overall footprint.
Step 4 — Choose Your Color Style
All Rainbow Play Systems are available in five color styles:
- Classic Rainbow canopy
- Forest Green canopy (yellow slide)
- Forest Green canopy (green slide)
- Wood Roof (yellow slide)
- Wood Roof (green slide)
This choice is purely aesthetic—choose the look that fits your home and your yard.
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Step 5 — Choose Your Options (Simplified)
Rainbow offers many possible options—but most of them won’t apply to your system.
Once your starting size and package are chosen, your options narrow down quickly.
You’re not choosing from 100 things—you’re choosing from a small set that fits your design.
How Options Are Organized
Most options fall into a few main categories:
• Castle or Clubhouse-specific features
• Swings (tire swings, gliders, hammocks, etc.)
• Slides (length, scoop vs. spiral)
• Monkey bars and climbing features
• Penthouse and structure upgrades
• Play features (panels, picnic tables, accessories)
For a more in depth look at the options >
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What to Expect
Most families are simply choosing a few key elements within these groups—based on how their kids like to play.
Options can also expand the system—adding features or extending the overall footprint.
We’ll Help You Put It All Together
At first, the number of choices can feel like a lot—but it’s actually a very well-designed system that becomes simple once you see how it works.
We’ll walk you through the entire process—from choosing the right size and structure to narrowing the options—so everything fits your yard, how your kids play now, and how they’ll grow into it over time.
Professional Installation
Every Rainbow Play System we sell includes professional delivery and installation. These are large, permanent backyard structures—not weekend DIY projects—so proper setup matters for both safety and long-term performance.
We handle the full process so everything is installed correctly, securely, and ready for your family to use—so you can simply enjoy it.
Learn more about our installation process >
Visit Our Portland Showroom
Skillful Home Recreation
533 Forest Avenue
Portland, Maine 04101
207-775-3000
