The dome chamber is one of the most common alternatives to monkey bars. Like monkey bars, dome chambers are usually made from steel and are made for children to climb, hang and swing on. Kids also like to play inside of the dome, and climb on the outside. Kids not comfortable with the heights of the monkey bars are able to climb and hang on the lower rungs of the dome.
Rope climbers give children an opportunity to work on balance and upper body strength on a network of soft, flexible ropes that prevent bruised knees and bumped heads. Because the structures are not stable, they require more advanced balance abilities than rigid structures. Occasionally, rope structures will incorporate old car tires. Often, rope climbers are integrated with wooden play frames that together give the structure overall a natural look.
Playground equipment companies have developed innovative climbers that allow children to work on balance and upper-body strength in new ways. Manufacturers offer hand holds that can turn any wall into a low-lying climbing wall. This lets kids leery of heights work their arms, traversing the low course. The hand holds can be purchased in packs and are easy to install. Another alternative structure is the Mobius Climber made by Landscape Structures. It's a metal surface that twists off the ground and features several hand holds on both sides of the surface that kids can grab onto to pull themselves over the structure on top, or hang from on the bottom.
For educators hoping to mimic the play opportunities of monkey bars without introducing their hard-to-dispose of metal and steel into their playground, they may find that living play scapes are an attractive alternative. Often build from freshly cut willow branches bent to the desired structure, they create a living natural alternative to plastic and steel structures. The structures change as the seasons change, budding in the spring, flourishing in the summer, changing colors in the autumn, and revealing the branch structure in the winter.