What OUTSIDE Toys Do You Have???

[SandeeAR]

I'm starting to look for toys for playing outdoors this spring and summer. My kiddos are 2.5 y/o, 1 y/o, 10 mos and 5 mos.

I currently have a regular large swing set with slide. A little kids slide, a sand table, a picnic table, a little tykes red car, basketball goal, hula hoop, balls, plastic golf set, a couple of large plastic cars.

What other things do your kids love to play with. Looking for ideas of what to purchase. Remember, I have mainly Little Guys/Gals!

[cillybean83]

i have a little tykes picnic table, a sand and water table, a wading pool, some little ride on toys, some tonka trucks, and I'm getting a slide

[kendallina]

My outside is not great...

I have a patio that's all mine but the grassy yard is shared with all the other townhouses next to me, so I can't really leave anything out.

But, in the summer I have:

drawers with cars, hats, magifying glasses, fairy wings, etc.
sensory bins with cups, buckets, etc.
wooden block set
art easel
balance beam
blanket and books
lots of balls

[Abigail]

SandeeAR, I would recommend keep an eye out on CL or the newspaper because you might come across something neat AND reasonable that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

Doesn't anyone have a swingset? I know here we have certain rules about how many swings can be the max (2) within so many feet of each other, etc. I'm nervous to buy one, but I will be asking right away before I get licensed because every July/August stores put all swingsets that are metal on clearance and I want that deal! I'm not a fan of wooden toys because of slivers and am aware metal doesn't last very long.

[Blackcat31]

I have a metal swingset. The kind that has monkey bars so the kids can cross and it has a slide and a swing on each sideof the monkey bars.....I've had it for like 15 years. If I even notice a spot of missing or chipped paint I use outdoor spray paint and fix it right up. It has been the best toy Ihave for young and old. I have no qualms about buying a metal swingset. I am looking for a wooden one however, because I want one for each age group.
a far as other outside toys Ihave:
a 14x14 sandbox with heavery imaginable Tonka Truck made....and several pails and shovels and sifters too!
4 Little Tike Cozy Coupe
2 Heavy duty off-road Tricycles
3 Toddler Ride On toys (Little Tikes)
1 Little Tikes Climbing Cube
1 Little Tikes Castle
1 Little Tikes House
1 Little Tikes Garage
1 Wagon (Little Tikes)
2 goal nets for soccer or hockey (Little Tikes)
a Basket Ball hoop (Little Tikes)
Tons of Balls
3 Hula Hoops
and I bought but haven't put together yet til snow melts http://www.domeclimber.com/index.php

(See why my hubby won't let me buy any more Little Tikes stuff?!? LOL!! I love the stuff!!)

[heyhun77]

I have a natural playscape in our backyard with a giant sandbox and lots of tools to dig, scoop, carry, sift, etc the sand, two raised bed gardens that the children care for throughout the spring/summer/fall (this takes up a lot of their outside time and they love it!), a fallen forest play/climb area which has stumps and logs dug into the ground as well as lots of plants and a tree the kids helped plant and then a big greenway for movement. I have a deck box full of balls, baseball supplies, scoop toys and golf supplies. Then I have a covered patio with carpeted concrete and in there I have a picnic table that we use for art during free choice times and low plastic shelves with baskets of accessories such as people, animals, dinos, cars and then a duplo table with blocks.

We also have a playhouse where I put out dress up clothes and there is a steering wheel and telescope.

When the weather is nice we spend the majority of our time outside so we pretty much bring the inside out with us in addition to exploring what nice weather brings for us.

[Lianne]

In my backyard I have a LT eight in one climber, another FP climber, a LT castle, the Step2 roller coaster, a couple ride on cars for the young toddlers, a LT basketball net, a hockey/soccer, different types/sizes of balls, hula hoops, a kitchen with some dishes, a doll stroller and bed with two plastic dolls, two water tables plus a third water table that we use for playdough, rice, etc.

We also play in my front yard a lot. In my front yard I have a climber/slide for the bigger kids and a toddler sized cube climber/slide. I have another water table, several riding cars and trikes, a gas pump, and parked at the side of the house are 8 fred flinstone type cars. I have a couple cozy coupe style but I also have a van, pick up truck, fire truck, etc. for the kids to ride on on the driveway.

This summer I'm getting a wooden climber with a slide, clubhouse and swings for the back yard. For the front yard I plan to pick up a couple two wheeler bikes and helmets. I'm also hoping to make a weed infest area at the top of the driveway into a large sandox with lid. I'm just waiting on my landlord's permission on that but I don't anticipate an problem.

[ammama]

I have 2 6foot by 6 foot sandboxes with tonnes of shovels/pails/chunks of wood for building, ramps (wooden planks) and access to the rain barrel (they know how to to turn it on) to make rivers in the sand. This is by far the most played with thing in the backyard.

There is a fallen log balance beam that leads up to the playhouse, and they are always using the ramps/stumps to make bridges coming off of the log. We have big games of 'keep off the lava' in the summer

We also have a large raised bed veggie garden that the kids help plant/weed/water/harvest, 2 tricycles and a ride on, a large wooden playhouse with a slide that comes down from the top level, a large sunflower garden in the back of the yard with a bench that they hide at, balls, tonka trucks and matchbox cars and a hammock. I have a large shade tree in the backyard too, which is great. We drag out the little pool or the sprinkler on hot days

We have chickens in the backyard too (in a fenced-in coop) that the kids help to feed. We occasionally let the chickens out to forage in the yard, and then the kids develop big games involving the chickens (pretending they are dragons and such).

Good times

[Lilbutterflie]

My backyard is small and extremely sloped, so no backyard play for my kids. Luckily we live on a quiet street and my kiddos have NEVER ventured into the street, so we play out front.

We have:
2 12 inch bicycles with training wheels
1 heavy duty off road tricycle
1 Radio Flyer Tricycle
1 Barbie Big Wheel
2 toddler ride-ons
1 Little Tykes Coupe
lots of balls
T-ball bat and the tee
5 hoola hoops
5 jump ropes
1 Little Tykes Gas N Go Mower
Bubbles
Chalk
Bean Bags (for tossing games)

We also have about 5 local parks with playgrounds just in our neighborhood alone, so we take trips to the playgrounds 2-3 times a week weather permitting.

[lil angels]

We put in a 30 x30 play area that has a 4ft sidewalk around the outside and pea rocks on the inside. We do chalk and ride all of our trikes and bikes on the sidewalk. It is nice for little one too because they can walk on there and push there toys easier. Then on the inside of the big pea gravel area I have a Rainbow play system with 3 swings(2 big kid 1 baby) a tower with steering wheel, teliscope, slide, rock wall, stairs, bars to climb up and a rope ladder to climb and a tire swing. Then a bunch of misc toys a
little tykes house
Metal Tonka Trucks
kitchen lots of dishes for the pea gravel
8- 10 small bikes and trykes
little tyke cube slide
small little tykes slide
stroller for littles
bubbles
a gated play yard for babys
many misc. toys and trucks
sprinkelers
we have a nice walking path around the neighborhood and a couple of parks that we enjoy too.

[Sunny Day]

I have:
-a large little tikes play center
-cozy coup cars
-trikes
-bug catching nets
-a little tikes slide
-a toddler size little tikes play center
-a car garage for dinky cars
-a small wading pool
-side walk chalk
-a wagon
-a power wheels
-a little tikes airplane teeter totter
-a little tikes tunnel
-a sandbox
-little tikes trucks and diggers
-a tent
-bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles!
-and then a bunch of random stuff like balls, cars, sand toys, etc.
Oh I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!