Outdoor toy suggestions

We are having a small fence put up in our back yard next week so that the boys can have an area to play without us having to worry that they are going to head for the road or the little pond in our yard. I'd like some new toys for them to play with in their new play area but I am at a loss of what would be good for them. I was considering a sand/water table but what kind is best? They love to drive cars. Does anyone have one of those cozy coupe cars and do you think they would work on grass?

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions!

 

Cozy coupes are kind of hard to maneuver on grass, but my girls love them anyway. Other favorites:

-a little play house with or without a slide
-little wheelbarrows and gardening tools
-bubble mower
-balls
-little basket ball hoop

Check out your local thrif store or craigslist! We got almost all our outdoor stuff second-hand and saved a ton of money.

 

Mine LOVE the water table and sand box! Mine also love the cozy coupes and play with them on the grass. A couple other things that mine love in the backyard--
Playhouse
slide
Sprinklers that attach to the hose, mine love running through them!
Anything they can push, lawnmowers, shopping cart, strollers
balls, balls, balls

Have fun!

 

We have the cozy coupes and the kids love them - they like to play with Anna pushing Jack and she does okay in the grass. We have a water table that isn't a huge hit yet. They love playing with those big plastic balls they sell in the endcap bins at Target and the like. We have a beach ball sprinkler thing and a small pool.

 

We have a small swingset with a slide, a baby pool, sprinkler, and sand and water table (with no sand so far). Mostly they play with the broom that is out there to sweep the patio The water table is new and has been a HUGE hit - I did get it second hand. We have a Cozy Coupe but save it for the front concrete driveway since we have really thick St Augustine grass that's hard enough to walk in. They fight over it constantly so we need another one before it's all that useful. They like the swingset but it hasn't been as big of a hit as I thought it would be. I wish we had a playhouse or a small climber and have been watching Craigslist for those. We also just got a bounce house off Craigslist, but haven't set it up yet. I don't know if we can put it outside or not.

 

We have a sand table (not yet set up, but they LOVE sand), a rubbermaid tub that we fill with water (also a hit), a Little Tikes slide (the tall one that folds for easy storage), push mowers, big balls, a baby pool, and a few push toys.

We're getting a playhouse and some ride-on toys in the next week or so.

 

Ditto to many of the pp ideas, water table, cozy coupe, any ride on toy if you have a patio. My kids also love plastic gardening shovels and little rakes that I got at Target for like a dollor. We have a gravel path and my three kids literally spent 30 minutes digging! Also anything they can push that makes noise. Also make sure you have a kids picinic table to have lunch and snacks outside when it is nice....easy clean up!

Fenced in yards are awesome at this age!! Have fun!

Sandi

 

- Little Tikes Cars
- Toddler jungle gym / slide (Step 2 makes the Kangaroo Climber which is a hit here!)
- balls!
- little plastic pool
- ride-on toys
- chalk


Have fun!!

 

I confess we went a little overboard...

We have:
A slide (http://www.littletikes.com/toys/hide-slide-climber.aspx)
A sandbox (http://www.frameitall.com/sbxoct2wgt.html)
A pool (http://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Play-Center-100-77/dp/B000VSAEYI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1247115448&sr=8-7)
A sprinkler
A picnic table (for picnics, snacks, and family get togethers)
Balls, balls, and more balls (Totally second the $1 balls in the middle of the aisle at Walmart. We have a collection of them.)
And of course, the hammock, the dog waterer (attaches to the faucet), mulch, dirt, a hill, flowerbeds, a gazebo, and other "non-toys" they enjoying playing with, too.

We have both Radio Flyer Sports Coupes and Cozy Coupes. We use them both on the driveway and in the culdesac, but neither does well in our St. Augustine grass. It's just too thick.

We also have a variety of sit on top toys (Radio Flyer Turtles, Wheely Bugs, Lions, etc.) Again, none work well in the grass and the patio has too many obstacles.

 

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! I ended up ordering a water/sand table which I'm hoping they will like. I also have bubble mowers and a Little Tikes basketball hoop. My next purchase I think is going to be a picnic table for them and two of the Cozy Coupe cars (gotta wait for another payday first, of course!) Oh...I also have a sprinkler hose I forgot about. I think that would be a hit too on a hot day!

Thanks again!

 

We have the following. But it's too damn hot in Texas to be outside for a long period of time right now. Too bad since they are both walking now.

sandbox
13' trampoline with enclosure (they LOVE this already but it was bought for DD)
Kangaroo Climber
picnic table
Little Tike car
2 tricycles
balls
Large playset that is DD's but they have already discovered how to climb up the ladder and play. :blink:
Sidewalk chalk (LOVE this already)

I think we might get a water table. I don't want a little pool though. Too much of a hassle with animals!