Staple outdoor toys

[WindyCityMom]

What are your staple outdoor things?

The kids are going to be staying with my mother in law for much of the summer, and a lot of time will be spent outside.  

I'm not opposed to plastic outdoor toys 

Right now in MILs backyard, they  have a little tikes slide, cozy coupe car, picnic table, and plastic kitchen that I picked up from the thrift store for $3 .  They have a wading pool too.

I'm wanting to get a rubbermaid container and just fill it up with stuff for them to use outside.. stainless steel bowls and cups (and utensils I guess) for their kitchen and cooking mud pies... sidewalk chalk and paint brushes (they do watercolor chalk painting in puddles, super fun), some child-sized garden tools, watering can... I'd like to get a small wheelbarrow for them also, but the in laws aren't that responsible with putting things away and it would get rusty in no time.  If I can find a plastic one that would be perfect.

Anyways, maybe some seashells or pretty rocks?  You can often find broken pieces of granite or marble in alleys, so maybe something like that too.  I know "found" things are best, but it's kind of limited in their backyard.  My DD loves to build fairy houses with grass and sticks, but often complains about not finding enough rocks, so I guess I'd like to supplement that 

What's in your outdoor toy collection?

[appalachiamama]

That sounds great to me!  We have a small tent and plan to use our curvy board outside once the ground is good and dry.  We rely mainly on sticks, rocks, nuts, pine cones and the neighbor's bird bath. 

[aHikaru]

kitchen and brooms, also a planter to have them start a garden

[JudiAU]

Garden tools http://www.montessoriservices.com/practical-life/yard-garden/yard-garden-tools and some plants to be "in charge of"

Water play and cleaning idea:http://www.montessoriservices.com/practical-life/washing-cleaning Does your mom have a clothes line. My kids love to play in water and wash various things and then put them on the clothesline with pegs.

Something active too: http://www.hearthsong.com/rocking-seesaw_p1896_s2003_d1102_c2201.html This is a lot of fun because it goes into a lot of pretend play. It can be used by two children or one child can rock it in the middle.

sand box of some sort

[mamaofthree]

let's see what do we have: a small wading pool that we turned into a sandbox, my dad made sand and water table for the wee little one, lots of digging/raking tools, pans and pie plates from goodwill, balls, a rope tired to the tree for the kids to swing on, a tent, a play house (a co-worker of dh gave him one of  those plastic "step 2" play houses), a garden, water cans, a wading pool for water, cups/buckets for pouring and sand play, toy cars/trucks, rocks, wood, seashells, broom, hoola hoops, chalk, easels, paint supplies (kept inside until they wanna use them). all of this stuff we have been collecting for a long time, we were gifted some of it, bought alot at the goodwill on 1/2 price days.