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Kirsty90
03-05-2012, 07:59 AM
Hello,

I just wondered what types of things everyone has for outdoors? I have a few things such as a sandpit and I have a wendy house but this is something I want to start building up and I dont really know where to start.

Can anyone give me any tips and ideas please? I also want to do something with my wendy house as it looks a bit boring and doesnt really have anything in! Any ideas?

Thanks

Kirsty xx

Pedagog
03-05-2012, 11:00 AM
We have a Playhouse, various ride on/in toys (cars, tractors) a mini climbing frame cube, a rope swing, rope bridge, sandpit, childrens garden, water table, easle, toys cars and mat, large lego type blocks.

Around the playhouse is a wood chiped area, this extends under rope bridge and swing.

I also have a large veg patch which children help in , but only when I or my daughter are with them.

christine e
03-05-2012, 11:04 AM
Some nice ideas on this blog
http://theplayfiles.blogspot.com.au/

Wheelybug
10-06-2012, 08:11 PM
The most popular area in our garden is the outdoor kitchen (pics here: http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html#!/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html ) It's very popular with all the children. We also have a music wall which they also enjoy.

Cathy

PixiePetal
10-06-2012, 09:00 PM
I have a tikes playhouse and few ride ons, small cube slide, rocker, slide as well as smaller stuff - balls, hoops, plastic bucket stilts, ropes, swing ball, bats, bubbles and more I can't think of!

I don't want lots of large stuff as my kids are grown up and I don't need a permanent playground. Larger stuff hides behind the shed and I bought a long bench type plastic storage box for the smaller things

watgem
10-06-2012, 09:19 PM
my garden is tiny so i have a wooden playhouse with a toy kitchen in it and a huge chalkboard, I don't have rideons as our space is too small, but i have a sand pit and a water table and a rocker, pots of plants, a little bench and table, balls and tubes, a box of outdoor cars that can go in the sand/water, chalks, bubble machine and handj=held bubbles, hula hoops and beanbags and an outdoor dollhouse. we go for lots of walks and use the local park where there is space for more active play:)

flowerpots
10-06-2012, 10:13 PM
The most popular area in our garden is the outdoor kitchen (pics here: http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html#!/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html ) It's very popular with all the children. We also have a music wall which they also enjoy.

Cathy

WOW! you have created a fantastic outdoor area. well done. :D:thumbsup:

Toothfairy
11-06-2012, 06:54 AM
I only have a tiny garden (40ft) which is completely paved over.
I have ride on toys,
Little tikes slide,
A weaving frame,
Drain pipes for water play and rolling balls down,
Sand pit,
Large and small space hoppers
2 x water trays (one sometimes used as a ball pit),
Pots and growbags for growing veg,
A storage box which holds balls, bats, hoops etc,
Swing ball,
Pogo stick,
Balance pedals,
A pop up tent which we use as a quiet reading tent with cushions in.
I also have an outside oven, washing machine etc for roleplay.

I would love to do loads more but with such a small space its difficult.

jumping j
11-06-2012, 07:08 AM
I have
little tykes climbing frame and slid
slide
tents and tunnels
muddy area with spade, rakes etc
sand and water trays
sit and rides
balls
hoops
skipping ropes
foam frisby
aqua play water canal
little tykes see saw

I'd like to have a guttering run for balls and water but can't afford it yet.

The lo's love the tents and tunnels and they were quite cheap in the tesco sale about £10 I think

They also love getting muddy, we put some little diggers and trucks in so they could move the soil around

Angela234
11-06-2012, 08:08 AM
The most popular area in our garden is the outdoor kitchen (pics here: http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html#!/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html ) It's very popular with all the children. We also have a music wall which they also enjoy.

Cathy

This is fantastic i have saved it for ideas i thought i was doing well in my garden! i have water shutes sand /water table mirrors, blackboards, house ride ons. seesaw slide balls, wooden blocks corner seating area.

I can't leave too much around outside cats pee/spray over everything standing i am always washing things

hectors house
11-06-2012, 08:54 AM
Thank you so much for the fantastic ideas - I logged into to ask exactly the same question about outdoor resources.

I am worried about Ofsted saying that from September, Children have to play outside every day regardless of the weather - I do supply welly boots but think I will have to buy waterproofs too and no matter how often I write in newsletters about appropriate clothing, I still get parents who send kids in wool coats that look nice but aren't waterproof or sponge proof or waterproof anoraks that don't have hoods. Do other childminders buy their own waterproofs and where from as I can't afford too much as have 8 children over the week?

I did have a spending spree at weekend and bought a full size 2 man pop up tent (camaflage design) for £25 (half price argos), and a pop up goal and darts target £8 (half price argos) and a clam shell sandpit with lid £14 Argos -may use it as paddling pool (as have sandpit and water trays) or may fill it with mud for mud pies and for children to drive diggers in etc - but will see if I can stand the mess! Going to put tent up and leave up for summer as a den, chill out zone, going to put cushions, books etc in.

I also spent another £30 + on bark for under swing and slide and plastic chairs but my dear husband has lost the receipt - is it ok to hand write one for my accounts - the amount will tie up with credit card statement?

Also has anyone got any cheap ideas for providing shade (if the sun shines again) or shelter from rain other than a gazebo as would like to use the shelter all year round and gazebos likely to blow away?

Definitely going to make a ball/or water chute my husband works in a builders merchants so will be going to check out drain pipes and plastic tubes. I always buy my sand for sandpit from them as far cheaper than play sand and makes better sand castles, and I don't care if they sprinkle it all over the garden as only a couple of quid for huge bag.

mushpea
11-06-2012, 10:16 AM
The most popular area in our garden is the outdoor kitchen (pics here: http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html#!/2012/01/re-organising-our-outdoor-area.html ) It's very popular with all the children. We also have a music wall which they also enjoy.

Cathy

this looks great, somthing which I am trying to do aswell, so far we have pepples and gravel, wooden blocks, various size wheels and some other bits,, what do you do at the end of play when your small loose parts like bark chippings, shells etc are all over the place,, do you sweep them up and put them back in their pots, sweep them up and chuck them or just leave them all over the floor? mine love this sort of stuff but at the weekend I do like my garden looking like my garden again lol

Chimps Childminding
11-06-2012, 12:27 PM
this looks great, somthing which I am trying to do aswell, so far we have pepples and gravel, wooden blocks, various size wheels and some other bits,, what do you do at the end of play when your small loose parts like bark chippings, shells etc are all over the place,, do you sweep them up and put them back in their pots, sweep them up and chuck them or just leave them all over the floor? mine love this sort of stuff but at the weekend I do like my garden looking like my garden again lol

I also like the idea, but my OCD won't like the mess and DH would go mad even though he rarely goes in the garden :angry:) I would love to do something like Cathyd has done but somewhere out of sight so I don't have to look at it all weekend and I don't have any corners - filled them all with sheds/wendyhouses as dh will tell you :blush:

mushpea
11-06-2012, 02:36 PM
I only have a tiny garden (40ft) which is completely paved over.
I have ride on toys,
Little tikes slide,
A weaving frame,
Drain pipes for water play and rolling balls down,
Sand pit,
Large and small space hoppers
2 x water trays (one sometimes used as a ball pit),
Pots and growbags for growing veg,
A storage box which holds balls, bats, hoops etc,
Swing ball,
Pogo stick,
Balance pedals,
A pop up tent which we use as a quiet reading tent with cushions in.
I also have an outside oven, washing machine etc for roleplay.

I would love to do loads more but with such a small space its difficult.

I love the idea of a weaving frame, did you make it yourself or buy it?

mama2three
11-06-2012, 02:48 PM
Ive got a trellis weaving frame , which I was very excited to make....and the children completely ignore!

Wheelybug
12-06-2012, 04:05 PM
Ha ha I've also had a weaving frame in the past and the children never went near it, or any other weaving type activity I've ever tried with them! A while back Aldi had a trellis panel that folded up which I thought would be great for weaving. Did manage to resist buying it though!
My outdoor kitchen is out of sight! It's hidden behind the bush, I also like my garden to look nice and tidy at the weekend so all childminding stuff (well most of it) has to be out of sight:)
I've also brought all my mindees waterproof all-in-ones. They usually reduce them around xmas time online at the outdoor clothing stores, this is where I picked mine up. I've also got the the next size up when Aldi were selling them a couple of months back. These are probably the best thing I have spent my money on for outdoors. The children can do what they want now and I don't have to worry about keeping them clean. Also as they are mine I don't have to worry if they get stained etc. You can pick up cheap one (about £5 each) on ebay. These are basic rainsuits, not lined or anything, but if you got them a bit bigger you could put a coat underneath. I had these at first, but invested in thermal ones this year.

Toothfairy
12-06-2012, 05:15 PM
I made my weaving frame myself from an old clothes rail and some of that orange plastic fencing that you get on building sites. I then bought some florist ribbon for the mindee's to weave with.

This is a photo of the weaving frame and the red, white & blue ribbon we used as part of our Jubilee theme (I have permission from parent to show photo).