Outdoor play

[Jacko81]

Do you leave ur garden 'set up'?

I hate up mine and clear it every day and it's driving me mad, not to mention my daily trauma of getting the toys out of the spider infested shed!!!!

Would like some opinions Please on things you leave out n things u tidy away

Xxxx

[Jacko81]

Set up not hate up ha!

[AliceK]

Mine is pretty much out all the time. Half of my garden is gated off for the dog and the other half is for the children. We have 2 slides, a childrens table and various ride-ons, scooters etc which are always out. The smaller stuff, balls, wheelbarrows, hoops, skipping ropes etc etc are put away into the wendy house and the children get it all out and then have to tidy it all away again when they come in. In the summer I take more stuff out such as tents, blankets etc and I'm responsible for those but other than that the children are responsible for getting out what they want and putting it away at the end of the session. (or at least that's the theory)

xxxxx

[LauraS]

I can only speak for what I do for my own children, but generally I do put the garden things away every day. I will leave the big stuff (ie trikes, cars) out if we have a run of nice weather but that doesn't happen often, but would still tidy them into one area. The little stuff like sports equipment would always be tidied away.

[nikki thomson]

I leave everything out throughout the year and I have a large array of outdoor toys, the only exception was the little tikes pirate ship water play toy and I put that way for winter, in Fact it hasn't made it out the garage yet), I do put everything against the wall at the end of the day so the garden doesn't look a complete state, all the toys are little tikes so very hard wearing I have a coupe car that is 9 years old and we bought for my son that is still going strong.
I do go out there at the beginning of spring and give all the toys a really good scrub to get the winter mould and whatnot off them, the kids love coming out to help me.
I just don't have the time or space to put things away every night. X

[Jacko81]

Yeah by the sounds of things im wasting my time putting everything away.

Think ill leave my big toys out, bikes, seesaws, slide etc out and just put them to one side to keep garden looking 'tidy' for my hubby

Thanks for your opinion on this, helped me lots

[Chimps Childminding]

Depends on the weather, and who I've got!!! If I've got children every day and the weather isn't too bad I will leave them all out, but if I'm off some days (shifts) or the weather isn't great I put it away!!! Always tidied up on a Thursday night as I don't work Friday's!!!!

[mum2two]

Mine's being seeded at the moment - so not set up!!

We have a raised playhouse in one corner on a large patioed area. All the toys are stored under house/on patio, so the grass is free at the end of every day.

We have a patio outside our doors, which is fenced off - either for dogs when kids in garden, or for dogs, if kids on patio!

But...we have an undercover fenced off area down the side of our house, leading from the playroom - which is constantly set up to allow outside access whatever the weather. We have a sink, chalk board, white board, paints, table etc down there. You can't see if from the rest of the garden though, so it's fine if we're outside at a weekend.

xx

[sarah707]

Clear out your shed, re-home the spiders and put in some well fitting shelving.

Label the shelves and have lots of space for the other bits that won't sit easily on a shelf.

At the end of the session help the children to tidy the bulk of it away like you would in the house

[Wendybird]

I've got a tiny garden, but do leave it 'set up'. I have some outdoor shelves with baskets full of treasures like scoops, sand toys, balls, etc. Theoretically the smaller things should be tidied by the children just like the inside toys. The bigger things are out all the time, but I have covers I put on the wooden things (sand table, outdoor shelves, outdooor sensory table) to attempt to keep them dry. At the moment though everything is strewn about in a wet mess and I can't be bothered to sort it out until the weather improves

[Amanda75]

Hi we the majority of ours out, and puts some in the wendy house or shed, but all cars bikes etc are left out

[Demonjill]

Na just leave some out - im already tidying everything away in the house too as i dont want to live in a nursery

I would leave all out if i knew weather for next day was ok and i had age appropriate kids etc though

[PixiePetal]

some left out, some put away

Tikes playhouse has the little chairs in it, small slide/rocker/water table/garage are put at the side of the playhouse - all hidden from view from my house - behind a shed

My kids are older and I don't really want to look at it all when not working.

I had a big plastic lidded trunk for small stuff like balls and ropes but it didn't last this winter so on the lookout for another one.

Other stuff goes in the summerhouse - mindees help bring it all round to the door at the end of the day - ride ons/buggies

[Hayley102]

my larger toys - slide, scooters etc are left out and small toys are cleared up. Children are better at helping tidy up the garden than they are at tidying up the playroom!

[miffy]

I put all the bikes/scooters etc in one area - don't have a shed so they are left out but that's a pain when it comes to cleaning them. Smaller item likes balls and hoops are put away. I've just bought two garden packers from Homebase and they stay outside but they are waterproof so the stuff inside stays dry.

Miffy xx

[The Juggler]

i don't have a shed or garage so mine stays out - just put the bikes in a bike tidy/tent at weekend.

[loocyloo]

depends upon my mood/the children/the weather! i do have a shed most stuff fits in, so usually only wooden playhouse and sand pit stay out!

the onlt things i make sure i put away at night/in rain are the foam mats, easel and bits that would be ruined if left out too long ( however, they have all been left out for a few days in the rain before! )

[Jacko81]

Well my and he hubby took all the stuff out the shed last night and re houses some if the things that I could use both indoors and out like the tents, tunnels easel etc. all the bikes, scooters etc are now in the garden neatly in the corner and all his 'stuff' is now in the spider's home erm I mean shed!!!!
It's pouring down today but we have been outside with the water tray guttering paints tuff spot and umbrellas and I didn't have to enter the shed once!!! Whoo hoo!!!!!!!