happymomofboys Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 My house is next door to the local private elementary school. Their playground is open to the neighborhood kids after school hours and my kids have recently befriended half a dozen or so neighborhood boys who like to play there. These boys have been really nice and seem well-behaved, and of course my children love going outside and playing with them both on the playground and in our yard. Due to my own issues (introvert/anxiety disorder/some agoraphobic tendencies) and the fact that I don't know these kids' parents, I'm not comfortable inviting them inside to play. This is the first time my kids have had real friends (you know, the kind that actually come over to play rather than just seeing you at Awana :D), so I'm looking for suggestions for fun outdoor toys that they might enjoy. Kids range from kindergarten to 8th grade. So far we've been able to provide: 5-6 nerf guns 6-8 water pistols an inflatable sprinkler toy that I plan to set up sometimes on the weekends for my kids, but have no problem sharing with the neighborhood kids Things we can't/won't have: a pool a trampoline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Well, I don't guess you have these just sitting around, but we have a pile of bricks and I tell ya, I think that is our kids favorite thing to play with in the back yard. More realistically speaking, though, they like building forts outside with blankets and chairs and setting up a camp for the day. My kids also like playing with small and large toy vehicles. (From hot-wheels on up). On of their all time favorite toys (that is actually a toy) is a large metal Tonka dump truck. Oh, yes, they have also enjoyed a wagon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 A pile of 6 ft sticks leftover from a felled tree is the biggest hit with kids of all ages in our backyard. They make tee-pees, fences, forts, fishing poles, giant slingshots, and a bunch of stuff I'm not think of right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happymomofboys Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 Bricks and sticks sound like a blast, unfortunately I don't have anything like that around here. I had considered toy vehicles, but my kids aren't really fans of cars and trucks at their ages, so I thought maybe that might be too babyish, but I'll see what they say. Thanks so much for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Sand Box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Hoping for some new ideas here, too! DS and the neighbor kid have been really into the Fort Kit I made DS for the holidays. Super easy to make - just google "make your own fort kit" and you should come up with tons of suggestions. I went with the no sew option. Basically it's just a few sheets, some big clips, some rope. I used a grommet tool to put grommets in the sheet at intervals to make it easy to use the rope. Added some walkie talkies, and the boys are set. This month's Family Fun had some ideas - a sheet with a tic tac toe board put on with painter's tape, then 2 different colors of frisbees to use as Xs and Os. A felt target to hang, throw whiffle balls covered in velcro. Bubble guns are fun, not sure if those are too young for your kids. ETA: bean bag toss games. We have one called, I think, Bucket Blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Slackline, stilts, pogo stick, badmitton/volleyball net, baking soda/vinegar rocket and industrial sized baking soda and vinegar, sidewalk chalk, playground balls for foursquare, jump ropes, hula hoops, football, and a wiffle ball set. These all get tons of use from my boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I haven't seen anyone suggest this yet, but we got my girls a tball stand and some foam type balls at Walmart. The rules are that no matter how old the player, they have to use the plactic bat and foam balls. No broken windows or teeth knocked out, or need for gloves, and it allows a lot of different ages to play. I don't think they have actually played a true t ball game with bases and everything, there just aren't enough people, but they make up their own games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 foam swords big frisbee http://www.amazon.com/Beamo-inches-Colors-May-Vary/dp/B004I6PUNE/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1367864302&sr=1-1&keywords=big+frisbee giant box double dutch length jump ropes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 A swing set, or a tire swing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Full-size tire swing with a swivel for awesome spinning. We just made one and the 11-year-old neighbor boy who likes to play with DS(3) is bummed that we made it with a motorcycle tire so it is too small for him to use comfortably. A large sandbox--like 5'x5' or larger. A multipurpose platform to use as a fort, castle, base, etc. DH built this one for our son and added a pulley w/rope and bucket. This has been a bit hit with kids of all ages. We were originally going to make it look like a castle, but decided to leave to more plain to let his imagination transform it. For his birthday we added a grass skirt to make it a surf shack (which reminds me--I should take it down since it's falling off anyway!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 One of the biggest hits here was been a dump truck load of clean fill sand/dirt. Seriously, it might be messy but the kids loved it for years and years.....until we were forced to move 1 1/2 years ago so a highway could be built through our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 One of the biggest hits here was been a dump truck load of clean fill sand/dirt. Seriously, it might be messy but the kids loved it for years and years.....until we were forced to move 1 1/2 years ago so a highway could be built through our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 For my kids lately it has been all about hula hoops, skip-its, water squirters, paint brushes, and a huge bucket to fill with water. They "paint" with water. The bucket allows for them to fill the squirters, but not to flood the back yard. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Sheets over the clothes line :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Sheets over the clothes line :) My kids are outside right now with three sheets! :lol: My FIL built a little stage and they do all sorts of fun stuff with it. I'm always on the lookout for funky vintage sheets (thrasher sheets.) Hmm... one just yelled out that they need rags.. I wouldn't suggest those. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 They're consumables, but water balloons are always a huge hit. They're a pain to fill, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Lol dd had a grand time playing with the towels I had drying on the clothes line. Tomorrow will be the sheets :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 My dad built us stilts back in the day - we spent a lot of time learning how to walk around on those things. Only a foot off the ground at most.http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20176012,00.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Car washing! Or anything else you can find to put outside and have scrubbed with a bucket of soapy water and rags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 We just got a slackline and my 3 kids (13,11,8) and their friends are really into it. It's only a foot or so off the ground so you really wouldn't need to go out and supervise or help. http://www.amazon.co...=gibbon funline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history_junkie Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 We were just reminiscing about all the afternoons and evenings we spent doing jump rope games. We had several huge double dutch jump ropes and the whole extended family would play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 stomp rocket whiffle ball/bat frisbee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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