Do you know we have a wonderful garden

Half an acre of open space

It has taken a bit of a battering this past year

The building works on the house

Mean what was once a lush green field

Has become more of a builders yard

Crossed with a mucky murky swamp

Today as the sun shines

And the temperature soars

The children are outside

And it is obvious that with a long summer ahead

At home with a new baby

And a large home schooled family

Our garden toys are no longer fit for purpose

Esther and William will be 7 in July

They cannot fit through the door of their playhouse

Bea is too big for her baby slide

And Esther is taller than our climbing dome

We need to update our play space

Ready for the warmer weather ahead

I long to spend lazy summer days

Nursing baby in the garden

Having picnic lunches and teas

And watching the older children play

I would like to donate some of the toys we have grown out of

To local families and to Bea’s preschool too

But what are the top ten toys

I would like in our garden this summer

To faciliate learning and play?

Here they are

A 1.8m sandpit

Big enough for siblings and friends to share

A large playhouse

To be decorated

Accessorised

For real life role play

For story times and snacks

For adventures

A house of their own

A water table with a difference

That adds an element of science and engineering

Perfect for problem solving

And collaborative working

Perfect for learning together through play

For a great selection of products like this, check out these water tables from My Kid Needs That and also five of our favourites for water play

With a large and growing family

Who love to climb, swing and slide

I think that a Create Your Own Swing Set

Would be ideal for us

We can choose the elements that we want

Ones that we know will appeal

To the acrobatic, gymnastic focus of our troupe

A giant climbing dome

With slide

For climbing, hanging, balancing

In our garden it would also become Pride Rock

In Lion King shows!

A Waterfall Discovery Water Wall

Play with water in a whole new way

Create mazes

Channels

Rivers and waterfalls

Lots of planning and problem solving

Lots of learning through collaborative play

A greenhouse for growing veggies

To make our own salads in the summer

To sow our own seeds

Nurture our plants

And harvest our crops

How wonderful would this be?

William loves to kick a ball around the garden

And this summer he is hoping to attend his first soccer school

He is a bit frightened of being tackled

And is a little lacking in skills

So I think a set like

My First Goal Set might inspire him

And help him play some mini games

With Daddy and his sisters and cousins

To improve his confidence and skills

A mud kitchen is a must in any garden

There are lots of easy ways to make your own

But not everyone has the skills or the time

If you are looking to buy a Mud Kitchen

Then this looks to be a very nice one

I have wanted a Toby Wagon for such a long time

And I am hoping that this summer we will get one

I can imagine the children going off

On awfully big adventures

With their wagon packed full of all their essentials

I also have ideas for creating a garden writing wagon

And an outdoor art wagon

I can also imagine Daddy pulling them up to the park

For a picnic on the green

Would be a wonderful way to transport Bea

And all our stuff

When we go to the sea

So many wonderful ways with a wagon

In and out of the garden

So there we have it

Ten ways to turn your garden

Into a world of adventure

For little ones

A hive of activity

For all the family

Spring is definitely in the air!