Thursday, August 12, 2010

what they're playing with now



I'm always very interested in seeing what my kids actually play with from their toy stash. It's also fun for me to write these things down as a little "snapshot in time" to look back upon later. They change so fast, don't they? Earlier in the summer the boys were having a blast playing with tape measures. You know the heavy metal kind that roll into a metal case? They were loving those for awhile. I told Ken maybe that's all they need, along with some yardsticks, and they'll be set.

Other favorites this summer have been . . .
:: marbles. The set in the picture is Jacob's old marbles, which I finally got out for the little boys. They love playing with these in all sorts of ways-- sorting, hauling, rolling, and what have you.
:: trucks. Lots of truck play this summer in conjunction with the marbles.
:: art. Dieter especially likes coloring sheets that I print out from online. Sometimes Ken draws his own coloring sheets for the kids because he's good at that. Favorite subjects are dragons and unicorns.
:: blocks of all kinds. My boys love the open ended toys.
:: stuffed animals. They love hauling them out and piling them. They treat them as open ended.
:: blankets and playsilks.
:: the garden and watering hoses.
:: tree climbing
:: the trampoline. The trampoline is a huge constant hit--they LOVE it and play on it every day. It's a year round pleasure here since the winters are so mild.
:: balls. Rainer has a little game he plays called spoon ball wherein he hits a ball with a wooden spoon. Good fun.
:: bikes and trikes.



I'm constantly trying to whittle down their toys and simplify their environment. Over and over again I see that they don't need very much. How about you? Any true classics to add to this list?

11 comments:

Cathie said...

My 7 year old has recently revisited his stash of blocks. I promised him that I won't get rid of them, ever.

Karen said...

Spinning Tops!!! We all love it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25983912@N07/2696720154/

Another "all time favourite" is our play kitchen.

Jules said...

Brio wooden trains and Lego are always a hit here. Diggers and mud in the garden too.

Denise C. said...

Legos. I have the huge chunky ones for now.

I'll add to Karen too, my kids love their play kitchen. I have it set up in our kitchen. They have wooden food that has taken a beating, & still looks good. :)


I love the wooden art caddy you have for your art supplies. So cute!

Laura said...

my 2 year old can't get enough of his wooden train set! my boys also love their play kitchen, Playmobil & legos. and reading - i love that they are both always bringing me books to read to them!

Miriam said...

Oooohhh....marbles. I bet the girls will love those!

My girls (4-1/2) are really into their train set, puzzles, and window crayons.

Mel Goodsell said...

Our Quadrilla marble run is still a favourite that comes out on a regular basis. I love Karen's mention of spinning tops - we only have a couple, but I small basket full would be so much fun!

Nicola said...

Ditto here with the attempts to whittle down and simplify what my kids have access too, but ditto, again to making not toy things into toys, right down to the measuring tapes and yard sticks.
Nicola

Andrea said...

My kids pretty much ONLY play Lego's (indoors)...outside they ride bikes, pick blackberries, catch grasshoppers and frogs, build things with old wood, etc.

Tam said...

Can you tell me what you the toy storage is in the picture with the bin/drawer pulled out? We're moving and giving up an amazing set of built-ins so I'm casting about for replacements.

Mary Beth said...

Tam--it is from Ikea. I believe it is in their "Trofast" line. If you have an Ikea in the area you will find this line of furniture prominently displayed in the children's section. We LOVE it. One of the best parts is that I can keep extra bins of toys in a closet and change them out at will. It has been a great system for us.