Outdoor Toys - Saint Louis,MO

I give my 3 year outside activities to do & it keeps him busy forever!
I purchased a book that gave me lots of ideas & here are a couple that I can remember.
Car Wash - Tear Free baby soap in buckets to wash everything in site outside - starting with my car of course!!! This always moves on to his toys, wagons, tractor, swingset, picnic table, etc.
Fence "Painting" / House "Painting" - Another bucket of water and a big paintbrush so he can paint designs with water on anything he pleases. Once it dries he can start again.
Bug Finding - Found a bug container at the dollar store and we search for the smallest bugs in the grass. This is TOTALLY gross for me, but he's a boy so I'm trying to get over it.
Kites - Who doesn't love a good kite? I'm still practicing this, must admit I stink.
Swingset - It sounds like at the ages you have you could make a wise investment and it would payoff over the years!!
Sprinkler - We play in the sprinkler almost every day and I have fond memories of doing so with my own sister and mom. Not to mention the photo ops!
Picnic on the lawn - I know when you go to Grammy's house you tend to eat around the table, but every once in a while it's fun to break the rules and eat outside picnic style.
My mom has theme days for all of her grandkids - Cowboy day, everyone gets a hat & eats cowboy food and plays cowboy games (ALL DAY), Hawiian Day, for the girls mostly but grass skirts, ham & pineapple, Circus day with clown theme, popcorn & hotdogs, etc.

It sounds like you are very involved & that's wonderful!
You are SOOO sweet.
Good luck,
C.

I live in a neighborhood where the age range is literally 3-9 on our block and they ALL love playing in a sand box, a blow up pool (they sell a decent sized one at Walmart for $20), sidewalk chalk keeps them occupied for a while, someone broke out a croquet set the other day and although it was tougher for the younger ones to understand they still had a blast, they ride their bikes or big wheels, two-neighbors have those motorized cars that keep them entertained, and of course water guns or they sell fun things to attach to sprinklers that spray. It's tough to include the 9month old as well since he/she is so young...but they will probably enjoy watching the others. :)
In my neighborhood it's a mix of boys and girls and they all get along so well playing with all this stuff. Now that it's hot out...the water toys seem to be the biggest hit.

EDIT: I forgot to add...one neighbor rented a bouncy house (don't know how long the kids will be there or how often they visit but you can also buy one) and seriously it kept all the kids entertained for HOURS. Last weekend for a bday party they had an inflatable slide that you could add water to as well....another thing that entertained them for hours (literally the bday party started at noon and kids were still on that thing and hadn't left except to use the bathroom and eat a little until 6).

This is something that I can't wait to do with my kids this summer.

My daughter went to an "ooey gooey" birthday party last weekend. The kids wore swimming suits and did all kinds of games with various foods outside. First they had a jello fight. Each child took a handful of jello and broke it into pieces and started throwing it. They picked it up off the grass and continued the fight until there was not a speck of solid jello left. Then they played a game where they had to pass a brick of ice cream over their heads and then through their legs with it melting on them the entire time. Then they took whipped cream, chocolate syrup, ice cream, sprinkles and cherries and made a "sundae" on each other. Oh, before that they played duck, duck, goose with whipped cream on their hand so that when they "goosed" someone on the head they splattered whipped cream on them. After all of the food games they hosed off and then had a huge water fight. It was by far the best birthday party she has ever gone to.

Not something you'd want to do often, but if they are only together once in a while, it would certainly be memorable!

Good luck,
K.

I have a sand box, and trucks, cars, shovels, etc, as well as plastic cowboys and indians, dinosaurs, etc.

I also have a wading pool with sail boats and other water toys. It's fun to sail the boats even if they are not getting into the pool.

I have a Radio Flyer wagon, and a rocking horse.

Also, the little playhouse my husband built for my grand daughter has been largely ignored by my grand daughter, but my grand sons LOVE it ! It even has a plastic kitchen in it with dishes, play food, etc. One boy loves to "play house" (he's only 4) while his older brother loves to be the fireman that comes to save the house from burning, the policeman who comes to save the owner from bad guys, or the rancher who rides the (rocking) horse and punches cattle while his brother is the ranch cook (in the house).

I absolutely LOVE listening to their imaginative play !

Hope these suggestions help you. :o)

Boys usually like to kick around a ball. You could get a couple of soccer balls and goals for your yard. Footballs they could throw around to each other.

Pools, sand boxes, water guns, slip and slides, balls, bean bag target games, well... any kind of yard games can be altered and will be altered by the day.

We also have a tire swing and a trampoline (which the kids 9,5,4,3) will jump on and off of for HOURS... (have a step stool for safer climbing on and off...

Going for walks and making up games... Finding random pieces of wood and allowing the olderones to "build" something... Yes... Useing those dangerous nails and hammers...