Hellobee

We love summer here. Since we have gotten to know more of our neighborhood friends, we are always outside at some point during the day rambling in and out of each other’s backyards. I have discovered that some toys are just pure fun for all ages and not too expensive. Here are 10 of our favorite summer staples that can easily bring hours of entertainment time and time again.

1) Inflatable ball– Who knew how much fun a large inflatable ball would be? A neighbor of ours had it at her home for the pool but I decided to get one for our yard, and the kids love rolling it and chasing one another, tossing it around in a big game of catch, and even playing a wacky version of soccer with it. It’s held up well despite the constant attention and it brings such a nice splash of color and fun in our yard.

2) Kite – I love kite flying. I did it a lot as a child and Drake has picked up my enthusiasm for them. We haven’t been able to go to the beach to try this summer, but we have practiced flying it around in our backyard. Mostly Drake and Juliet run around with it flapping behind them, but it still seems like they are having a good time all the same. I hope we can make it to the park or beach on a nice day soon so we can really see it fly high.

3) Sidewalk chalk – Chalk is an essential in our home with the way Drake loves to draw. I buy at least one new box every year to keep up with these kids.

4) Bubbles– What kid doesn’t love bubbles? We were gifted this machine a few years back and I pulled it out early in the summer for Juliet’s birthday party. All 3 of my kids spent over an hour chasing the bubbles as they floated all over the yard. Whenever we have friends over I leave the machine running and it always draws a crowd.

5) Rocket Stomper– This was a birthday gift from a few years back and its still well loved and received.  All the neighborhood kids enjoy it, my husband and brother in laws do too. Drake’s favorite is trying to come up with crazy new ways to approach the launch pad trying to hit it hard enough to send the rocket to the moon.

6) Water Shooters – I got dollar store versions to use in our baby pool and water slide. The neighborhood kids all loved them so much I bought a bunch more for Fiona’s party so that everyone could have a chance to shoot with them. They are by far one of the most used toys we have to date.

7) Inflatable Pool – We have two small inflatable pools and they are great for my 3, but once more kids come over it gets a little too tight so I am thinking of upgrading next year to this larger version.

8) Kinetic Sand/Sand Toysn- Drake was given some kinetic sand as a birthday gift a few years back and he still really likes playing with it. I made it an outside toy as it was just easier to manage that way and bought some fun sand toys and animals pieces for him to use.

9) Sprinkler – We don’t have one as cute as this one (our neighbor does) but they all provide joy all the same.

10) Magnifying Bug Catcher – Drake loves exploring our yard and looking for all kinds of interesting things, rocks, bugs, leaves, etc  He often collects things and places them in buckets all over the place.  I bought him this big catcher recently which allowed him to see whatever he placed inside much closer then he was able to in the past and he loved it.  The idea is for ctaching bugs or small animals but he uses it for anything he finds and wants to examine closer.

What else would you add to this list?