Spring is around the corner and the backyard is prime for a little refresh – how about the best backyard sandbox ever!? Instead of a mud kitchen, we went for a sandbox kitchen here at Mommy, UP! HQ. A sandbox is a great relaxing way to get outside and really get into it. We bake, we work construction, we got to the beach – the sandbox is where the action is centered. Here are the parts of our setup that we love to help you get started – and blow your kids mind with their awesome new space!
1. This spacious cedar sandbox will bring the beach fun to you!
The octagon shape gives this sandbox just enough room without being an overwhelming area to manage. The bench seats support grown-ups who are along for play time.
Cedar is naturally a great choice for outdoors, ours is still going strong after five years exposed to all the weather New England seasons can throw at it. I never cover it or take care of it or give it any TLC – it is on it’s own!
2. A digger to go in that awesome new sandbox!
If you know a kiddo whose head is turned by every tractor, construction vehicle or machinery of any kind, be his or her hero and bring this to their backyard. Much lighter and easier to maneuver than the heavy-duty playground versions, this will satisfy that need for some heavy work. The swivel is a really smooth ride as well, making all the aspects very doable during independent play.
This digger can work comfortably in the octagon sandbox above.
3. Increase your little helpers productivity with a set of perfectly-sized garden tools.
I was skeptical of these tools because the price seemed too reasonable! Made of metal and wood, these tools have grown with us for the last 3 years and are still a daily staple of backyard play. At the end of the day they are often left discarded in a snow pile or hidden in the yard for me to trip over. They have not been taken care of – at all – and we have yet to lose one or see any significant damage
If you do get them, maybe head off the chaos by adding hooks somewhere as the end caps all have convenient holes at the end so they can be easily hung up by the little ones themselves.
4. Satisfy their love of transporting with this lightweight yet rugged wagon by Green Toys.
I was already a fan of Green Toys and count on them to be quality pieces – while also making me feel better about buying yet more plastic. This wagon is no different, turning out to be an impressive little work horse!
It came to us originally as a gift and it turned out to be a real game changer for a small toddler who had trouble managing the long handle of other wagon designs. The classic Radio Flyer’s handle spent more time hitting him in the face as he tried to finagle things than pulling the wagon.
Plus, just by being plastic it is very light. Being able to lift and maneuver it in and out of the sandbox with tiny toddler muscles provided much longer, independent toddler discoveries.
5. A must-have for any sand chefs, this set of stainless steel pots and pans will get those kids cooking!
Did you know the winter cold makes cheap plastic snap at the slightest touch? Well I do, now.
Don’t waste your money with cheap plastic beach toys, they will not survive the rigors of backyard play. They were only designed to survive one or two beach vacations, after that you are just going to lose them one by one. These metal pots and pans can live outside year round. Fill them with mud, dry sand, wet sand and all the important ingredients that a good rock stew needs.
6. Every backyard sandbox needs a water table to level up the fun!
No sandbox is complete without an adjoining water table! Mixing and working with wet sand is a great sensory experience, not to mention the added benefit to all those sand soup recipes.
Our water table is a hand-me-down that is no longer made and what I love about it is that the whole top is open for kids to work. There is no little contraption in the middle. (Like this one.) My kiddos have played with the Rain Showers model at many friends’ houses and it seems to be the next best that I have seen around. They have plenty of space to work on their own things without the top part getting in their way.
(But also, my littlest used to climb into the water table like it was a baby-sized pool and that’s probably why they started always putting stuff in the middle!)
Bonus #7 For the Best Backyard Sandbox: Hand-me-downs from your kitchen
Instead of buying kitchen tools for the sandbox, give your own kitchen an upgrade and pass along the old stuff to the sandbox. Cooking disaster ruined a pot? Out to the sandbox! Spatulas looking a little weary? Out to the sandbox! If you happen to have a 6 cup muffin tin, that is the perfect size for little hands to carry.
I bought a set of kid sized silicone baking tools and two out of the 4 pieces didn’t last long. I don’t have anything to recommend in this space but if you do, please share in the comments!
