What shall I buy with grant money?

[mogs0]

I have a grant available but I don't really know what to get with it.

I am thinking about getting a Babydan playpen to use as a guard around my front door as it opens straight onto the pavement next to a busy road. I also considered getting a small-folding buggy but I don't really need one as have a double MB and a phil and teds.

The toys I have for over 5's is fairly limited but I don't have many over 5's for any length of time and they've always been happy with what's on offer so far. I'm not sure what kind of things I could get for this age range.

When the inspector came recently she didn't suggest I should have anything else so I'm wondering whether to even get guard/buggy.

Any suggestions welcome!

oooh

I have seen some LOVELY things, hang on

what about your outside area - anything needed out there?
or what about getting some natural or heuristic resources

this kind of thing

yy pippin, natural/heuristic stuff really really enhances learning

if you wanterd a bit of Plastic fantstic, this looks GREAT

omg TERRIBLE spellings there, I am so sorry

lol Boys - a trip round the darkside of B&Q throws up some amazing 'toys'

how much spends have you got Mogs?

I like those blocks/shapes.

My garden is not part of my registration (a bit complicated!!) but I was thinking about getting some hurdles or similar to take to the park. I'll have a search.

BALD - the plastic is very fantastic! Sadly, no garden to put it in and the grant isn't that great!!!

with my grant I got:

an outdoor storage shed - which now houses TONS of my indoor stuff - I already had outdoor storage

plastic playhouse as the wooden one is normally taken over as a den for the boys

I already have a huge climbing frame, so I got a cargo net and rope ladders

trip up DIY shop - bought paint brushes and rollers and trays in different sizes, guttering and connection pipes (that hubby had fun putting together to make a water run), lots of other guttering and pipes so the children can just do

he made a huge blackboard - mdf and blackboard paint

got some bamboo and made a large outdoor weaving loom

hubs is sorting me some trellis and going to afix to the fence so we can hang things from it

I got some indoor toys - wooden montessori type stuff

a couple of ride ons as all mine have been been battered to death

some ICT - beebot

oops pressed send before I had finished!

i have made some chatter boxes

an a large heuristic box - that is an ongoing thing though and got lots of different bits and bobs - buttons, materials, balls, reels, ribbons, clinky clanky stuff

parachute and a sports day set for park trips?

y'know, egg n spoons, that type of thing

hurdles here

sports day kit

pippin - do the indoor things get damp if they're stored outside? I'd love to have somewhere to store the buggies. You're dh sounds very useful - I love the sound of a water-run made out of guttering - I'll have to get the garden sorted so that I can have some of the fun-sounding things you have!!

My grant is £300.

BALD - parachute is a good idea too, I was thinking about one of those a while ago.

Any ideas for older children?

You are so lucky. Spend wisely (as I am sure you will). Sadly in our county, there is no grant money available at all.

I hope your mindees have a wonderful time with whatever you buy.

I have just bought a bemo, which is a large lightweight soft frisbee with a large hole in the middle, which has been brilliant, all ages can play with it and doesn't hurt like a frisbee, we are always taking it to the park. Also some poi's here easy to take to the park. A fellow childminder invested in one of these and said it is the best thing she has bought to cross all ages, I am going to get one this summer here, although may be difficult with no garden. I also love my large plastic tray, which I know is generally used outside, but in winter I have also filled it with coloured rice, bark and other toys to make it interesting

We used our grant to put in an extra toilet and buy a laptop.

No I haven't found the stuff gets damp yet but its not been in use during the winter.
Mind you the buggies were cluttering up my hubs outdoor garage and they were fine in there - the minute I got the shed he was there loading in the buggies! lol

For the other stuff - crafts, toys etc - as much as possible is in big plastic lidded boxes