Does anyone want to share free or bargain play and craft resources here? I'll start:
🌟You can get large sheets of free, sturdy cardboard (and hardboard if you're lucky) from supermarkets like Aldi that use it to separate the 2 litre bottles of lemonade. Great for construction(join with masking tape) painting or use as templates.
🌟Its always worth checking or asking on Freecycle.org for toys, craft stuff and sometimes even big toys like bikes.
🌟A tuff tray is a great investment for indoors or outdoors. It's perfect for keeping together toy cars or kits with small pieces like lego or playmobil. Also great for water or sand outdoors. Empty, it stores tucked away anywhere.
🌟Little children can be amused by giving them a large paintbrush and a pot of clean water to 'paint' in the garden. Handy for practising writing letters etc. Challenge bigger kids to paint a whole fence panel or paving slab before it dries in the heat. (Could tie in with reading them the Tom Sawyer chapter on fence painting, but that might be a stretch😁)
🌟supermarket mesh vegetable bags are amazing for keeping small toys from getting lost. Also make great foraging bags for forest or beach trips. Saves you being asked to carry pebbles etc in your pockets for them. 100s of other uses.
Any more ideas?