What are your favourite outdoor toys?

[Pannacotta]

We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and I'l like to get them some toys for the garden - we have a good size garden for the first time.
But have no idea what to go for - have seen some friends with gardens like adventure parks but the toys don't get used much.
DS1 (3.5 likes climbing, DS2 (1) likes swings (DS1 hates them), any ideas folks?

every summer I recommend the jungle gym ones because it's all dd and ds ever really need in the garden. I have to say we didn't put the sandpit in because I was afraid of cats pooing in it. Instead we use the underneath for the compost bit and all the buckets and spades etc.

cantsleepwontsleep omg can my children come and live in your garden!!

Pannacotta - come round to mine & see what they play on most - I think your close enough?

I second funnypeculiar's hammock suggestion, we have a hammock, water/sand table, plus a playhouse and a trampoline, plus see-saw (which is never used)... the hammock is a favourite with everyone, ours is a traditional cloth one and it has been outside all year, and in winter we just wore layers and still had hammock time, if I sit in the hammock my children pile in.... sometimes I get to just be in it myself, it is bliss.

oh and another thing if you have a good sized garden would be a couple of hens, my ds and dd love just being with the hens, great entertainment value, but not exactly a toy, eggs are a bonus.

When DDs were little it has to be the ELC climbing frame. Fab because it was made so that you could have it half the size, and then when DDs grew a little, you were able to put legs on it and made it full size. Brilliant! Well worth the money.

Now they are all older, youngest is now 8 and eldest is 14. It has to be the trampolene. They all still go on the climbing frame, although not as often.

I've been collecting things this year. So far we have:

TP Forest double swing
TP Forest sand pit (with sand toys)
10ft easy-up pool
Little Tikes giant slide
TP Spiro Hop

They've all been big hits. It's been a nightmare trying to decide what to buy. At first I avoided the big combined play systems as I thought they were expensive and would take up too much space, but now we have all this small equipment dotted around the garden I'm not sure I made the right decision. I think one day I will sell some of it and buy something like the TP Sherwood swing/slide/climbing frame unit.

Lengths of guttering propped up against the fence/on stones etc with a bowl of water at the bottom. Our kids used to spend hours making water slides for playmobile people!!

Best things we got were

Small trampoline (graduate to bigger one later if you have space (We don't))

goal

double seesaw

Slide

Pop-up tents and tunnels (not the shop tho, devil's job to put away)

Sandpit

Skipping ropes (for 4-5 yo)

Lots of things like cricket set, footballs etc.

Bikes/scooters (but not a trike - impossible to pedal until they are too big for it ime)

I didn't get a swing (too labour-intensive) and a climbing frame is expensive and uses up space.

DC have had outdoor toy most years for b/day. They are now 8/6/5 and we still use goal every day, also pop ups sometimes.

WE have a home made playhouse/shop in our communal garden and it's very popular.

swing

Water table

Vegetable garden/ compost heap- hours of amusement looking for the mice, digging, watering.

Bird feeders.

Thanks all for all the great suggestions, lots to mull over....