This content contains products provided by Simplay3, however, all comments and opinions are my own.
When we first moved to our new neighborhood, we were so excited to have a backyard, we may have overdone it a bit. Our backyard quickly became inundated with any outdoor toy imaginable. This summer I decided it was time to take charge of the backyard, and minimize the play area to a few select items that were stimulating, fun, and useful. I donated just about everything I could and started fresh with some new backyard children’s toys. We needed functional and quality pieces that the kids would appreciate for years to come.
After having my first baby, I quickly learned the importance of quality children’s products. Unfortunately, “quality” often comes with a hefty price tag. I would always have to justify paying a little more, thinking they would last longer for her siblings yet to come. While the products may have held up for all three of my kids, I didn’t anticipate giving birth to little terrors (especially that second born!) Number 2 was and still is a very rough and tumble kid. She’s our mass destructor and we joke that toys need to pass the second-born test in order to be deemed “long lasting.” After some research, I found that Simplay3 has quality kids products at a more affordable price point than other manufacturers.
My 3 year old loves to dig, and is often caught with a mini-shovel and my uprooted flowers in his hands. I knew a sandbox would be a great way to redirect his attention to something other than my garden and found the Simplay3 Caterpillar Sandbox to be perfect for our smaller backyard. The shape of the caterpillar is long and gives ample room for all three of my kids to play in the sand (even our destructor!) Right out of the box, all I needed to do was assemble the head of the caterpillar with 2 included screws and then place some stickers on our new friend. I purchased two 50 pound bags of play sand from Home Depot for around $5 each, and our sandbox was ready to go!
There are a few reasons I prefer the Simplay3 Caterpillar Sandbox to other sandboxes we’ve had in the past- for starters, I love the shape and size. I can push this sandbox against the house and it’s narrow enough to be out of the way and isn’t very bulky. Since it’s longer and thinner, rather than shorter and wider, all my kids can play in the sandbox at once without bothering each other (this is totally theoretical; they ALWAYS find a way to bother each other.) At the end of their sandy play session, the back of the caterpillar is a lid that keeps animals, bugs, and rain out of the box. It’s multiuse- you can use it as a sandbox, toy chest, or book holder. I LOVE multiuse because I always feel I’m getting a great value.
Another item we really needed for our backyard was a new kid table. Our previous table for kids was a picnic-style with very bulky plastic that held water everytime it rained. It wasn’t very supportive and the kids would sink forward if they sat next to each other or with friends. The only thing going for it was the wide surface area and umbrella to block the sun, but it wasn’t really working for us. Oh, and our destructor use acrylic paints all over it that wouldn’t wash away. Since I was already on the Simplay3 site for the Caterpillar Sandbox, the In and Out Activity table caught my eye. While it’s about half the size of our previous table, that’s exactly what we needed. Something that took up less room, and had a multifunction capability. The Simplay3 In-and-Out Activity Table can be used exactly as stated- inside the home, maybe for building blocks, clay modeling, painting, etc, as well as outdoors as a snack table or sand and water table. The In and Out activity table comes features 4 cup holders and 2 storage bins. When play time is over, it’s easy to minimize the space the In and Out activity table takes up by tucking the outer legs of the unit underneath.
I don’t think any of us are safe from our household destructor, but so far Simplay3 products not only fit our lifestyle and space needs, but they also fit our budget. You can find out more about Simplay3 by visiting them on the web!