Do a photo search on google images of kids playing, and what do you see more of than anything else on the first pages? Kids playing. With what? Stuff that's free, just like you did when you were a kid.

Free is better than paid for toys. There is NOTHING like a free toy. While payed for toys go abandoned, get broken, go missing, these toys stay fresh and exciting play after play.

• They are the most educational toys in the world, more educational than any toy you have to buy at the store.
• They provide endless hours and days and months of play.
• They're always new and exciting.
• They're never the same toy twice.
• The best memories are made of them.
• They never get boring.
• They're seasonal.
• You don't need to store them.
• They all come from 100% natural products or are being recycled by their re-use. Either way, they're ECO FRIENDLY

Who helped me with choosing which items to stick on my free toys list coming up?  My children.  All four of them.

Everyone has these in their home. Everyone uses toilet paper rolls, everyone uses paper towels, most people use rolls of wrapping paper as opposed to only bags and tissue paper or newspaper or paper bags or flat sheets of wrapping paper. No need to ever throw the tubes from these out.

These make great gifts. They are sought after. They are pulled out of the trash can, not just by your dog but by your children. They see one sticking out of the top and they can't contain themselves.

If your house is anything like mine, these tubes are coveted, fought over, and requested as birthday and holiday gifts.

Why?

• Because they're cool
• Their shape is pleasing.
• You can look through them,
• blow through them,
• talk and sing through them,
• use them as musical instruments,
• draw all over them,
• decorate them in other ways,
• use them as swords,
• make colidoscopes,
• put them open side down on a flat surface and fill them with things (this can either be used as a trap for someone trying to sneak into your room, or you can see who can knock it over first using various methods and, of course, rules).
• They are fun fun fun.
• They are plain and just begging for imagination, which kids have plenty of.

I probably don't even have to go here. We ALL are familiar with the allure of boxes. When we get older we call them bins and decorative baskets, trunks, or chests, but they're the same thing: boxes.

• Boxes are cool because you can put things in them (this includes one's self).
• You can turn them into boats,
• trains,
• trolleys,
• houses,
• shops,
• tents,
• mailboxes,
• ovens.
• tables,
• and racecars.
• You can paint them, draw on them, put stickers all over them.
• You can cut parts out of them, like doors or windows, or sunroofs.
• You can hide in them.
• You can wait in them until someone comes by and then scare them.
• You can put lots of them together,
• You can stand one alone,
• You can stack them.
• You can secure your cat in them and laugh.
• You can hide all your stuff in them and tell your mom you're room is clean (when she looks under your bed, you can chuckle in delight).
• They make cozy reading places.
• They are great to sleep in.
• Like tubes, they are plain, so the possibilities are endless.

So the next time you move, get a box from the UPS guy, or recieve a gift in a box, don't throw it out or set it in the recycling bin or throw it in the basement or attic to collect dust and make more dust. Recycle it in a different way. Pass it on to a kid. You'll be "the best"!

Every once in a while, let the grocer put your items in paper bags, at least some of them. You'll be coming home with a treat that might possibly be better than the candy or dessert you didn't buy. Like tubes and boxes, paper bags are plain. They are an empty canvas. And paper bags have something that tubes and boxes do not. They have flexibility.

Of the thousands of thing one can do with a paper bag, here are a few:

• With paper bags, you can make a puppet,
• a self portrait,
• a mask,
• a vest,
• a costume,
• a hat.
• You can color, draw or paint on it.
• It's easy to glue things on them.
• It's easy to stick stickers on them.
• You can put your tubes in them.
• You can crumple them up, paint on them, then use that to stamp neat designs on another paper bag.
• You can keep your play-doh safe in them.
• You can hide things in them.
• You can put your cat in them.
• You can make string people out of them.
• You can decorate them to make wallpaper for your boxes with them.

The possibilities are endless! And it was free. And your kids are creatively recycling them.

Nature is by far the best playground for your child, and for you. It allows your child to wonder, imagine, discover the world and themselves, feel their emotions, discover new ones, and so much more. (See my post on why a little me time with nature is good for your child.) Imaginations can run wilder here than the wind.

So it makes sense that nature also offers the best (and cheapest - FREE) toys in the world.

Take here for example, the tree. Yes, the tree. Any kind of tree. It is, in and of itself, a fantastic thing to play with.

• First and formost, the temerature is always right. Trees keep themselves at a cool 70 degrees all year round.
• They can be climbed
• They can be admired.
• You can throw things in them.
• Things fall out of them.
• They are home to all kinds of neat animals, including bugs.
• This means you can find a birds nest, a squirrels nest, a woodpecker looking for bugs, an owls home.
• Right before they die they get covered in ants, bees, butterflies, and all sorts of other amazing creatures.
• Fairies might live in them.
• They provide shade.
• They have a shadow.
• They have different scents.
• You can hide in them.
• You can read in them, or under them.
• You can use them as home base.
• You can hide behind them.
• You can try to count their branches without getting confused.
• You can find stuff to collect under them, like pinecones, helicopters, acorns, and leaves, flowers, fruits.
• You can carve things in their trunks.
• Their bark is amazing - some peel, some can flake off, some are rough, some are smooth, some are sappy.
• And yes, you can hug them.
• You can aspire to grow as tall as them.

Leaves are one of those toys that are way cool all year round.

They come in many shapes and sizes.

And many different colors.

They tell the seasons.

You can collect them.

Fan yourself with them.

Compare them.

Find bugs on them.

Rake them.

Jump in them.

Swat flies with them.

Pull them apart at the seams.

Tear them up and sprinkle them in your friend's hair while laughing hysterically. 

Stick them in big books to save them.

Glue them onto paper.

Paint them and press them on paper bag paper or on your new used box.

You can do all sorts of other cool stuff with them.

The wonders of a stick. All shapes all sizes.

Some are breakable.

Some are pronged.

Some help you dig.

Some help you walk or climb.

Some are rotten.

Some are strong.

Sticks make great swords,

Some make great pistols or rifles.

Some are great for pretend fishing.

Some are great for building bridges, big or small.

Some are great for thinking while you break them into pieces.

You can throw them.

You can try to start a fire with them.

You can try to reach things with them.

You can bring stuff closer with them.

You can disturb an ant hill with them.

You can hit stuff with them.

You can play fetch with your dog with them.

You can see how far you can throw them.

Some are great for building forts or walls.

You can make designs with them.

You can draw in the dirt with them.

You can try to get a caterpillar to walk on them.

You can use them to swat away flies and mosquitos (yes leaves aren't the only toy that's useful like that).

You can find out if that bird is really dead.

Grass is way cool. Way way cool.

It's always fresh, even when it's hot out.

The right kind of grass is awesome to walk barefoot on.

It's the best place to lay and look at the sky and the clouds, to think, to cry, to laugh.

If you find the right piece of grass, and hold it just so between your thumbs, you can make a loud loud whistle.

You can hide in it.

Read in it.

Run on it.

Roll down a grass covered hill.

You can play ring around the rosy on it.

You can pull it and throw it at your friend, use it as pretend food, or as food for your pet bug.

Ah sprinklers. I spent many a summer's day running through the sprinkler with my friends, laughing and screaming, and having a blast. How many people can get wet under one? Is it possible to not get wet at all while in it's circumfrance? Oh look, a rainbow! Cool and refreshing. And free. Yes free. You already have one to water your lawn with, so why not use it to play in? Sprinklers are more than happy to multi-task for you.

Rainy day?  So what.  You're kids take showers, right?  They play in the sprinklers right?  They may swim in the pool or the lake, right?  So unless it's storming or thundering, a little rain isn't going to hurt.  In fact it gives them a view of the world that can't be seen in any other weather.  Especially if they're lucky enough to be caught in a rain when the sun is shining.  And oh the rainbows they may see then.  Wildlife reacts differently to rain.  All sorts of neat bugs come around.  Rolly pollies, and worms, and frogs. 

And puddles appear and get bigger. 

• You can splash in them
• and jump over them. 
• You can throw pebbles and rocks in them.
• You can see if sticks or leaves or strands of grass float or sink.
• You can see your reflection.
• You can see your friends' reflection.
• You can see the sky in a puddle.

And when the rain is done, you just might be able to watch the puddle shrink, or the birds drink from it or have a play in it themselves.

Snow is cold.  Snow is wet.  Snow is fun. 

You can pack it. You can throw it.  You can build with it.

You can make an igloo and see if it really is warmer in there.  You can see how long your igloo can last, and build it better next time.

You can build snowmen.  You can make snow angels.  You can burry your little brother in the snow. 

You can sled in it.  Slide in it.  Fall in it.  And sometimes, when its cold enough, you can walk on top of it and not make a single track.

Flowers make great toys.  You can really watch them bloom.  You can watch bugs on them.  you can pick them and weave them and sniff them.  You can find out if he loves you or not.  If they're a dandylion you can make a wish and blow it's white puffs away.  If it's a buttercup you can find out if you're boy or girl crazy by putting it under your chin and seeing how yellow the reflection is against your skin.  And if you're lucky, you can watch a bunny eat a clover.  You can share your flowers with your mom, or dad, or sister, or brother, or best friend.  You can even say hello to a new friend with them.

Think bugs are icky? Think again.

• Bugs are fascinating, plentiful, and readily available.
• You don't have to touch them.
• Some fly.
• Some wiggle.
• Some are hard.
• Some are soft.
• You find some in some places but not in others.
• Some come out in the rain, some hide.
• Some eat others, some don't.
• Some fight, some don't.
• Some tickle.
• Some have hard shells.
• Some have wings under wings.
• Some make buzzing sounds.
• Some are colorful.
• Some have spots.
• Some make the coolest webs. And when the sun or moon catches them, especially after a rain, they are sooo far out gorgeous.

Shall I go on? For a delightful story, about "Bugs Inside", and how much kids really love and are fascinated by bugs, read One Mom's Journal - Lengths we go to please our children, and the miracles we find therein.

Could you even imagine a world without rocks? I know I most certainly could not. Rocks offer a foundation. Rocks, are like building blocks.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

You can climb on them

step on them

stack them

throw them

skip them over water.

They change color when you wet them.

If you find the right one you can draw on concrete with them and play a game of hopscotch (you can use the same rock as your tossing stone), square ball, or draw a picture, or profess your love to the boy next door.

You can smash things with them.

You can try to smash them in half with another one to see what's inside.

You can throw them.

You can collect them.

You can build a rock garden out of them.

You can even try to build a wall.

You can marvel at them.

You can sit on them.

You can lean your back on them and think.

You can wonder what they look like, just as if they were clouds in the sky.

You can play with your action figures on them (to the action figues they're larger than life).

You can use them as plates, or pretend food.

You can let someone know you were there.

One of the best ways to teach a child is to offer them the ability to learn, grow, and discover themselves, through play and experience.

Childhood education doesn't all happen at school. In fact it starts way before the thought of school arises. It continues after school hours. It continues during the summer. Learning and growing is a neverending process.   It doesn't only mean organized activity run by someone who isn't a kid.  It doesn't mean only sitting at a desk and reading or writing or listening to lectures.  It means day dreaming.  Pushing your mind and your body to go further, to find your place in this world in your own way.  Asking question and remembering the answers because you care, because you're excited.

Allowing children the great museum that is filled with the simple and free things in life, not only expands their horizons in ways most kids today don't experience, but it allows them to get in touch with themselves and their creative minds. It allows them to go further, to strive for more, to be themselves, to go crazy, to find their quiet space. 

And in the end, if you've played your cards right, not only will all these free toys cost you nothing, but their rooms just may end up looking and staying like this:

Still think your kids are missing out on that hot new plaything they have to have because their school mate does? Still want to spend money on toys? I've got a better idea.

My advice? Spend it on something else that will change your kids' lives forever, help them grow, get them through hard times, teach them, make them feel like they're part of something, like they can do and be anything in the world, that can boost their confidence one step higher than the free things I've listed here, and those that I haven't. Spend it on books.

*All photos are courtesy google images unless otherwise noted.