Water Snakes – These slippy, squishy wonders are a sensory delight. Make up keep-away games with them, play catch, or make-believe they are real snakes. They don’t do well thrown with great force against the ground, but they are fairly durable and so much fun.

Kazoos – Whether solo humming or a whole family kazoo choir, everything is happier with a kazoo. Don’t relegate these wonders to birthday parties!

Q-tip and straw– A Q-tip can be blown out of a straw with decent enough force to fly, but not enough force to hurt anyone. So many games, competitions, and challenges can be devised using this improvised blow dart. When you are done, play pick-up sticks, build towers with them, or clean your ears.

Rubberband – Target practice, rubberband fights, use it as a launcher for paper darts, or build a catapult. Our son just recently made his own instrument using some over a plastic food-storage container. Rubberbands are another mother of invention!

Onion or other fruits/vegetables– Dissecting an onion, when done so as to understand and examine its unique structure, is truly an eye-opening and watering experience. Other fruits and vegetables are also interesting to dissect. Food, when used in place of a ball for catch, keep-away, or soccer makes it all the more memorable. Our son had us playing lime baseball a few years back. What a smashing idea!

Bouncy ball – Put away your breakables, maybe wear some eye protection, and these are pretty much self-explanatory!

Hot wheels tracks– These classic toys, which have been the same orange marvels for over fifty years, still lead so naturally to the joys of tinkering. Use them for cars, marbles, or anything which will roll. Create jumps. Make targets. Engineer!

Bucket of water – Step in it, splash with it, combine it with sponges, cups, or spoons and make a relay. Float stuff in it. Make it muddy. Turn it to ice or steam. So much play and discovery to be had!

Balloon – Turn a fan on it’s side and watch them defy gravity. Invent volleyball-esque games, or hit them with spoons. Fill some with paint, pin on a canvas and throw darts at them and see what “pop art” you can create! Let them fly around untied or even pop a few!

Sticks – Forts, sculptures, or spears to destroy backyard wooly mammoths. Keep it safe, but don’t miss out on their wonder just because you “could poke an eye out.”

Let’s play ball!