Last Updated on September 19, 2018 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Toddler and preschool outdoor play is an important part of our curriculum, so it’s always fun when we get new toys. We love our new Simplay3 Cottage View Garden and Kitchen!
Outdoor play is a very important part of the toddler and preschool day. We go outside in rain or shine (and where we live, it rains a lot), and depend on quality toys to encourage hands-on play while also using our large motor skills.
We have a variety of toys that invite our children to be creative, use their motor skills, and encourage pretend play.
It’s a favorite time of our toddler and preschool day!
Toddler and Preschool Outdoor Play with Simplay3 Toys
Disclosure: The Garden View Kitchen and Cottage were given to us at no charge by Simplay3 in exchange for a product review. All opinions are our own.
When Simplay3 contacted us asking if they could send us some outdoor toys I was super excited as our current playhouse was literally falling apart.
They arrived a week before open house, so they were ready when our toddler and preschool families arrived.
Watch the video:
The Garden View Cottage
As soon as we assembled The Garden View Cottage, I was impressed with the quality. We’ve gone through quite a few play houses in my 20 years of teaching at this preschool, and, to be honest, there have been issues with each of them, quality being the biggest one.
In the Pacific Northwest we get a lot of rain. So, our outdoor toys must be able to handle the rain … and even occasional snow … that occurs.
We also need something that can be easily washed since huge fir trees that surround our play area are constantly dropping needles and other debris.
I appreciate the colors of this house, it’s earthy tones with the welcoming bright red door, too!
Another reason we need durable outdoor play toys is because we have four classes of toddlers and preschoolers that use them during the week.
That’s a lot of little people going in and out of that door!
The large window openings allows the teachers on the outside to see what is happening while the children play inside. This is a very important feature for our preschool staff!
The interior of the cottage has everything toddlers and preschoolers love. There is a kitchenette with a pretend oven, stovetop, and cupboard storage.
But what we later realized was the biggest hit? The four corner chairs. The children love sitting on these chairs creating conversations with each other, building their language skills!
One of the windowsills is also a racetrack. Since we always have small cars in our outdoor play area, this is a fun addition!
The Garden View Kitchen
Like the cottage, the Garden View Kitchen has a big open window for easy viewing.
It comes with a 30 piece cooking and dining play set and the utensils can hang from the rack above the sink.
The two pieces compliment each other nicely and create a fun pretend play area for all of our toddlers and preschoolers. The attention to detail on this is great- this kitchen even has a little nook below the microwave for a little pretend dog or cat to hide out!
Kitchen play is popular with our toddlers and preschoolers, so we love extending it outside with this kitchen. Already the children have pretended to make orange milkshakes, hamburgers, and pizza! Our preschoolers love having pretend play pieces with doors that open and close, so it’s great that this kitchen has 3 doors: a refrigerator, an oven, and a microwave. Being a teacher, you find very interesting items stored in those doors cleaning up at the end of the day!
We’ve now had 3 weeks of playtime with the Garden View Cottage and Kitchen, and we love having these pieces included in our outdoor play area. I highly recommend them for home and school!
Simplay3
Simplay3 creates quality products that are made in America by American workers. We love how their products can be used a variety of ways and are built to last. In addition to the Garden View Cottage and Kitchen, I have also reviewed their In & Out Activity Table, which we use daily inside our toddler and preschool classroom.
You can find their entire line of products on their Simplay3 website.
More outdoor activities:
44 Outdoor Learning Ideas for Preschoolers
Preschool Outdoor Activities that Can Be Done in a Small Space
18 Fun Outdoor Art Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
15 Fun Outdoor Games for Preschoolers
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