My mum was made to be a nan. She was always telling my sister and I that she “couldn’t wait” to be a nan but very quickly told us she obviously could (we were teenage girls after all).

So when my nephew came along one November, out came the knitting needles. There were jumpers, toys, hats. You name it. It was the same for when T came along.

When our nephew turned two, he was a spitfire and never sat down or stopped running around. So when T came along shortly after, my mum thought it’d be time to start creating her garden haven for the grandkids.

Her first creation was a home made chalk board.

Made with a board of MDF, a can of blackboard paint, and some string. It can be taken off the wall and put on the ground. Our nephew loves drawing on this and keeps him from drawing on nana’s newly paved garden!

Nana’s next creation was her “water wall”:

Made from an old shelving unit (pallets would also work) and recycled bottles and plastics from around the house and garden, my mum created a fun (and cooling) toy. By attaching the bottles to the shelves using cable ties means that they can be removed or moved around to create something new every few weeks.

The following week came a home made sand box:

Made from a cheap, plastic box usually found in pound shops, it beats forking out for sand tables from chain stores. The length means it can be easily shared and the lid means it can be left outside.

On top of those creations, there’s a large tub containing soil for digger play, and large, foam jigsaw pieces to sit underneath the slide she got, to create a soft mat. Not to mention the usual garden toys.

There’s no question that my mum enjoys doing this, and if this is what’s created for a two year old; I can’t imagine what will be around by the time T is old enough to play!

K