Mud pies!
The play house!
Jars, lids, tins, old pots and pans, old bedding - nothing was thrown away. It was salvaged by children who would lay claim to a corner of a barn or shed and declare it a play house. True joy was the emptying of the brooder house or some other small wood shed and claiming the entire building, 6x8 feet of heaven. Then we grew up, got married, and a brother-in-law designed and built a backyard Victorian playhouse, which his daughter had no part in creating, and it was not a big hit. The whole point of the play house is for the child to create it herself, with found-objects, not things Mom and Dad buy or make. {{wince}}