This small section of a children's garden display has some great ideas you could use at home for much larger projects. In this little area there are four different types of flagstone, bricks, small smooth stones taken from a local beach, and crushed stone found at many stoneyards. Kids love the different textures and colors that these materials provide. It's fun.
You could build an entire walkway or patio with mixed materials like these. Or, you could do only a small section, say, a paver patio with a patch of mixed materials in the middle. It would be fun for the kids, and look great to you and your guests.