Best homemade toy for 3 year olds [reuse and recycle]

This toy was a favorite for every child in my neighborhood. Not only that, they are easy to make and durable enough to survive repeated abuse. Even if they do get destroyed you won’t care because they are free!

Materials:

1. Milk cartons (1/2 gallon, quart, or pint… any size will do)
2. Strong scissors or box cutter
3. optional: small bell, rock, or marble
4. optional: decorative paper and packing tape

Instructions:

1. Cut off the tops of the (clean and dry) milk cartons so you are left with just open containers.
2. Drop in the bell or other noise maker if you are using one.
3. Turn one carton upside down over a second carton (so the open ends are together), and insert one carton into the other. You will probably have to squeeze the sides of one carton to get it started, but they should go together fairly easily.
4. Gently push on the ends of the cartons until you are left with a box that is close to the size of one milk carton.

That’s it! You can get fancy and add decorative paper with packing tape, but they work just fine as is.

How to play:

• Little kids just love to shake them and knock them over.
• Bigger kids can set them on end and run through them like Godzilla.
• You can set them up like bowling pins and use a soft ball to bowl.
• Big kids can use them like construction blocks and try to build towers (the sides are slightly convex so this can be a real challenge!)

Every time we polish off a carton of milk I set it aside so I can add to our brick supply. One down side is that they do take up a lot of room, but at least they are light and easy to tidy up.

Then, when the kids get tired of them just put them in with the recycling. You can’t get more eco-friendly than that!

Better than a squirt gun [summer fun activities]

I can’t believe I never thought of this before today.

It’s unbearably hot outside, and my 4 year old and 10 month old were climbing the walls, so I got out a few spray bottles that I picked up for $1 at Target. One we set to a fine mist and cooled off the baby with some pleasant spritzing, and the others we set to stream and introduced the preschooler to a world class squirt battle.

This was waaaay better than the squirt guns of my childhood because you don’t have to reload every other second, and they are also better than the super-soaker type toys they sell nowadays because you don’t get completely drenched in the first minute.

We played with these for close to an hour (I brought out a bucket for quick refills), and then we tried some target practice with the bubbles we also happened to have outside. This was a great game in itself, but it was also a way to improve concentration and to teach kids how to focus on more than one objective. Why? Because it was great to squirt the bubbles, but if Grandma got caught in the crossfire you were OUT.

UPDATE: We did this activity again (by popular demand) and discovered another benefit: the kids enjoyed target practice on all the bird doots on the railing, and an hour later everyone got to enjoy a sparkling clean deck.

Removeable wall art

If you’re the artsy type and you’re willing to get just a little bit messy, this is a fun activity for kids as small as 2 years old. Just whip up a small batch of corn starch “paste” and use it to stick whatever pictures or shapes you like to the wall.

Kids love getting their hands in the paste and making their own art, and it’s safe enough to eat. Plus, when you’re tired of the artwork it just peels right off the wall. (You may need to spray it with a little water and wipe it with a sponge to get it all off, but in my experience it just wipes right off.)

Corn starch paste:

1. Put 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in a small bowl (I use an empty yogurt container), and mix with 2 teaspoons of COLD water.
2. Keep stirring as you gradually add 5 tablespoons of boiling water.
3. Stir until it thickens, about to the consistency of pie filling. It tends to thicken more as it cools.

To apply:

• You can dip your paper or fabric pieces directly into the paste and stick them to the wall, smoothing them out with a little more paste on your fingers.

• OR, you could also put some paste on the wall, stick your paper or cloth onto it, and then finish it up with another layer of paste.

I got the idea from this blog last year, but I only just recently gave it a whirl. I am a big fan now because it’s so easy, you don’t have to worry about kids eating the paste, and it’s so easy to clean up! I used this technique to put letters on our playroom’s textured walls, and they look fantastic.

One note of caution if you are working with paper: you may want to check to see if the paper you are using will stain the paint on your walls. It’s probably more of an issue with flat paint and if you are using rough, colored paper like construction paper, but it couldn’t hurt to do a little test beforehand!

Has anyone else tried this?

Link: Tools for the tired & time-starved

I just found these cheat-sheet downloads for busy parents on mommytrackd.com, and I had to share. I love the “eat sheet” myself. That beats the envelope and post-it notes I am constantly losing…

5 ways to entertain a baby while you stand in line

1. Play “ba-ba-ba” with baby’s hands.
2. Holding the baby on your hip or waist, support his head and turn him upside down. (Ladies, you may want to check how loose your shirt is before you do this so you aren’t giving others in line a free show. Learn from my mistakes….)
3. Finger chase. If your baby is a little older you can use a toy, but make sure she gets a few chances to nom on it, too.
4. Roller coaster. If your baby’s head is not strong enough, support his head and back with your forearm and do a very toned-down version of this.
5. Freeze-frame. Do something to your face like blow your nose or scratch your chin, and when your baby turns to watch what you are doing, make eye contact with him and freeze mid-motion. If that doesn’t make him smile, then break into a  smile yourself and he will surely reward you with a grin.

“Roller coaster” for babies

One of the best parts of a roller coaster ride is that feeling you get when you go over a big hill and you are just falling. (Unless you don’t like your stomach in your throat.) You can do this with your baby from the time her neck is strong enough to support her head until she’s too heavy for you.

First, hold the baby on your hip or in a carrier and go up on your toes. Then, loosen your grip on her body (still holding her though) and quickly bend your knees. She’ll feel like she’s falling for about foot or so, but you’ll still have a good grip on her so there’s no real danger. For bigger babies you can add in turns (by spinning around) and maybe adding a dip (turn them upside down).

It’s especially fun to do this without warning, adding a little “whoops!” in there for effect. If you have a little thrill-seeker, she will love it.

What roller-coaster moves do you do with you little one?

Tire them out with these simple gymnastics moves

For days when you just can’t go outside, but you really need the kids to “release their wiggles,” try some of these simple gymnastics moves.* They’ll be exhausted in no time.

The Waterfall: have the child lie face up on a bed or sofa, with her head hanging off the edge. Have her put her hands on the floor so it looks like she is doing a handstand, and help her flip her legs over so she ends up standing facing the bed/sofa. For an extra challenge try to get her to keep her feet together as she does this.

Forward & Backward Rolls: Some kids have trouble doing a somersault, so you can assist by piling up cushions in the shape of a ramp. A small mat or an inflatable air mattress are perfect for this; just put some cushions underneath so that the mattress makes a slope. Once kids figure out how to roll down the cushions/mattress they can just roll around on the floor.

Handstands: (I like to use a door for these so they don’t make marks on the wall. Just make sure it’s a door that is not going to be opened!) Have the child stand with his back to the door and put his hands on the floor. Then, help him walk his feet up the door until he is almost doing a handstand (facing the door). When he masters this, have him turn around and put his hands about a foot away from the door, then help him kick up to a handstand.

Balance beam: Take a big bath towel or blanket and roll it up so it’s as long as possible. Have the kids walk along it without falling off. For more challenge, have them go sideways and backwards, march, high step, hop, somersault, etc.

Bridge: Have your child lie on the floor with his feet near his bottom and his hands by his ears (make sure he doesn’t get any hair under his hands!), and help him push up into a bridge. If you’ve got more than one child, let one child be the “tunnel” and the other(s) can crawl underneath. For an added challenge, see how long he can stay up, or see if he can pick up a foot off the floor. For real experts, see if he can “walk” around in that position.

Wheelbarrow: This is not really a gymnastics move, but it’s still fun (and tiring). Hold your child’s feet and have her walk around on her hands. For added challenge start lifting her legs higher and higher.

*It’s possible for kids to get hurt doing just about anything, so please make sure you supervise and/or spot these activities!

Make your own play dough

There are quite a few recipes for play dough out there, and this one from Frugal Village (via the Consumerist) got me thinking about them. Everyone says that adding Kool-Aid is great to get bright colors and a nice smell, and apparently it doesn’t come off on your hands.

Here’s their recipe…

Combine:
1 cup Flour
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Salt
2 tablespoon Cream of tartar
1 tablespoon Oil

Cook until ingredients start to clump together. Turn out onto a plate or piece of wax paper, and knead in food coloring if you wish.

If you don’t happen to have all of these ingredients, this is an alternative recipe:

Combine:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup corn starch
Add:
3/4 cup water

Cook until it thickens, then cool. As you knead it will smooth out.

Here is another recipe using cornstarch:

Combine 2 cups of salt with 2/3 cup of water, and bring to a boil. Combine 1 cup of cornstarch with 2/3 cup of water, and pour into the salt water. Continue heating until it sets.

I also like this one because it lasts a long time, but it is not edible:

Combine:
1/3 cup corn starch
1/4 cup white glue (like Elmer’s)

Do you know of any good recipes that can equal or beat Play-Doh?

Indoor trails

This is a variation on the masking tape game. Take some yarn and make patterns on the floor for the child to “tightrope walk” on. Big circles and zigzags are fun for little ones, and older kids will enjoy following the yarn over chairs, under tables, and into different rooms.

Variations:

1. Follow the path walking backwards
2. Use a toy car and follow the yarn like a road
3. Use two different colors and have kids make paths for each other

5 uses for a cardboard box

Did you order something online and have an empty box? Say hello to hours of free entertainment…

1. Get in the box and play train. I’m not sure why this is so fun, but kids can not resist getting in there.
2. Poke 2 holes in the shorter side of the box, run a string or ribbon through the holes and tie them together to make a long pull handle. Let other (small) kids or stuffed animals hop in for a ride around the living room. If you don’t have a string, just push.
3. One word: transmogrifier.
4. If it’s a big box, turn it upside down and cut holes at each end to make a tunnel.
5. Cut holes of various sizes in the top and sides of the box, and throw balls in them. Little kids like just putting objects in the holes, and bigger kids can make a challenging game by assigning points to each hole. If you want to get really fancy, build a little ramp in there so the balls come rolling out.

Of course, if you do these you will be forced to keep the box for a looooong time.

What do you do with an empty box?