Showing posts with label busy jilly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label busy jilly. Show all posts

11.06.2012

Busy Jilly, Part 2

When I wrote Busy Jilly, Party One it was with the assumption there would be a part two.  Then I got busy/lazy (you pick) and it took me almost 2 months to post Part Two.  I would plan on Part Three sometime in late 2013.  But, until then, here are 4 more easy/cheap to make activities to keep your toddler busy.

5. Foam Stickers- These are possibly my favorite things in the world.  EVERY kid I've ever encountered loves foam stickers.  It's not too hard to pull the paper off, and they can be stuck and re-stuck to everything.  I've gotten two big tubs at Michael's with 50% off coupons so they were about $4 each, and a tub lasts forever.

6. Threading Felt- I found this activity here and when I realized I had all the materials on hand I started making it immediately.  Jilly still can't do it herself, which eliminates it from the category of "things I can hand her when I need to be doing something else" but I figure as we practice more she'll soon be able to maneuver the felt pieces over the button by herself.  And then, oh the glory, this will be so easy to take along anywhere and everywhere.  

7.  Wallet- If your child is anything like mine his/her very very favorite activity is to raid your wallet.  And as nice as it is to have something that keeps her occupied for a while, it is not pleasant to arrive at the doctor and realize that your insurance card is no longer inside your wallet.  I saw this idea on pinterest, and luckily I had an old wallet lying around the house but you could probably find a cheap wallet at Goodwill to use.  On pinterest it said to cut pieces of scrapbook paper to put in the wallet, but that wouldn't fool Jilly for a second.  I've been collecting random cards we have around- an old license, BYU ID card, an expired AAA card, rewards cards from stores, business cards, etc.; her especial favorite is a Disneyland ticket that has Minnie Mouse on it.  She loves pulling all the cards out then sliding them back in their spaces.

8.  Beans- So, so, so entertaining.  Whenever we have leftover beans from a recipe I toss them in a plastic bag.  We now have quite a collection of different colors and sizes.  Give Jilly a few bowls and measuring spoons and she's happy for a good solid 30 minutes.  Cleanup isn't too bad because she's actually pretty good at keeping them on the blanket.

9.18.2012

Busy Jilly, Part 1

Last year I almost joined a toddler busy bag swap, but we were about to leave on a trip to Virginia and I just didn't have the time.  So in the past few months I've been searching pinterest and making my own little activities for Jilly.  These are things I can pull out when I'm working on a project, taking a shower, making a phone call, etc.  They are all activities she can do on her own which is absolutely fantastic for my sanity.  Plus, they've all been very simple and inexpensive to assemble (in other words they make me feel like a super hero.)


1. Pipe Cleaners and Beads-  These beads were leftover from my teaching days.  I waited to let Jilly play with them until I knew she wouldn't put them in her mouth (so basically just in the past couple weeks.)  I love the serious concentrating face she makes when threading the beads on the pipe cleaners.  She also sometimes sorts them by color, or just spreads them around the room (not my favorite option.)


2. Animal Heads and Tails- I actually deserve no credit for this one.  My super fabulous friend Shauna made these for her Busy Bag Exchange and was willing to email the file to her lazy friend (me.)  All I had to do was print, cut, and laminate.  Despite how it looks in the picture Jilly is getting pretty good at matching the correct head and tail.  And animals are always a big hit around here.

3. Pom Poms- I bought a big bag of pom poms (I never buy anything from Michael's without a coupon) then washed out a used plastic container.  When I cut the holes in the lid I started out really small and gradually cut them bigger because I didn't want to make them too big and take the challenge away.  This is one of the very best activities at keeping her occupied for a while.


4. Alphabet Milk Caps.  Months and months ago I saw something on pinterest that used milk caps so I started washing and saving mine.  One day I realized I had saved all these caps but hadn't used them at all and could not remember (nor had pinned) the original idea.  So I let Jilly start playing with them, and what do you know, she loved them!  Eventually I decided to add something more and picked up some sparkly chipboard letters at Michaels.  The letters were sticky, but not nearly enough, so I mod podged them on.  Right now they're just fun to sort, stack, and throw, but I have visions of one day teaching Jilly to make words with these.