Car Garage

Made from a cereal box and toilet paper rolls, this has been a fun little toy for us this week. I've had the supplies to make this for, hmmm, over 2 months? But I only just sat down and glued it together right before Christmas. The TP rolls are covered in craft paper and all parts were hot glued.

One interesting observation (from my house): I really like to set up little play areas and arrange things in a way that is creatively appealing. When I first set this toy out, I did not do this; I just put it on the living room rug and it didn't get much attention. Then, my son moved it to a little toy chest in his room, and that is where it has been ever since. Since he moved it, I've seen cars arranged on it daily, cars on the window seal, cars on the air vents . . . so cute, he set up this little play area all on his own. But I think it is a good reminder that a cluttered environment can be hard to play in (especially if your child leans toward the tidy side). This toy has now lasted a lot longer than expected, and, since it was free and took 10 minutes, that makes me happy!

Where's Mouse?

We're going on a trip and I made this little felt game for the airplane. We use this on a larger scale every week at the Library's storytime, and the toddlers & preschoolers LOVE it. You hide the mouse secretly behind a house, then you say, "Little mouse, are you behind the orange house?" You keep going until you find the little mouse.

This particular set is small - slighly smaller than a sheet of regular computer paper. I made all the houses out of cut paper, laminated them, and then placed small velocro tabs on the back. The blue background is stiff craft felt and a pocket was attached to the back to store the pieces. I'm super excited to see Calvin's reaction to this! I predict he'll love it.

Dinosaur Costume

After some breakfast chats, it was decided that Calvin wanted to be a dinosaur for Halloween. (Dinosaur or Gnome...tough decision!) Since Calvin can be a little prickly about wearing things on the spot and about wearing things on his head, I had to have something that was really just regular clothes. This did the trick! I am happy to report I had all of these materials on hand, and didn't buy anything (take that $35 Target Dinosaur Costume!)

The dino spikes down the back were made from stiff felt and sewn so they'd stand up. The little plate was then hot-glued to the shirt. The tail was done in the same fashion and just safety pinned to the pants. The belly part was just felt and hot glue. Pretty simple but still cute.

And in true fashion, he did NOT want to wear it to a carnival last weekend. In a true "mother" moment, I made him (!) and I'm happy to report he was pleased as punch over his garb as soon as he got inside (which was what I was predicting as my husband stood aside and rolled his eyes at me!)

Bibs

Just a sampling of bibs I've been making of late. I am way behind on all baby gifts, but some good friends are getting these and some of these are for orders. This is my favorite baby gift, I think; it's tried and true, for sure! Flannel makes the front cute and absorbent, and they are backed with denim and finished with a snap.

Marble run

Another idea from my fav blog Made by Joel. It's made from a cereal box (actually two since it is handy to have some extra pieces for the bottom part). Calvin loves any kind of toy involving rolling, a ramp, a relay, etc. This was his 1st introduction to marbles, too. I was very cautious at first, but he's only been rolling them through this & through paper towell rolls, so I think we're safe. If you make one, notice the bottom of it; a piece of the 2nd cereal box was cut out and folded over so that it props the box back ever so slightly - this keeps the marbles rolling and keeps them in the box.

What's for breakfast?

A certain toddler I know really gets a kick out of pouring his own cereal milk. So, that is what we do! It actually seems to do something to help the morning mood - particularly if he is not into eating at the moment or if he is still a sleepy bear. On a very practical level, I can get everything on the table and sit down without worrying about the cereal getting soggy and without having to get back up and get the milk, since toddlers don't always sit down right when asked. (It's the small details, isn't it?)

Squeezing Oranges

We love oranges at our house, & I thought it would be fun to do a little OJ squeezin' with Calvin. It was slightly harder for his little hands to adequately squeeze the orange than I thought it would be, so I think we'll try this again in a few months. We did get to drink some delicious juice, though!

Cute Cakes

There are so many cakes books out there these days, and I love them all. But it is only a small percentage of cakes inside that I feel like I can make without tripling the size of my kitchen or adding a commercial oven. I was super excited when I found this book: Birthday cakes for kids by Annie Rigg at my library. The cakes inside are wonderfully adorable and would be a hit at any party . . . but they also won't give the baker a nervous breakdown. Many of them offer simpler lines and shapes that you can do easily with a pan or two and some basic cutting and stacking. A few of them are more advanced, particularly on icing/piping skills. There's a particularly cute "fluffly sheep" that's covered in marshmallows. Some of the simpler designs include train cars, a tractor, a firetruck, a hot air balloon, and a sweet & chocolatly bear face. My favorite? The marmalade cat. How cute is this little kitty? Happy baking!