Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Craft: “I Spy” Bottle
April 8, 2009 by admin · 140 Comments
When I do buy a plastic container I try to either recycle it or look for a way to reuse it. We have mountains of carrot juice bottles for which I am always trying to find ideas. This “I Spy” bottle was a very fun, very simple activity and it comes in handy when my daughter needs to quietly play with something. I have been keeping it in my purse, and it has already rescued me from a few tantrums!
Here are the steps for making your own “I Spy” bottle:
1. Take the plastic bottle, clean it and dry it out really well.
2. Collect anything from around the house you think could fit in the bottle. You can use anything from old bottle caps to charms to stickers.
Note: If using a sticker simply rub the back of the sticker with whatever substance is inside so it won’t stick to the container.
3. Third, keep a list of the objects you add to the bottle.
- » See also: Fill Your Easter Baskets with Eco-Friendly Art Supplies from Stubby Pencil Studio
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4. Add rice, beans, sand or a mixture of these to the bottle. Fill it up just enough so when you twirl the bottle you can find the objects.
Note: If using sand make sure the bottle is absolutely dry. You can even use a blow dryer. If it’s not completely dry it will make a big mess for you.
5. Put some glue on the lid and screw it shut. Then type up the list of items in the bottle, laminate it and attache it to the bottle with a string.
You could also try these ideas for fillers:
- A bottle with alphabet letters in it to help the kiddos recognize their alphabet.
- A bottle with numbers.
- Bottles for each season.
- Bottles for an upcoming holiday!
Bag of Natural Materials
April 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Another great idea I got from reading The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule was the importance of Toys From Natural Materials, more specifically the idea of a bag for young toddlers to explore with.
She suggests having a fabric basket full of scraps of many different textiles and colors for them to feel and play with. She also suggests yarn, string, wood “blocks” from nature and the “earth’s gifts” (rocks, shells, acorns and pinecones).
Of course depending on the age of your children you would want to gather things that they would be safe playing with, supervise them well when they are playing with something that could potentially be dangerous if left alone with it (my kids put EVERYTHING in their mouths) and make sure things are fairly clean.
So I gave it a try, I found this beautifully colored silk bag my sister had bought me from Thailand, filled it with feathers, yarn, other fabrics my sister had picked up in Thailand. We still have to collect some things from nature but I have to tell you it is a big hit. My girls will play with the things in there (especially the yarn) for a good hour.
So simple and more importantly free! Have I mentioned already how much I really enjoyed this book?
Try it out, have your kids help you put together a bag.
Nature Art Project
April 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
So, this week for Art Group we made pictures out of the beautiful leaves in our neighborhood. I had each of the kids do a “Nature Girl/Boy” picture and then one that they created. How cheap and easy was this one? Plus we had tons of fun taking a nice long walk around the neighborhood and collecting treasures.
First Post
February 10, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions. This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions. This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions. This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions.
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