DIY Toys: Fun for Hours!

I got this idea (well kinda definitely copied the idea) from my sister in-law when babysitting her boys a few weeks ago. It’s so simple and so easy to do....and it will entertain your little one(s) for hours!

Why wouldn’t it be fun? It clangs, you can shoot the discs across the room on the floor, put the disks in...pull them out, drop them in, shake it about. So.Much.Fun.

Fin agrees.

And I had fun watching him explore and do all the actions listed above, over and over again.

My sister in-law used a Pringles can for hers, and has a TON of the metal disks. She swears her boys, now 3 and 6, have had hours of fun playing with this game. And she has had it around for a few years now...so it’s great for such a wide age range.

Fin is 10 months old, and he had a blast with it all morning (and then later in the afternoon, in case anyone was noticing the wardrobe change). It’s a little early for Fin right now, but I’ve started labeling the disks with numbers and shapes to increase the learning factor.

So, what do you need to put this simple game together?

- 1 container with a Plastic lid (I used a 32oz. Plastic container from Kardish...they’re nice thick and sturdy)

- Tops (and bottoms if you can detach them) from frozen juice concentrates – I have 4 to start but plan on collecting them as I go through juice...it’s a slow process in my house

- Exacto knife

- Cutting board and/or cardboard

- Permanent Marker or stickers (optional)

Putting it all together:

1)Lay the lid for the plastic container on your cutting board or mat and use the exacto knife to cut out a rectangle measuring 3” x 1/2” (just big enough for your juice lids, aka ‘disks’).

2)Separate your metal tops and bottoms from the cardboard juice containers. Use permanent maker (or stickers!) to draw on numbers, shapes, mathematical signs, words, etc.

3)Put the lid on the plastic container.

4)Let your little one play the day away!

Eryn is a mom to a cheerful and energetic little 10 month old boy. She is a Registered Holisitic Nutritionist & accepting new clients . When she's not chasing around a baby or talking nutrition, she enjoys quilting, crafting, cooking & everything in between and blogs about those and other adventures at Bringing Back Handmade.

Welcoming Just Play Toy Rental

Have you ever stood in your playroom and looked around at the toys and thought “Am I crazy?” I know that when my kids were small, no matter what toys they had, they only held their attention for a month or two before they were ready to move on. That can get really expensive. Which is why our new (well, technically returning) sponsor Just Play Toy Rental is a pretty awesome idea. New to you toys delivered right to your door! It’s pretty simple. You can go online and pick out the toys you want. They have all kind of developmentally appropriate toys, both big and small. Just Play Toy Rental focuses on purchasing high quality, open ended toys that will stimulate your kid’s imaginations. The toys are thoroughly cleaned using a product called Benefect - it is a 100% botanical (non-toxic) disinfectant. Typically, the standard rental period is 4 weeks (although daily rentals are available upon special request).

To make life even easier, you can even enroll in the Just Play Toy Rental subscription service. When you do, you will receive new to you developmentally appropriate toys on the selected delivery date. The number of toys will vary slightly depending on their individual retail value. The rental period is 30 days, starting from the day the toys are delivered. The toys will be picked up and another toy package delivered 30 days later.

How awesome is that? Just when your kids are starting to get bored, boom! A brand new delivery of toys. And don’t worry if your child just cannot bear to part with a toy. If that happens, you can actually purchase said toy. All problems solved.

Welcome back Just Play Toy Rental. We’re so excited to be able to promote your awesome service. And stay tuned, we will have a reader review of Just Play coming really soon.

Welcoming Our New Sponsor: The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head (and a Giveaway to Boot!)

Giveaway Closed

Kids in the Capital is proud to welcome a new sponsor. And it’s not just any ordinary sponsor. It’s none other than the iconic Mr. Potato Head! The Children’s Museum, located in the Museum of Civilization, is now playing host to the temporary exhibit of The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head.

Last month, Kamerine got the chance to experience the exhibit with her two kids and thought it was pretty SPUD-Tacular.  The exhibit, geared toward children 3-8, is full of opportunities for creative play and problem-solving. There are tons of  hands-on opportunities for little inventors to creating their own amazing jungle bugs, for young oceanographers to climb aboard the potato-shaped spud sub, be budding archaeologists exploring the ruins of a lost vegetable kingdom or astronauts aboard the S.P.U.D. space station as they orbit the distant planet Neptato. The exhibit also includes one display of the original toy as it appeared in the 1950’s. Back then, children had to use real potatoes. What a great way to spend some time over the summer holiday.

The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head runs now to January 5th at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. You can read more about the exhibition here. This is also where you can buy advance tickets and look ahead to any special activities that are planned.

Congrats to Lisa Kastler who won a family pass to see The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head. But we have more! We’re also giving away two Mr. Potato Head toys. Just tell us whether you're partial to Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head in the comments below and you're entered! Contest ends July 10th!

Review: My Pretty Playhouse

by Lara A few months ago I was given the opportunity to review a My Pretty Playhouse with the kids.

Having something for the kids to use as a little fort in the basement was great.  I found up to 5 kids in there at a time, reading stories, playing with toys, or pretending to nap :) They also loved that they were allowed to colour on it!

I loved the details on the house and how easy it was to put together.

If you had kids who are less rambunctious than mine (mine are VERY rambunctious) it would probably last longer than ours did.  That being said, we got a good two months out of it before it had been a little too destroyed to keep playing in.

For $34.99 it's a good value.  I remember seeing houses like these in the past that ran for double that so the price point on this one definitely appeals.

*disclaimer. I received the playhouse for free but didn't receive any compensation and all thoughts are my own.

Just Play Toy Rental Review

By Kamerine If your kids are anything like mine they love to run and play and  read.  They love toys of all shapes and sizes but often get bored with  their toys.  We like going to play dates and playgroups to mix it up,  but what if you could get new toys delivered right to your door every  month?  With Just Play Toy Rental that's exactly what you get.

I had the opportunity to review Just Play Toy Rental's subscription  service and let me tell you, it was like Christmas at my house every  month!  My kids, ages 1 and 3, were delighted with the toys and because  we had them for a month they didn't have time to get bored with them.   We tested blocks and puzzles and trucks and bigger toys like a tunnel  and a house.  It's hard to say what they liked best, everything got  played with.

 

I was very impressed with the quality of  the toys and the variation month to month, but I was also impressed with the company itself.  Just Play Toy Rental is an Ottawa business with a  great philosophy: stay home, relax and play!  The website is easy to  navigate and has all the toys available to rent, searchable by age group or type of toy.  They rent toys individually or by subscription and  will work with you to determine the best time for pick-up and delivery.  For us that was a weeknight after the kids had gone to bed so the toys  were waiting for them the next morning.

We enjoyed a  monthly subscription but I can see this being perfect for summer  birthdays if you wanted to rent bigger toys like tunnels, slides or  ride-on toys.  Or if you wanted to make sure your kid would like a type  of toy before buying it, just rent it for a month to check it out.   Either way, this is a great company and we're lucky to have them in  Ottawa.  So check out Just Play Toy Rental and stay home, relax and  play!

Disclosure: I was provided with a trial  subscription but was not compensated in any other way.  The  opinions are my own.

Kamerine is mom to 3-year-old Little J and 1-year-old Baby K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at followk.blogspot.ca.