Busy Boxes...Or Whatever You Want to Call Them!

Busy boxes.  Quiet time bins.  What do I do now? containers.  Whatever you want to call them, they all serve the same purpose.  I initially came across this idea at The View from 5'5" and I was in love at first sight!  The original idea is that these boxes will serve as "quiet" activities for the littles during times of the day where quiet is needed:  during a naptime that is transitioning into awake time, during the time before nap, during the time before bed, etc.  However, I am using it for a different purpose.

My daughter is 20 months old and always looking for something new to do.  Frankly, I often run out of ideas.  I mean, I can only color, play with HotWheels cars, roll on the rug, and make her dollies dance for so long.  I came across the quiet time bins idea and thought, "Bingo!".   When I can't think of something to do, I will just go to her Busy Box of the day and pick an activity to do!  Initially, I tried to incorporate 5 categories into each box:  Practical Life, Learning, Fine Motor, Creative Play, Problem Solving.  As I put the boxes together, it was taking me forever to decide on all 5 categories for each box so I figured, hey, I'll just put at least 4 categories in each box!  For reference, the majority of materials I had on hand at home.  If I didn't have something I wanted, I purchased it from The Dollar Tree.  In the end, I probably spent about $12 to create these boxes (I purchased the actual bins from The Dollar Tree, too!).  Also, I came up with some ideas on my own and some ideas were gathered elsewhere.  If I got the idea from someone else, I've provided a link, so just click on it!  So, without further adieu.....

I have a bin for each day, Monday through Friday.  If I am ever at a lull point in the day, I will reach for that day's bin and pick an activity to do.  By the way, I keep these bins out of my daughter's play area.

MONDAY'S BIN:
2 washcloths for folding practice, first words flashcards, stamps & stamp pads, a puzzle, Coke bottle game (she won't get it, but it will be good for fine motor practice).

TUESDAY'S BIN:

Color matching felt squares (she has colored blocks that we can organize according to color), spaghetti noodles in a cheese shaker jar (for fine motor skill practice), hot glue crayon rubbing plates,  table setting (cup, fork, spoon, napkin, plate, place mat)

WEDNESDAY'S BIN:

Tinfoil (just for creative fun), hygiene kit (brush, loofah, toothpaste - hot glued shut, toothbrush) for practical life play, shape flashcards, puzzle, clothespins (for fine motor - to pin on edge of Tupperware container)

THURSDAY'S BIN:

Peg board strip & golf tees (fine motor), felt shape pieces, child safe scissors (only cut paper) with a magazine (to practice cutting), Etch-A-Sketch

FRIDAY'S BIN:

Color flashcards, mini containers of playdoh, flowers for flower vase arranging, pom poms with a spoon (transferring from one bin to another for fine motor practice)

After a month, I plan on switching out some of the activities to add some newness/variety.  I haven't yet used these with Olive, but I think she will like it.  Given that she only gets to see each activity once a week, I think that it will help to keep her attention longer than a normal everyday activity might.

Sticker Fun

My daughter loves to peel the stickers off and stick them onto all kinds of surfaces, but mostly paper and herself.  A few months ago, I tried the whole sticker thing with her and she would just end up getting really frustrated when she couldn't get the sticker back off from where she stuck it.  Now that she's a little older, she understands it more but she also has learned what surfaces are better if she wants to get the sticker off (her shirt, her nose, a smooth surface play table, the carpet, etc.).

Stickers are great because you can buy them everywhere and they come in an infinite number of pictures, colors, styles, even textures and scents if you want to get really fancy.  I've been buying my stickers recently from my local creative reuse depot.  They sell mixed up sheets of stickers for $0.05 a sheet.  I can get a huge variety for a very small price.  Another good sticker option are those free address labels companies send you in the mail (yes, I know they expect you to donate to them, but I can't let the stickers go to waste, now can I?).

Peeling the stickers - something that took time to learn how to do.

A nose - a perfect place for a sticker!

"I think I'll put this right on my shirt...perfect!"

"Which sticker should I choose next?"

Pinterest Friday

Yay! It's Pinterest Friday again!  I actually managed to get a bunch of things done this week that I found on Pinterest.  Then again, I forced myself to stay away from Pinterest itself!  (I usually am on Pinterest from the time Olive goes to bed until the time I go to bed, which is often entirely too late!)  I really can get a lot of stuff done when I get off the darn computer!

Click on the picture caption to link to the original Pinterest Pin:

Homemade Dryer Sheets

This is actually the second time I've done this.  I just took pictures this time!  I love this because: 1) It's economical - Disposable dryer sheets are so expensive and are, well, disposable and 2) It's eco-friendly - they can be reused forever.  Plus, they are a cinch to make.  Here's how:

Step 1: Gather your materials: fabric squares, bowl, liquid fabric softener.  

Fabric squares:  I took a couple of my daughter's old receiving blankets and cut them into squares (about washcloth size).   As you can see, it's a pretty rough cut and they are already fraying.  In retrospect, washcloths would have been a better choice and you can find packs of them pretty cheap at the Dollar Store.  Other choices could be dishcloths, cloth diapers, burp cloths, etc.

Step 2:  Put a few cloths into the bowl and pour some fabric softener inside. Squeeze the fabric to make sure that it is fully saturated.

Step 3:  Place wet, rung out fabric in a container and set aside.  Continue soaking and ringing out the rest of your fabric squares.

Step 4:  Hang your fabric squares to air dry.  

Step 5:  When your homemade dryer sheets are completely dry, fold in half and place in a lidded container.  I have two containers, one for NEW dryer sheets and one for USED dryer sheets.  As I use the dryer sheets, they get place in the USED container.

NOTE:  The dryer sheets I made last about 2 dryer loads, because they are pretty thin fabric.  If you used a thicker fabric, such as a washcloth, I would imagine it would last about 6 loads, a cloth diaper about 20 loads.  If you're not sure, just smell the dryer sheet after each use.  When it starts to lose it's fabric softener smell, it's time to put in the USED box.

When all your dryer sheets are in the used box, make them again - soak, wring, dry, ready!  This is the second time making them for me.  I plan to do it one more time and then throw them in the washing machine and dryer to refresh them a little before I remake them.  Also, I use these dryer sheets with my homemade laundry soap, which I'll post about the next time I make it!

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Unfortunately, I didn't get around to taking pictures of everything else I did this week, but here are some of the other pins that I managed to complete this week.  Click on the picture captions to link to the original pin from Pinterest.

Sensory Smelling Cards

Puff Ball Push-In

Colored Ice for Bathtime

Melting Crayons into New Shapes

I hope you have a pinteresting Friday and have fun pinning!