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by Designing Mom Jackie of Avocado and Papaya
I'm a sucker for a dollar store. One of my favorite neighborhood spots is called Dollar Time (though the name is misleading because everything is actually 99 cents, not a dollar, but whose checking). Amazing what you can score for a buck; from socks to spices, they've got you covered.
My DT visits usually involve stocking our ever growing craft supply. It always amazes me how people can spend so much on toys when simple items like popsicle sticks and wooden spoons can entertain the littles for hours. No frills, no bling bling, no batteries required. Just that amazing thing called imagination.
Example #1: The popsicle stick
You can scour the web for a zillion things to do with popsicle sticks. Graham had no problem coming up with his own agenda when I brought home a 100-pack last week. He immediately used them to work on his letters and numbers. This, I am pleased to report, entertained him for nearly an hour.
Next up: architecture. I was itching to use my newly rediscovered glue gun, so I suggested we next use the sticks to build a house. He wanted to make sure it was a "pig house" not a dog house like the one he made at school earlier in the week. He told me where to put the sticks, straws, toothpicks and buttons (all purchased from DT) and I gladly obliged with glue gun in hand. Next he painted it, made some pigs out of playdo (not pictured) and we decided to glue the little goat down since that's his favorite animal at Little Farm.
Example #2: Wooden spoons
Every infant/toddler loves wooden spoons. They're fun to hold, can be used to whack stuff, and of course, fit perfectly in their little mouths. All favorite things for the under 2 set. I punched some holes in a shoe box and turned Simon's love of the wooden spoon into a Montessori-like game. He was very adept at getting the spoons into the holes, pulling them out, and starting all over again. I was just sorry that I only bought a set of three spoons and not more.
Graham and I used the spoons to make hand-painted puppets inspired by this book by the ever fabulous Todd Oldham. We're still working on them as I type this, but I thought I'd share a few of our favorites so far.
Next week we're going to decorate the shoebox to make it into a stage for the puppets. I've also got my eye on cork trivets, pink pearl erasers, and blue painter's tape at dollar time...who knows what we'll whip up next
I'm a sucker for a dollar store. One of my favorite neighborhood spots is called Dollar Time (though the name is misleading because everything is actually 99 cents, not a dollar, but whose checking). Amazing what you can score for a buck; from socks to spices, they've got you covered.
My DT visits usually involve stocking our ever growing craft supply. It always amazes me how people can spend so much on toys when simple items like popsicle sticks and wooden spoons can entertain the littles for hours. No frills, no bling bling, no batteries required. Just that amazing thing called imagination.
Example #1: The popsicle stick
You can scour the web for a zillion things to do with popsicle sticks. Graham had no problem coming up with his own agenda when I brought home a 100-pack last week. He immediately used them to work on his letters and numbers. This, I am pleased to report, entertained him for nearly an hour.
Next up: architecture. I was itching to use my newly rediscovered glue gun, so I suggested we next use the sticks to build a house. He wanted to make sure it was a "pig house" not a dog house like the one he made at school earlier in the week. He told me where to put the sticks, straws, toothpicks and buttons (all purchased from DT) and I gladly obliged with glue gun in hand. Next he painted it, made some pigs out of playdo (not pictured) and we decided to glue the little goat down since that's his favorite animal at Little Farm.
Example #2: Wooden spoons
Every infant/toddler loves wooden spoons. They're fun to hold, can be used to whack stuff, and of course, fit perfectly in their little mouths. All favorite things for the under 2 set. I punched some holes in a shoe box and turned Simon's love of the wooden spoon into a Montessori-like game. He was very adept at getting the spoons into the holes, pulling them out, and starting all over again. I was just sorry that I only bought a set of three spoons and not more.Graham and I used the spoons to make hand-painted puppets inspired by this book by the ever fabulous Todd Oldham. We're still working on them as I type this, but I thought I'd share a few of our favorites so far.
Next week we're going to decorate the shoebox to make it into a stage for the puppets. I've also got my eye on cork trivets, pink pearl erasers, and blue painter's tape at dollar time...who knows what we'll whip up next
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