| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| melody |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 7:37:38 PM
Looks like I will be spending some time with my two grandsons for the first time in a very, very long while. I currently have two teenagers at home and there is not a TOY in sight. Got rid of that a long time ago....so I need some help!
What are some good toys/books/equipment to keep at Gramma and Grampa's house? When raising my kids we were very keen on learning while playing and we read voraciously to them every day. Gosh...I don't even have a little kids book left in my stacks-
Talk to me ladies....
Melody
Farmgirl #525 |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dirtduchess |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 12:27:06 PM
My grandson is now 2 1/2 years old. When he come to our house the first thing he goes for is a amall plastic flashlight that he can handle. He goes in the house and outside shining the light on anything. A flashlight is what I alway get for a boy's gift from about 2 to 6 years old. They love it at night. You can shine it on the grass in the dark and spiders' eyes will glow. A good Halloween activity. Have fun with those grandkids.
http://myramblingcountryheart.blogspot.com |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 06:43:24 AM
Oh my! This is good news!!! I just got back from vacation and am online for the first time, so Melody, if you have a sec, email me, won't you? Since Violet is their age, I can also second cars and trucks. She loves that! WASHABLE markers, crayons, etc. Michael's carries rolls of paper that you can simply tear off a huge sheet and let them hang out on the floor and color. Violet could spend hours doing just that, alone.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
| sue5901 |
Posted - Oct 10 2011 : 03:31:30 AM
I have a Grandson that age and he loves it when I get out tubs, saucepans cups etc that are safe and a bowl of lentils or rice (uncooked!!!)for him to scoop and pour. Does take a bit of sweeping up afterwards but that is another fun game for him.
Dance like nobody's watching! |
| Nanniekim |
Posted - Oct 07 2011 : 4:40:42 PM
I have grandsons in that age bracket and they love blocks, cars and balls the best. When the weather is nice they like to paint with water on the sidewalks and blowing bubbles outside. A favorite book has been a little Golden Book called "Where's Goldie?" They never get tired of it! (Can't say the same for the rest of us though!) They also enjoy us reading Berenstain Bears and Dr. Suess.
Kim |
| FarmDream |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 9:47:55 PM
Great suggestions. I would take the grandkids and let them pick some stuff out, too. At that age, anything is a toy. Even a cardboard box.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 9:37:25 PM
You can get lots of coloring books, books, and puzzles at the dollar store! Sounds like you are going to have lots of fun with your grandbabies!!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| Lieberkim |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 9:27:57 PM
I can't remember what it was called but it was a wind toy that blew up balls that hovered over and then dropped into a channel and went around the cycle again. I've never met a child that wasn't fascinated by it. I get lots of books at thrift shops and such. You can find great ones for a wonderful price. Cars, dinosaurs, trains. One of the favorite toys in our house is wooden train tracks and Thomas and Friends. NOT cheap but well loved and used. My son is a cowboy so cowboy hats, boots, belts etc. Puppets are a huge love here too. I even use them in school. Chalk board and chalk. I'm told you can paint a wall or door with chalkboard paint and voila, instant giant chalk board. Coloring, my kids love to color and cut things out and make "gifts" for us. Playdough, you can make homemade or buy it. A bowl with water and then spoons and some rice or something so they can "cook". Actually, put an apron on them and let them bake cookies with you. My kids would do that all day if they could. My son loves rockets (my husband has gotten him ones that actually blast off and come back down with a parachute) we're going to make one out of a paper towel roll together this coming week sometime. I have a worm composting set up and my children love to help me with my worm farm. They feed the worms and then love to search for them and hold them. Melissa and Doug make awesome wooden old fashioned toys. They are pricey but they are great. My kids love the book/cd combination they got that has 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. I also got them Music Machine. Kids love fun music to dance with. Have FUN!
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
| 22angel |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 9:14:58 PM
Cars! Puzzles (the fill-in-the-shape ones like here: http://www.melissaanddoug.com/melissa-doug-childrens-puzzles), "cooking" stuff, old cell phones or regular phones, markers (washable) & paper or pictures to color, scissors & scrap paper or old magazines, play dough (homemade, smelly stuff is awesome! http://www.dltk-kids.com/recipesdb/view.asp?rid=198), blocks to stack up & knock over, stories, books on tape/cd (especially musical ones, this one here is a favorite with our kids: http://store.barefootbooks.com/we-all-go-traveling-by-3.html). Ummm I think that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Just remember, the simpler the better! They all seem to have more fun with the simple, easy toys than ones that you spend a ton of money on!
Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.
"When I grow up, I want to be dirt." seen on a box through construction in Wyoming 2010 |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 8:54:58 PM
Here's one of the toys I am talking about, like I said I got basically the same thing at Ikea for 7 dollars. http://www.walmart.com/ip/KidKraft-Bead-Maze/15135625
These are the ones I got last year for 12 dollars...I think I got them from Khol's for that price-
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2807727
When my nephews were that age, we bought them these- http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3549560 this is a good price I think, if you don't mind hearigng the whistle for hours on end. We took them to a cabin in the woods, and let them blow them outside forever, and it didn't bother us. lol
Cars, and pull toys may be good too. The games that mine can play at that age for rainy days, are candy land, and old maid. We tried go fish at that age, but it wasn't as easy as old maid, for her to understand on her own-ie able to play her hand dealt with out help from us.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Oct 06 2011 : 8:27:15 PM
Khol's usually has some good books for 5 dollars each, things like dr seuss, winnie the pooh etc, they change periodically. They also sell the stuffed animals to match them. Dollar tree is a good place to go for that age of kids for books too, but just be careful and read them first, some make no sense and are either badly translated from some other country or just bad writing. But, for a buck they are worth looking through as you will find some good ones sometimes.
As for toys, one of my girls favorites is those things that are like wooden block shapes painted primary colors, on colored wires that go in different directions to the other side. And they slide the blocks around the wires. You can find these lots of places. They usually are on the pricey side though for toys, if you have a Ikea near you they have them the cheapest, 7.00! If you have Ikea they also have a ton of other really good "cheap" toys, like wooden trains that connect with magnets and what not. Usually under 10 dollars. Puppets, and such as well. Also blocks, my girls love blocks, you can find them lots of places, look around for the best deals. last year Target had the square ones for only one dollar! And then I was able to get like 100 blocks different shapes/colors from khol's for like 12 dollars. Also last year Walmart also had a box of such things-blocks, and what not a big chest of all different imaginitive toys like that for only 25 dollars.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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