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Stitching & Crafting Room:  Favorite homemade toys  |
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summerbreeze
True Blue Farmgirl
277 Posts
Laura
WA
USA
277 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 03 2006 : 4:34:20 PM
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Not sure where to post this. Having a craft section would be great.
My favorite thing to play with as a kid was a old box of dress up clothes.
One of my best friends made some blocks and they are the hit of her play group. She takes old half gallon milk cartons, washes them out and then uses duck take to make the top flat. She then covers them with contact paper she picks up at garage sales. Her sons spend hours building forts and pirate ships out of them.
Just wondering if anyone has any other great ideas for homemade toys.
Laura
You only live once,if you do it right once is enough. |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2006 : 8:04:45 PM
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This sounds like it would be a great topic for "Parenting and Farm Kids!" I know that we are always using homemade toys around here - the craziest thing is that the "winners" seem to always be rocks and sticks.....hhmmmmm......boys!!!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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tziporra
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Robin
Seattle
WA
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2006 : 10:04:05 AM
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For little babies I fill empty spice containers with different size noisemakers -- lentils, marbles, etc. for rattles that made different noises (ensuring that baby was too little to unscrew the lid and empty the contents!). Rather than play-dough I'll make a preztel recipe and give the little ones real dough to shape -- it's exciting to bake the shapes they make and then get to eat them! And ALL my children love to play with the catalogues that come in the mail -- they think they are getting "magazines" just like mother. The secret I've found to the "junk" toys is to move them in and out quickly. Sure, it's fun to play with a cardboard tube for an afternoon (it's a lightsaber! now it's a vacuum cleaner!), then into the recycling it goes.
For more permanent homemades, I will sand the leftover ends of boards used by my husband/uncle/grandfather for use as blocks.
Best,
Robin |
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suzyhomemaker
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
Clare
Tyler Hill
PA
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2006 : 11:51:33 AM
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We did the house out of a cardboard box several times in my kids lives. We also like to build forts from the couch, blankets and pillows and chairs. Sometimes I will bring down the extra comforter from our king sized bed to cover the kitchen table and make a quick fort that way. These are portable toys: easy to make and easier to take apart and put away again.
We make Rain Sticks from really long mailing tubes or tubes from wrapping paper. Cover the ends with paper and tape. Fill one end with beans first. Poke nails in a spiral design through the hole tube. Then paint and/or decorate the tube. these sound so pretty.
Country girl in NE PA |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2006 : 2:08:51 PM
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Some of my favorites are:
rag dolls made from old clothing, old blankets or sheets
felt dolls, often animal shapes
a homemade flower press
animal track casting set, made from old cans, plaster of paris and milk cartons
wooden puzzles
Doll houses made from inexpensive fiberboard book cases and then filled with handmade dolls and miniatures (Actually you can make doll houses from all kinds of things - just depends on the size of the doll...)
screen printing box (a box with a screened lid for making pictures using tempera paint and stencils
paper making kit
book making kits
using empty boxes from food items to make a "play kitchen" or play "Grocery store"
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2006 : 05:56:50 AM
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My 12 year old son has a marshmallow shooter made out of PCV pipe. He has had more fun with that than any factory made toy!
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10
www.beequilting.blogspot.com |
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Nancy Gartenman
True Blue Farmgirl
9092 Posts
Nancy
West Seneca
New York
USA
9092 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2006 : 07:34:31 AM
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Maybe I should take one of those with me the next time I go to the thrift store to keep would be robbers away.
NANCY JO
www.Nancy-Jo.blogspot.com |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2006 : 3:06:58 PM
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The marshmallow shooter cracks me up - there are a couple of folks that I'd really like to whip out a marshmallow shooter unexpectedly from my purse and pop right in the face with one. Oh, the shock value and funniness of it all! Bonnie - I believe we all just might have a marshmallow "fight" going on around here soon. Do you just get "marshmallow-sized" PVC and use it like a blowdart thing?
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2006 : 3:55:44 PM
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LOL! You ladies make me smile! I will take a picture of Greg's marshmallow shooter and maybe we can figure it out. I have to admit I didn't make it. He bought it at a craftshow. He has had a ball with it, esp. shooting his big sis with marshmallows!
MOM! He's doing it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bonnie
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10
www.beequilting.blogspot.com |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 05:38:23 AM
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I wanted to get a cute picture of Greg aiming at his sister this morning...but they didn't go for it!! Partypoopers!!!
So anyhow, you put a mini-marshmallow in the small yellow and red marked end and BLOW! I am telling ya...the fun we, I mean our kids and grands, could all have!!
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10
www.beequilting.blogspot.com |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 06:52:42 AM
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Okay - I'm heading to the hardware store anyway later this week, and I think I'll try to make a couple of these - one for me, one for my husband (he'll need some self-defense!) and one for my 3-year-old (risky, I know!)... I might just simplify, however, and do the "blow dart thing." - I'm not sure...
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 08:09:56 AM
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I had lots of favorite homemade toys growing up. One of the classics were stilts. My dad too a long board (not sure if it was a 2X4 or what it was) and cut it to be about a long as we were tall. Then he cut wedge shapes out of another chunk of wood. He screwed the wedge shapes to the bottom of the first boards. We would step on the wedge and we learned how to balance really well on them. We even got to the point where we could run through grass and everything on them.
I also loved playing with homemade jumpropes.
Another favorite was homemade stick horses. My parents would take an old sock and stuff it, then my mom would draw a horsey face on it. They would then take an old broom handle or a thin board from the scrap pile and attach the "head" to the body. We even had yarn manes and tails for some of them.
Then of course there was the dress up box. My mom sewed most of the costumes herself for when my sisters were in ballet and she used to teach belly dancing so we had alot of fun costume jewelry and such.
My mom would also let us play with her old makeup under supervision.
My sisters and I would play "queen of the pillow heap" we would all try and find the most pillows and blankets from all over the house. We had store bought toys too- but I definatly remember the homemade toys way better than any store boughts. |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 11:20:12 AM
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Alyssa,
It sounds like you had alot of fun growing up!
Bonnie
...she is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.
Prov 31:10
www.beequilting.blogspot.com |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 12:58:12 PM
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| The tin can stilts described in one of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary really work. You take two coffee cans and pound nail holes in the sides, close to the bottom. String a length of clothesline through the holes and tie it into a continuous loop. You turn the coffee cans upside down and stand one foot on each. You use the clothesline as a handle to lift the can as you raise each foot. As the books say, these are fun to use on the sidewalk because they make a very satisfying clank with every step. |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 2:17:00 PM
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I had those tin-can type stilts growing up, too! We had a show here in Utah - I don't know if it was anywhere else - called Romper Room and they had those types of stilts but I think they were plastic. We didn't get any of the "real" ones, but I sure loved the ones my Mom made. She also made me some "real" wooden ones that I think I walked around on so much I wore them down! Anyway, They were SO much fun! I can't wait to make some of these things for my boys.
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2006 : 9:22:49 PM
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I think Romper Room must have been national because we got it too!
Remember" Do be a Do BEE, don't be a don't bee"?! What was Miss Nancy doing on commercial break! And she looked into that tiny mirror and recited all the children's names she could see! Yikes, kind of creepy to think about now!
We did stilts, paint can stilts, tin can telephones, forts, teepees,
pinecone wars, mudpies, pooh sticks, milkweed pod boat races, roller
skating, dress up trunk (my all time favorite), double dutch jump rope, badminton, croquet, painted rocks, seashells, made flower necklaces from daisies, clover, dandelions. My grandfather used to weave two enormous peonies together then tie the stems under your chin like a hat. We thought we were so glamorous! I loved remembering all that...thanks!
with a happy heart |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: Favorite homemade toys |
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Favorite homemade toys
