Simple Ideas

These simple ideas and tips are listed in alphabetical order and are being added to regularly.
  • Containers - Re-think used containers.  Playdough containers are excellent for on-the-go snacks, Liquid laundry detergent lids make great snack cups to sit in stroller drink holders (if the lids are short and fat) and great little vases for your child's fist-sized bouquet (if the lids are tall and skinny).  Baby food jars are great for all kinds of things (little vase, storing paper clips, storing beads, water jar for painting).  Baby formula cans are great for decorating and storing small toys/trinkets, hair accessories, crayons, etc.)
  • Drums - Empty baby formula cans of different sizes make terrific drums for little hands. The plastic lids make a nice sound for keeping the beat (without driving you crazy). We covered ours with colored paper to make them more attractive. You could also let your child decorate them with crayons, stickers, etc.
  • Imagination Library - We are enrolled in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library which mails Ava one free book every month until she turns five years old. To see if your community participates in this program, click here.
  • Magnets- Add a strip of magnet to the back of animal cut-outs, buttons, or other fun or educational items for some refrigerator fun.
  • Placemats - We use a plastic placement under coloring pages, playdough, glue sticks, etc. to keep cleanup minimal and to protect the table.
  • Playdough - After the kiddos have created something special with their playdough, they like to show it off for a while before squashing it back up and putting it away. To enjoy your kids' playdough creation for a few hours without it drying out, just place it gently in a plastic sandwich/freezer bag! Air out, moisture in, pretty work of art for temporary display.
  • Stickers - We keep lots of stickers on hand. Great for anything crafty, and they are wonderful for keeping Ava occupied during church.
  • Watering Bottle - Ava adores being outside, so I gave her a spray bottle to fill with water and use to water the flowers (or rocks or driveway). The spray bottle makes the water last much longer than a watering can.
  • Wrapping Paper - We hang on to the comics pages of the newspaper and to outdated maps.  Both of these make wonderful wrapping paper!

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