Building Blocks

[coolconfidentme]

I'm moving away from battery operated toys that entertain kids & towards toy they have to use their imagination. I currently have mega bloks, track blocks & wooden block. I never have enough of them so I think I'm going to try & make my own wooden build blocks. I found this website:

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-to-make-toys5.htm

Anyone have any other ideas outside of the messy craft stuff we already do? (half of my kids want to eat the paper, glue & play doh :

[MamaBearCanada]

Kitchen & tea party sets. Add some small notebooks and pencils and they can take orders.

Dress up & accessories.

Sensory bottles.

[Blackcat31]

My DH made all my wooden blocks. I have a massive collection!

He used maple though. Pine is a soft wood and will dent easily. Also if you put any type of finish on them, that becomes a hazard for your mouthers.

I have maple blocks, sanded smooth and left plain. No finish.


I have been TV and battery free now for over 2 years! BEST move I ever made.

My DCK's play for hours with paper dolls, blocks, cars, doll house, kitchen center, lacing cards, board games, trains, balls, puzzles, animal sets, puppets, Mr Potato Head, Etch-A-sketch, coloring (ONLY plain paper) and other arts/crafts.

[Nikkisomething]

We have dolls, blocks, coloring books, easels, paint.

I have never done battery toys or anything electronic in my daycare and it's wonderful.

My only exception is we have a pj and movie day once a month!

[coolconfidentme]

I have limited BO toys & I just want to do away with all of them. Every new child I get is clueless on how to make something outta play doh or how to build a castle with blocks. Just now DCG brought me a bucket filled with mega bloks & said, "There's my castle." Sad.

I find it crazy that you have to teach a child how to play on their own these days.

[Daycaregranny]

Every year at this time we make our own Christmas village. They are huge! I get big boxes from places like Home Depot and get peel and stick wallpaper and we decorate them into houses and shops. I'm telling you kids still play with boxes more than toys. It's really fun but you have to have space. I cut out windows and doors and help make the roof but they do the rest. A few little trees and you have a whole village.

[coolconfidentme]

Every year at this time we make our own Christmas village. They are huge! I get big boxes from places like Home Depot and get peel and stick wallpaper and we decorate them into houses and shops. I'm telling you kids still play with boxes more than toys. It's really fun but you have to have space. I cut out windows and doors and help make the roof but they do the rest. A few little trees and you have a whole village.

Nice!!!

[itlw8]

I LOVE my unit blocks I agree use maple like the ones you buy

I avoid toys with batteries and name brands like elmo things like that. Their favorite toys are the unit blocks, magna tiles, playing house, any art experience , cars, trains

[Maria2013]

Kitchen & tea party sets. Add some small notebooks and pencils and they can take orders.

.

we play "restaurant" , I made menus out of the pictures in advertising ads of fruit/meat markets, fast food restaurants etc. the kids love it!

[thetoddlerwhisper]

id like to do that with exception of certain fisherprice toys. like out counting piggy bank and out opposite house. would quiet the room down too

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.649404855082604.1073741879.411142905575468&type=1&l=214acf170d

I made a pizza shop out of felt. This is just some pictures of the pizza. I have boxes and menus etc.
I am working on a farmers' market.
We are very limited on anything electronic! Kitchen, doll house, dolls, duplos, wooden blocks etc.

[Laurel]

books, magazines, balls, music and dancing, hide anything as they love hide and seek, boxes like someone else said, cars/trucks, dolls, chalk boards, flannel boards, lacing, matching games, dress up, magazines to cut up, view masters, bean bags (an easy one to make quickly is a sock with beans & tied very tightly), blocks, fishing games, magnets, hats/shoes/gloves/socks to put on and take off, wooden puzzles, soft balls/blocks, purses with combs, wallets, keys, notepads, etc. in them), a roll of cheap toilet paper, a ball of yarn, puppets, play dishes/food, any blocks or manipulatives, a blanket over a table for a 'house', whisk broom & dustpan, dough and cookie cutters/playdoh, umbrellas and boots to go for a rain walk, let them push a doll stroller down the sidewalk, take a board game to the park for SA (I used to take Candylandor checkers)depending on age, sand/water table activities, string wooden beads....

Oh I could go on forever, .

Laurel

[coolconfidentme]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=214acf170d
I made a pizza shop out of felt. This is just some pictures of the pizza. I have boxes and menus etc.
I am working on a farmers' market.
We are very limited on anything electronic! Kitchen, doll house, dolls, duplos, wooden blocks etc.

I love your pizza shop! We do similar things outside in our dirt kitchen but these kids seems to loose there imagination when they come inside.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I love your pizza shop! We do similar things outside in our dirt kitchen but these kids seems to loose there imagination when they come inside.

Thanks, I just didn't want to shell out the money for the Melissa and Doug one because I would need multiples!

Oh another thing we did. One of my dad's built me a stage (aka platform) and we do a lot of "performing."

[coolconfidentme]

Thanks, I just didn't want to shell out the money for the Melissa and Doug one because I would need multiples!

Oh another thing we did. One of my dad's built me a stage (aka platform) and we do a lot of "performing."

I have a side deck & the kids use to use it as a stage & sing songs on it. The state made me put a rail up. Crazy because it's under the height that requires a rail.

I think I'm going to hang a disco ball I have in the play room. We can probably create a stage in there!!