Travel Toys!

This is another one of those posts that I never actually got around to posting last month...  

This is a travel toy inspired by this post. It is SOOOO easy to make with lots of possibility.  If you are a crafter or a sewer, then you probably have tons of scrap fabric lying around.  To make this toy, you simply tie or sew long pieces of fabric together end to end and stuff them in a container or bag with a small opening just large enough to pull the length of attached fabrics out slowly.   

I used lots of bright colored fabric and textures (felt, satin, netting, etc.) to make this toy more fascinating and fun!  I love how it turned out!  :)

To make my travel toy, I sewed the ends of my fabric together really quickly and then also folded a piece of felt over and sewed along the edges to create a bag.  I left one small opening along one edge for the fabric to come out.  I also sewed the end of the long string of fabrics into the green felt bag so that when my child finished pulling the entire length out, it did not separate from the bag and would be easy to stuff back inside.

Important:  Do NOT leave your child alone with a toy like this as it could pose a strangulation hazard.

Would you like to know what other things we took on our trip to keep the kids occupied and happy?

Well, this for one....  See how to make these here.

Some other things we also took:

** our trusty travel DVD player with an ample supply of dvds

**aqua doodle pen and pad (see the link below if you are not sure what this is)

**play magnetic boards and pieces (make sure the pieces are large enough that your child won't swallow them)

**WASHABLE markers and drawing pad or coloring book

**Little toys (miniature dolls, animals, etc.) that are trip-only-toys so they don't just get to play with them every day like their other toys (makes the toys more attractive when they are new or rarely played with until the occasion of a family trip)

**small books with flaps to open

**snack trap (see below) - these are AWESOME for helping to contain the mess of snacks!

**thermos stainless steel sip containers

Linking up to:
www.cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com
www.gingersnapcrafts.com
www.momontimeout.com
www.houseofhepworths.com
www.livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com/
www.whipperberry.com
www.toysinthedryer.com

Travel Toy: Velcro Story Blocks

We won't be starting up our homeschooling again for a few more days as we are still in the process of moving and settling into a temporary spot until we are able to find a new home to purchase.  In the meantime, this is something I wanted to post weeks ago for people who might be traveling over the holidays - but, due to illnesses in the family and Christmas craziness, it just didn't happen.  

SOOOO, for those planning a family trip soon (with toddlers in tow), here is something I came up with for one of our own car trips:  Velcro Story Blocks!  The idea for these came after seeing some velcro blocks.  I liked the concept but thought they would be much cuter if they were colored.  Then I thought they might be even more fun if some of the sides had pictures so they could be used to make up stories as well.  We had an empty laptop box that looked like the perfect fit for said blocks, and I decided to jazz it up with some color and a little scene of its own to enhance the story making capabilities of the blocks!  :)  

Voila!   A new car toy!  :)  And the beauty of it is that the velcro helps to keep the pieces together instead of having them all over the car, so your little construction worker can build towers IN THE CAR without them toppling at every little bump.

BTW: I am participating in a blog contest for the top 25 creative mom blogs and would LOVE it if you would cast a vote for me!  :)  The button is on the sidebar and you don't have to be a member or sign up or anything to vote - just click the button which takes you to the site and cast your vote.  You can vote once a day so if you feel extra generous and want to cast a vote on another day - I would LOOOOVVVVEEEE it if you would!  Thanks so much!

If you would like to make your own, these are pretty easy to make.  

IMPORTANT:  Examine your blocks each time to make sure the velcro is not detaching from frequent use.  Do not give these to your children if you suspect they will try to put them in their mouths or try to eat the velcro.

Materials:  Velcro (I used colored as well as black), large wood blocks, paint (non-toxic), glue (super glue or hot glue).

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BLOCKS:

1.  Paint your blocks (solid or with pictures on two sides).  Allow blocks to dry.

2.  Measure the amount of velcro you will need to wrap around each block once.  Cut two pieces of velcro (you will want one with hooks and one without so that the velcro sides of each will be able to stick to all the other blocks.  If you only used one side of the velcro such as the hooks side, it could only attach to a block with the other side of velcro such as the loop side.  However, by using one strip of each per block, they can all stick together).

3.  Glue both pieces of velcro around each block.  

4.  Find a container in which to store your blocks, then PLAY!!!!!  :)

Linking up to:

www.houseofhepworths.com

www.momontimeout.com

www.handsonaswegrow.com

www.bearrabbitbear.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.whipperberry.com

http://www.livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.delicateconstruction.blogspot.com

www.diyhshp.blogspot.com

www.letkidscreate.blogspot.com

www.polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com

www.gingersnapcrafts.com

www.cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com