Mini Photo Book

I put together this little photo album for my daughter to flip through when I need her quietly occupied. It is a compilation of mostly pictures of her, but also pictures of my husband and I as children and of course, a few pictures of our dog.

It wasn't important for this to be a high-quality keepsake. My main goal was to complete the book quickly. I did go through the extra effort to add labels to each photo using picasa, but I made sure it was a very quick process. 

I cropped every photo to be oriented the same way even if it made the picture awkward so that it would be easier for my 1 year old to flip through and look at each picture at the correct angle.

The flip book cost me a dollar at walmart and was meant to hold 24 pictures. Using the front and back sleeve you could easily fit in an extra 4. I left the very back blank so I ended up with 27 total photos. My cover photo was a 4x6 just like the others, but I then cut it down slightly to show the existing backdrop.

As evidence of her little fingers being in practically every photo, my daughter loves her book. (Who doesn't love looking at themselves?) I want to make another one featuring extended family members and one showcasing the letters of the alphabet. Such an easy and rewarding "craft".

Pipe Cleaner Matching Game

Here is another great, easy, cheap activity I put together for our upcoming road trip. The activity simply involves sticking the pipe cleaners through the holes. For older kids it can also be a color matching game (stick the correctly colored pipe cleaner through its coordinating hole.) I found the idea for this here.

 

In order to make this for your own toddler, take an old canister (chip or oatmeal containers work great) and pop holes in the top. I found using a pen or thick nail worked much better than a knife. Add reinforcement labels to each hole and color them if desired. Since my daughter is so young my final step was to fold each pipe cleaner in half to make it easier for her. Easy right?

I also went a step further and covered my container in material. I would have used paper, but this is what I had on hand and I didn't want to buy anything. I hemmed two sides using my sewing machine, glued the top hem to the top of the cannister using hot glue, and glued the side hem over the side raw edge. On the bottom I made cuts every few inches in order to glue down smoothly.

Honestly, my sixteen-month old has a hard time doing this. She does try really hard and it holds her attention for a while, but it isn't easy for her. I don't think it will be too much longer that she will be able to fully enjoy this though.

Discovery Balls

We have an upcoming 6 hour drive and my daughter is in that stage where she refuses to sit still. She just wants to run. To make the trip go a little easier I have been researching some new activities fit for a 16 month old that we can take in the car with us. I will be posting several of them here in the next couple of weeks. First up... discovery balls.

They are just like stress balls, but filled with different substances so she can discover the different textures and squishy-ness levels. So far the one filled with beans is definitely her favorite. These were a very quick project and cheap too.

To make your own you will need:

balloons

filler (beans, rice, flour, etc.)

funnel (optional)

My only cost was a pack of 20 helium quality balloons I bought for $1. Helium quality balloons are nice because they are thicker and less likely to pop a hole, but any balloon would work.

Now fill your balloons up one by one. If you do not have a funnel, it is easiest if you have a helper who can shove the stuffing in while you hold the opening open. If you do have a funnel, simply stuff the spout in the opening and fill the funnel with your filler a little at a time. You'll need to continually push the filler inside the balloon down to create a little well and stretch your balloon out. Also you'll probably need to shake the filler down the spout because it tends to get a little jammed up in the spout.

When you reach your desired size, tie off and enjoy.

I have seen these balls decorated with hair and faces and it comes out pretty cute. Also one blog suggested filling with playdough which I think would be a cool substance to play with.

***Also, if you decide to make these and let young children play with them, be careful not to let them use the discovery balls as a chew toy.