Homemade
Toy Recipes – make your own toys!
by Marianne Szymanski
There
are so many toys you can make at home. Whether it
is a rainy day, birthday party, babysitter night,
after school activity or family get-together, finding
the time to play is usually not a problem.
These ideas are simple, inexpensive to
make and you can use your own ingredients. The recipes
came to us from teachers, parents, grandparents and
of course, Toy Tips tested them with kids to make
sure they are fun!
Zip
Loc Bag Books
Staple
together 5-7 Zip Loc Bags on the closed seam. Cover
staples with electrical tape to avoid sharp points.
Then pages can be filled with family photos, pictures
cut from magazines, small items collected. Books
can be changed and can be graded for any aged child-adding
words, sentences, etc. Can have themes, the ABC's,
the family trip, Holidays, favorite foods, etc.
Homemade
Musical Instruments
Glue
and staple together Chinet (or other heavy paper
plate) filled with dried peas or beans. Decorate
outside of plates anyway you want.
20 Oz soda bottles. Fill with beans, pasta, rice
etc. Attach dowel handle to soda cap either by screwing
it on or hot glue. Makes a great maraca.
Drums from Oatmeal or other cyndrical cereal containers.
Cover outsides with paper to decorate. Can use large
spoon to beat drums or hands work fine too.
Spongy Soft Balls: Cut one colored Big sponge cut
in strips.(Do not cut through) Leave the middle
uncut. Tie the center with a strong rubber band
and toss in the air or in the water.
Sidewalk paint: Mix together and place paint in
a spray bottle 1 1/4 cup cornstarch 1 1/4 cup h20
10 drops of food color
Sidewalk
chalk: Mix together and form into balls or into
shapes with molds or plastic cookie cutters. (must
work quickly) 2/3 cup plaster-of-Paris 2 tbs powdered
tempura paint 6 tbs h20
Yukky
Mukky Gukky
- Mixture
#1: 2 cups Elmer glue 2 cups of h20 21 drops of
Food coloring Mix in bowl #1.
- Mixture
#2: 8 tsp. Laundry detergent (powder) 2 2/3 cups
water Mix in bowl #2
- Slowly
pour mixture in bowl #1 into mixture of bowl #2
(DO not mix or stir) Lift solution 1 out of 2.
- Watch
solid turn to liquid and liquid turn to solid right
in your hands.. Offers sensory and tactile development
and texture identification. Store in a zip loc bag
or tupperware
Putty
4 tbs. Elmer's glue 5 drops of food color Slowly...
add 2 tbs. Liquid starch Let stand and mix in hands.
Store in a zip loc bag.
Lip
Gloss
4
tbsp. Shortening 2 tbs. Dry kool aid mix Mix together
and decorate in small containers (Danimals yogurt
containers work great)
Fossils
1
cup flour 1 cup USED coffee grounds 1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sand 3/4 cup water
Mix and slowly add water. Knead until it has the
consistency of bread dough. Break off a piece and
roll into the size of a baseball. Make a hole and
hide wrapped candy. Seal with extra dough. Let air
dry for 3 days or until hard. You can also bake
in an oven for 20 minutes to dry. Open.
Smelly
Modeling Dough
1cup
flour 1/2 cup salt 1 pkg unsweetened Koolaid 3 Tbl.
vegetable oil 1/2 cup hot water
Combine dry ingredients. Add oil and hot water.
Mix with hands. Add extra flour or water to reach
consistency of bread dough. Have fund and enjoy
the smell. Dough is non toxic, but very salty if
eaten. Will keep in plastic bag for several weeks.
Melted Crayons Recycle old crayons. Peel off the
paper and have children mix colors in an non-stick
muffin pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 4-5 minutes
until melted. Cool.
