Sunday, November 23, 2008

O's Favorites

Lately, I've been working on O's Christmas wish list (that her grandparents requested), and I've been thinking a lot about the toys that she plays with very frequently. I'd thought I'd share these things in case anyone else interested :)

1) playsilks- O was not very interested in her playsilks until I hung them on the wall. Ever since then, she has played with them EVERY day! I love the playsilks because they are so versatile and open ended. She uses them as hats, scarves, dresses, skirts, capes, doll blankets, as wrapping paper, to make forts, etc. The possibilities really are endless :) I ordered the silks from Dharma Trading Company about a year ago, and my mom and I dyed them using kool-aid. This is definitely one of O's most loved handmade gifts!

2) Unit blocks- O's grandparents gave her a set of unit blocks made by Melissa and Doug for her 2nd birthday. She only played with them once or twice a week at first, but then I moved them to a different, more accessible location in the room. Now she plays with them daily. She loves to make doll beds, hospitals, playgrounds, towers, etc.

3) kitchen set and play food- I've noticed lately that O stays away from her play kitchen if it is not neat and clean, so I am trying to get her to clean her kitchen after she plays instead of leaving food in the sink, etc. She usually plays with her kitchen at least once a day. She loves to fix pretend water with mustard and ketchup in it :)

4) books- We have a vast library of children's books! Mainly because I can't resist stopping by the thrift store every Thursday after work, and I usually buy at least 3 or 4 books. I'm trying to be more choosy lately :) We spend hours reading each day, and O loves to pretend to read by herself.

5) playdoh- O plays with her playdoh every day. This is her most popular toy right now! Her ice-cream maker is very cool, but she only uses it about once a day. She usually prefers to make cookies with the playdoh.

6) arts and crafts- Ever since I set up O's art shelf, she's been making "art" several times a day. This is thrilling for me because before I set up the shelf she never asked to color or paint. We only colored or painted if I iniated it. It's very exciting that she can color or paint (with dot painters) whenever she chooses, and she chooses to do so several times each day :) Yay!

7) baby dolls- Right now Baby Emma is O's favorite doll. O is a very nurturing, loving little mama, and she LOVES her babies.

8) bandaids- O LOVES bandaids!!! She usually has at least 3 or 4 bandaids randomly placed on her body. She also loves giving us bandaids. Luckily, my mom buys bandaids at the Dollar Tree, and we always keep several boxes on hand :) I think Santa may fill O's stocking with boxes of bandaids!

9) Rainbow Nesting Tunnel- My dad gave O this rainbow nesting tunnel for Christmas last year, and it is such a beautiful, well made toy. She's been playing with it very frequently for almost a year, and we love to play with it, too :) She uses it as a tunnel, bracelets, anklets, cave, dog house (for miniature dogs), etc.

14 comments:

  1. ditto on the band aids! I have put a 2 band aid limit for bed because that is one of his favorite stalling tech. when it comes time to stay in bed!

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  2. I'd love to make my son play silks, too. Dharma Trading has so many, though - what kind did you buy? And any tips on dying with Kool-aid? Thanks!

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  3. We used habotai silk scarves http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1741-AA.shtml?lnav=scarves_silk.html
    Here is a good tutorial (I don't remember exactly what we did) http://artfulparent.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/dyeing-playsilks-with-kool-aid/

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  4. Just posted a list of our favorite things...and updated it to add your link: http://funmajors.blogspot.com/2008/11/few-of-our-favorite-things.html

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  5. Great list! I am looking forward to hitting up garage sales/thrift stores in a couple of months and making a list of all the types of things to watch out for my 19-mo-old in the coming months/years.

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  6. Thanks for this great list. My son is only 20 mo, so only just starting to really play with things and these are some good ideas for when he is older. I'm really looking forward to seeing him do some or all of these activities.

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  7. the bandaid thing is such a good idea.. I try to tell my kids unless the blood is dripping they cant have a bandaid because we would go through so many otherwise

    I just bought some material in several different colours and I am going to sew up into squares.. I love your playsilks hanging up idea so am going to copy that :)

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  8. Great list! Quick question - where did you get your play kitchen? We've been planning on buying one for my son for Christmas, but I like yours better than the one I had originally thought I'd buy! I appreciate your help!

    Best,
    Sarah

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  9. Sarah- The kitchen came from Target. I think they have a new one out now that is pink, and I don't know if you can still get the blue one. However, you may be able to find it on ebay.

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  10. Thank you so much Michelle! I'm crossing my fingers I can find a non-pink one - going to target.com right now!

    Best,
    Sarah

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  11. Thanks so much for this great list! What size nesting tunnel do you have - small, large or giant?

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  12. Debra- Thanks for your comment! O's nesting tunnel is the large size. It's the perfect size for her :)

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  13. I love those play silks, but I can't seem to find them. Where can I buy some at?? Thanks!

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  14. The Bertone's- I bought the playsilks from Dharma Trading Company, and we used kool-aid to dye them. http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1741-AA.shtml?lnav=scarves_silk.html

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