Beloved Hand-Me-Downs
My amazing boss, a mother of 2 boys who have long outgrown trains and dinosaurs, generously brings in toys and clothes from time to time as she cleans and reorganizes the boys' rooms. The train tent above is one of G's favorite things. We fill it with ball pit balls (I snagged a bag of 100 for $10 a while back. Also great for pack-n-play turned ball pit!) and he has a blast. It folds up and hides behind the guest room door for rainy days or special occasions when I need to keep G in one place and occupied for a while like when I'm mopping.
The prehistoric tribe below, also a hmd gift from my boss, is another fav. I keep them in the diaper bag sometimes for waiting rooms or entertainment at a restaurant while mom and dad quickly scarf down food. They've been in the pool, the bath tub and sand box.
My brother played with these Matchbox cars 40 years ago and they are still in great shape. I've kept them all these years. The case they used to live in has now gone to toy heaven but the cars are going strong. G loves them and they are damn near indestructible.
The Lego tub on the right is filled with traditional Legos that my brother and I both played with. They spent many years in my parents' attic at my request, hoping I could one day play with them again with my kids. And here we are :) The MegaBloks I found at a consignment for $5, the whole bag with zipper. I have also invested in some Duplo (toddler size) Lego sets for G at this age. Let me say this about Legos...they are a fantastic buy. They last for decades, literally, and you can do so much with them. They withstand water, sand, mud, pets, toddler boy aggression...you get your monies worth!
FREE New Toys & Books
Our local library just had a really cool (free) "Ready to Read, Zero to Three" reading expo with a ton of reading and learning activities. Several of the booths were giving out free items like these cool board books. The Masonic Lodge was doing kid fingerprinting and giving wooden car toys to the kids.
Thrifty Finds
When I'm looking for something new to introduce G to, I try to hit the kids section of consignment and thrift stores. There are usually good finds for just a few dollars. My latest project is a DIY play kitchen which I'll post about later. I found an end table to repurpose and lots of tools and utensils for under $30. I also found this stellar wooden activity tray with 6 small compartments on the sides. It is perfect for puzzles and projects that involve small pieces that need to be contained. Also snagged 2 jumbo puzzles for $.50 each - Elmo and Spiderman (2 of G's favs).
For a few dollars more, I went to the craft section at Hobby Lobby and bought colorful pipe cleaners and alphabet beads for a fine motor skills activity. I'm also working on a color sorting box that I'll put together using colored beads and knickknacks found at thrift stores. Old costume jewelry beads make GREAT kid-friendly crafts when you take them apart to repurpose the materials.
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