One Dollar Wednesday: Hey Macaroni!

Today's fabulous one dollar idea came about because I had almost an entire box of whole wheat macaroni that was not going to be eaten by anyone here. So get yourself a box of macaroni from the grocery store (usually on sale so you can get it for less than a buck) and get ready to make a couple of fun projects.

I found good directions for the first project here. Get a few baggies, some food coloring, white vinegar, and your macaroni. Put the desired amount of macaroni in the bags, add less than a teaspoon of vinegar and a few drops of food coloring to each bag, and shake it up to get the noodles covered in color. Then, leave the bags open and let air dry. I must have used a little too much vinegar so I had to lay my macaroni out on paper towels to dry completely. You will probably need to dry them overnight, and you should end up with colorful, dry, and hard macaroni pieces. Put them all in an empty bottle or container and hot glue the lid shut.
ABRACADABRA: Macaroni Maraca 

Wish I would have used more macaroni for this one.

So curious.

The other "experiment" came about after Camp had so much fun with the water play bin. This idea is perfect for curious children who are eating finger foods. Boil your plain macaroni noodles til fully cooked, drain and rinse them with cold water, and put them in a dishpan or other container. Add some kitchen utensils and measuring cups, and let your little one go wild!
ABRACADABRA: Noodle Sensory Bin

The materials (I cooked about half a box of macaroni which made more than enough!)

Feeling the macaroni

Putting noodles in the muffin tin

This bin kept the little man happy and busy for over 30 minutes. Win!

Trying to pour it all out...

Whoa, Macaroni!

Shoveling them in...turns out maybe he does like the taste after all

One Dollar Wednesday: Noodlebugs

I was this close to canceling the post for this Wednesday due to exhaustion, but I am going to attempt this, for all of you fans of course. You are welcome.

Today's wonderful one dollar idea comes from Pinterest, naturally. Camp got invited to a birthday party for his friend, Crawford, who was turning 2. I wanted to make her something special and fun, so I went straight to one of my pins. For this project, I got two different colored pool noodles and a pair of the thick shoelaces like the ones we would use for roller skates. That actually added up to $3 at the dollar store, but you really only need one foam noodle for ONE dollar to make the basic project. I sliced each noodle into 2 inch pieces (you could try 1 inch also) using an old steak knife. I piled up all the "noodlets" in a matching party bag and tied it closed with the shoelaces. Add a little gift tag with a label for the toy and...
ABRACADABRA: Noodlebugs!!! 
 (Thank you to my husband for creating the name for these cute mini noodles)

Little ones will have fun and develop some great skills by stacking, threading, counting, and sorting the Noodlebugs. They would also make for a very enjoyable snowball noodlebug fight!

I heard that Crawford enjoyed her gift, but it was noted that her older brother, Wesley, was getting in on the fun as well!

Wesley was having some Noodlebug time before his sister woke up! (Photo by his mom, Lauren)

I do not recommend this project for the baby who still likes to put random objects in his mouth as the foam is probably not safe for eating. I tried a few different times to get Camp's set out for him, but he was only interested in taste-testing. And they are now personalized...with bite marks!

Quick! Go stock up on pool noodles while there is still some summer merchandise available!

One Dollar Wednesday: Water Play Bin

Last week was a little rough for us. We were stuck at home for a couple of days due to rain and a dumb rental car. Camp was being extra clingy, and I was running out of things to do with him. I have several ideas floating around in my head and pinned on my Pinterest boards, but all of those take some prep work and a shopping trip for materials. We had to come up with something fast and easy and on-hand to keep the little guy entertained. And so today's "One Dollar Wednesday" idea was born. It's so simple it's brilliant.

First, I grabbed a plastic dishpan from my teaching days out of the garage. You can use any type of container that you have, but investing about $2 in one of these will be worth it for future play or storage. Almost any discount store carries them, but I know they have them at Family Dollar and Wal-Mart. You could also try out an aluminum roasting pan ($1 at Dollar Tree). Next, I headed to Camp's bathroom and snatched some baby bubble bath and water toys. Then, I filled the dishpan with water and bubble bath. Last, I placed the filled container on a beach towel on the kitchen floor with the toys beside it. 
 ABRACADABRA: The Water Play Bin!!!

 

Exploring the bubbles. His baths never get this bubbly!

Tasty bubbles

Playing with the Caterpillar Spiller toys

Putting his face in the water...good water baby! Or maybe he just got thirsty.

I told you, this one is a no-brainer! And our water play bin cost us nothing because we used items we already had around the house. Just be ready for a wet mess!

Warning: Camp attempted (and almost succeeded) several times to dump the entire bin of water out on the floor. You may want to use less water than we did. 

One Dollar Wednesday: Chenille Stems

Happy Hump Day everyone! Today's fabulous project is easy, fun, colorful, and once again, only costs one dollar. I got this idea from Pinterest and have catalogued it as "Kid Friendly." All you need is a pack of chenille stems (the politically correct term for pipe cleaners) and a kitchen colander. Both are available for a buck at the dollar store, but you probably already have a colander in your cabinet. Give the materials to your little one and...
ABRACADABRA: Bowl with Holes Activity

For your toddler and preschool age children, putting the stems in the different holes is great fine motor skill practice. If you use a colored assortment of pipe cleaners, they can sort them by color and follow directions to put specific colors in the holes. They can also create their own masterpieces with the supplies! For Camp (age 9.5 months), I put some of the chenille stems in the holes, and he was eager to pull them all out. He really enjoyed that process.

 Playing with the colander by itself was fun too!

And because all kitchen pieces keep the babe entertained and some of you probably require more pictures...

Several years ago, I found a magazine with directions on how to make cute little pipe cleaner animals. I would love to do this for my new little Kindergarten Sunday School class and also for the Campster. I found a decent how-to for some animal creations here.

Now, if you're not in need of ideas to keep children stimulated at bay, then here's a way you can use pipe cleaners for your home needs.

http://inmyownstyle.com/2012/04/clothes-closet-hanger-organizing-trick.html

Now you have three very cool ideas for how to use a one dollar package of chenille stems. Go forth and make fun with pipe cleaners!

One Dollar Wednesday

In week two of "One Dollar Wednesday," we have more easy and fun projects for your baby or toddler. Get ready for some pom pom excitement!

For all of today's projects, you will need a package of colorful pom poms. I got mine for, you guessed it, one dollar from Dollar Tree.

The first project is probably best for a baby 3 months of age to 1 year. Take a clean, empty water bottle and fill it 3/4 full with pom poms. Hot glue the lid on tight and let dry.
Abracadabra: Pom Pom Discovery Bottle!!!

I removed the labels and washed a mini water bottle.

Pom Pom Discovery Bottle for your baby

Camp loves shaking, rolling, licking, and studying his different discovery bottles.

The second project using the pom poms would be best for an older baby or toddler. Please remember that young children should be supervised when playing with small parts like pom poms! You will need a clean, empty plastic container with a lid. Using an Exacto knife, cut out a few small shapes in the lid. Give your child the pom poms and the container with the lid attached.
Abracadabra: The POM POM PUSH!

I used an empty feta cheese container. I removed the printed label with acetone finger nail polish remover.

Cut out a few shapes in the lid. My shapes are a little wonky. Add a sticker for some flair.

Your little one will love pushing the poms through the holes to develop his/her fine motor skills. Take off the lid to retrieve the pom poms and start over again! Use this project as a lesson on shapes, color, counting, sorting, and following directions.






The last project for today is great for younger toddlers with assistance and independent older children. You will need your pom poms, small magnets or magnet strips, glue/hot glue, a color printer with paper, and a baking sheet. Check out that nifty activity here...we'll be waiting a little while on this one at our house so Camp doesn't try to eat the pom magnets!

Hope you enjoy all the cool projects you can do with a one dollar bag of pom poms! What else could you try with your poms???