Young Toddler Distraction- from the Dollar Store

Thanks for all of your great input last week! I loved reading all the comments! I have the perfect old purse for PB to use and I'm gathering up old keys and credit cards. That is still a work in progress. I think that would be great to take to church. She has started to try to go through other people's bags when she is thwarted by the zipper on mine.

I did finish up a basket of things that I collected. Your comments really inspired me to look at her daily activities and what she loves to do which are:

1. Make a mess
2. Pretend (or for real) write. She carries anything pen-like around the house with books or pads of paper and pretends to write. I call her my little reporter.
3. Shake and throw things
4. Take lids off of containers

So I made the activities accordingly. So I got all of the things at the Dollar Store. I spent $9 and I used a bunch of stuff from around the house- especially the recycling bin. Here is what I bought:

• Balloons
• Cheap Playdough
• Puff balls
• Counting foam cubes 
• a coloring book
• A "glow slate" (see picture)
• Cheap crayons
• Colorful mini popsicle sticks
• A bin to put it all in 

Here is what I made with them:

For her mess making spirit. I cut up scrap fabric into "wipies" and put the puffs and squares in there too. One of her favorite things is to pull all the wipies out of the container.

For my little reporter. I cut the top off of the glow slate and hot glued a ribbon with the pen attached. I got the cheap crayons because they are less likely to write on things that are not the coloring book.

I took the cheap playdough and stuffed two of the little containers worth into a balloon. I put another balloon over that and tied them off. The can stack the containers or take the lids off and throw the playdough 

My grandma gave me the container for the popsicle sticks. It is a Crystal Light packet container. She kept one at her house filled with old fashion clothes pins. I used a small water bottle and filled it with glitter, beads, and rhinestones. I hot glued the top on. It took a lot of hot glue because I didn't get it on right.

Tonight PB gets to play with her basket for the first time. I am in charge of an activity tonight where I need her very occupied. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks again for all of your comments last week!