ideas for homemade toys

[hercules]

I was in the kitchen and suddenly thought that if I put dry lentils into an empty small water bottle it would make a v good toy for dd. She could see the stuff move and it would make a good noise plus cost nothing. Anyone else got any other ideas or am i being v sad?

You are being very sweet
What about drawing faces, different one on each side, of wooden spoons

I am the queen of homemade toys ...

...we have plenty of different shaped bottles filled with various dried lentils, peas, rice etc.

... sock with eyes sewn on and lolling felt tongue

... Current favourite: shoe box containing six empty small water bottles (went round after a meeting collecting them up)

... play dough (oil, flour, food colouring and enough salt to make it taste nasty), plus toddler knife & fork, old baby food containers etc. to play with

... dried pasta plus various containers to put it into and take it out of

... old saucepans and wooden spoons

... gift boxes from IKEA

Oh I love it. Does anyone have any more ideas?

I must warn you about the good noise toy. I did that with those bath pebbles in a soda bottle with my neice, she loved it, esp. when you are trying to listen to the telly or even have a decent conversation. Maybe a small one isn't so loud.

No, you are not being sad. They love anything with texture.

Don't know how old your dd is, but at my childrens' nursery they used to have lots of homemade stuff for heuristic play. They had various bottles with coloured water, with and without a bit of washing up liquid (so they make bubbles when shaken), and variations on your lentils idea, things that make different noises. I always feel it must be possible to come up with some fantastic baby toys based on old CDs, but not sure what! Other things would be homemade playdough and stuff like that, but depends on her age a bit. The wooden spoon idea is good, we've done that!

Tamum, I hung a cd from dd's baby gym when she was small. Was like a mirror.

pegs

items put into see through tubs make good toys, kids love shaking and peering in at item.

tantum-- you can make mobiles with old cd's, the light shines on the music/data side and makes rainbow colours!!

Good ideas! In my defence I hadn't thought very hard, my children are 5 and 9, so a bit beyond this stage now

empty tupperware containers of various shapes and sizes

egg boxes with round things to put in

3-coloured pasta and some small tubs to sort it into (don't know how old your dd is)

a sheet over a couple of chairs to make a den

dd loves a saucepan, colander, wooden spoon, and some carrots or potatoes to "cook" with. Or some plastic cups, teaspoons and a teabag

different-sized cardboard tubes (toilet roll, kitchen roll, wrapping paper)

some (clean) laundry and an open washing machine!

So I am not sad
Lots of good ideas here. dd is 4 months btw

An old nappy with the spare buttons (you always get them with clothes and never use) sewn on. Under supervision only but my ds loves it, and it has stopped him unbuttoning people's clothes.

Also a cling film tube with some peas in and the ends sealed makes a great rain maker.

Ice cream container with different size slots cut out and lots of old lids makes a shape shorter.

Shoe box and elastic bands make a guitar.

So I am not sad
Lots of good ideas here. dd is 4 months btw