Search Results for: blog the toymaker online printable toys and gifts

Jello Box Puzzles

Don’t throw away those jello boxes! They make great puzzles and toys. Take the empty box and stuff it with a little newspaper. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it does help the puzzles last longer. Tape the box closed. For a puzzle, pick out your paper. You can make puzzles from scrapbook paper like I did here, or from an old calendar picture, an enlarged copy of a photograph, printed clip art, or even a child’s drawing. Cut the paper into rectangles. I find it helpful to arrange my jello boxes and lay the paper on the top of them. … Continue reading →

A String and a Button Toy

Tonight one of my nine year olds was playing with a long strand of beads that we use for Christmas decoration. The way he was twisting the strand to make the beads spin reminded me of a very old toy. You take a button and a long piece of string or yarn. The button needs to be the kind with holes through it, not the kind that is flat on front and has a single hole on the back. You put the string through a hole in the button and tie the string. Or you can put the string through … Continue reading →

Fun Ways to Keep Children Occupied Today

Occupying the kids the day before Thanksgiving is always a challenge. I let my boys take turns helping with the cooking which helps. And now they are old enough to mainly occupy themselves with games and computers when it’s not their turn to be in the kitchen. When they were younger though, keeping them happy and getting the cooking done was always a challenge. Particularly if I was also trying to keep the house clean for company. Going on neighborhood walks was always a great way to tire out the kids. And if there were visiting grandparents, sending them all … Continue reading →

Easy Napkin Rings for the Thanksgiving Table

I’ve always let my children help with the Thanksgiving cooking and table setting. I think that doing so makes it more of a family holiday than a “look at the beautiful table and dinner Mom managed to pull off” day. I won’t claim that our holiday tables would win awards from decorators, but that’s okay. One year when the twins were almost three, they took black olives from a relish tray and piled them into pyramids, right on the table cloth while I was in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure that we had some Tonka trucks on the side table … Continue reading →

Week in Review – Family Fun

Are you ready for the changing seasons? Over at the Fun section we are looking forward to some fall related activities, but at the same time we are squeezing in a few last minute goodbye to summer plans, too. We started off the week with Mastermind. It’s a simple to learn, hard to master game to get those brains geared up for school. Read about how to adapt the game for younger players or to make it even harder. Tiny Origami Stars are a fun and simple craft. Consider them for prizes, secret messages, to make a mobile, or to … Continue reading →

The Toymaker – online printable toys and gifts

Today, I want to share one of my very favorite easy project websites with you. The Toymaker. Marilyn Scott-Waters is an author and illustrator. Her goal for the Toymaker site is “to help grownups and kids spend time together making things.” Her wish is “to amuse and delight”. The Toymaker site does all of that. Even the project names are charming – “Dream Theater” and “Window to Fairyland” All the projects are simple to assemble. The directions are easy to follow. The projects only require paper and scissors. A few, like the Penny Butterfly, may require some things like pennies … Continue reading →