WITH CARDBOARD
Puzzles - Color a picture and glue it onto thin cardboard. Let dry with a weight on top to keep flat. Cut into squares to reassemble.
Elephant Toy
Draw an elephant, face forward, without a trunk on a piece of thin cardboard. Color.
Make a hole where trunk begins and insert finger there.
Variation: an apple with a "worm".
The Divine Couple Hemitroupe (meeting and separation)
A strong cardboard or wooden oval shaped picture of Krishna is on one side and with Radharani on the other side. String handles are attached to holes punched on each side of the oval. Wind up and then pull apart with both hands to spin the oval and reveal the two pictures of Radha Krishna combined together.
Buzz Saw (a popular nineteenth century toy)
Cut out a circle 3 “ in diameter from thin cardboard or plastic (such as the side of a milk jug). This may be brightly painted. Punch 6-8 holes around the perimeter and 2 smaller holes in the center. String the center holes with about 2 ft. of yarn and tie the ends. Grab both ends of the string with the buzz saw in the center. Wind tightly and pull hard to release the “Saw” and create a buzzing sound. If done right, the toy automatically winds back up after the initial pulling and thus can be pulled over and over again. A variation is to use a large button.
Fan
Fan making methods also include sewing layers of cardboard together around the perimeter with a handle inserted in between. Paint and decorate as desired. In this case, hand drawn peacock feathers were used:
Boxes large and small
Small boxes can be used to make small buildings, doll house and furniture. Large boxes can be painted to become a play house, fort, tunnel, mailbox, etc..
CARDBOARD TUBES
Make a runway for marbles. A simple version is to just tape together end to end several same-sized tubes in order to make one long tunnel. Children love to push marbles through from a table top and have them come out at the end some distance away. More challenging is to set up a goal post at the end for marbles to pass through.
I got my tubes from the inside of incense packaging and the marbles we made perfect-sized for from oven baked clay.
Or cut tubes in half to create a raceway for small cars.. Or make a child’s “telescope” or “binoculars”
RUBBER BAND TOYS
Can hook several rubber bands together, one into the other, to make a long length of stretchy band.
This can be stitched securely to a soft, lightweight ball (made with fabric and stuffing) to snap high into the air.
Or make a rubber band Chinese jump rope.
THIS AND THAT
FIRST SEWING
FIRST MUSIC
There are many simple instruments for kids to play with. Here's one example.
Also a rainstick or maracas are easy to make with a cardboard tube.
Here are some ideas inspired by Familyfun.com:
Puzzles - Color a picture and glue it onto thin cardboard. Let dry with a weight on top to keep flat. Cut into squares to reassemble.
Elephant Toy
Draw an elephant, face forward, without a trunk on a piece of thin cardboard. Color.
Make a hole where trunk begins and insert finger there.
Variation: an apple with a "worm".A strong cardboard or wooden oval shaped picture of Krishna is on one side and with Radharani on the other side. String handles are attached to holes punched on each side of the oval. Wind up and then pull apart with both hands to spin the oval and reveal the two pictures of Radha Krishna combined together.
Cut out a circle 3 “ in diameter from thin cardboard or plastic (such as the side of a milk jug). This may be brightly painted. Punch 6-8 holes around the perimeter and 2 smaller holes in the center. String the center holes with about 2 ft. of yarn and tie the ends. Grab both ends of the string with the buzz saw in the center. Wind tightly and pull hard to release the “Saw” and create a buzzing sound. If done right, the toy automatically winds back up after the initial pulling and thus can be pulled over and over again. A variation is to use a large button.
Fan making methods also include sewing layers of cardboard together around the perimeter with a handle inserted in between. Paint and decorate as desired. In this case, hand drawn peacock feathers were used:
Small boxes can be used to make small buildings, doll house and furniture. Large boxes can be painted to become a play house, fort, tunnel, mailbox, etc..
Make a runway for marbles. A simple version is to just tape together end to end several same-sized tubes in order to make one long tunnel. Children love to push marbles through from a table top and have them come out at the end some distance away. More challenging is to set up a goal post at the end for marbles to pass through.
I got my tubes from the inside of incense packaging and the marbles we made perfect-sized for from oven baked clay.
Or cut tubes in half to create a raceway for small cars.. Or make a child’s “telescope” or “binoculars”
YOGURT OR COTTAGE CHEESE CONTAINERS
If you are lucky enough to have these in different sizes, one may fit inside the other similar to nesting cups to make an amusing toy for a child. Put the lid on an extra large platic tub. Cut a good sized slit in the middle of it for child to insert large plastic chips, bottle caps or tiddly winks inside.Can hook several rubber bands together, one into the other, to make a long length of stretchy band.
This can be stitched securely to a soft, lightweight ball (made with fabric and stuffing) to snap high into the air.
Or make a rubber band Chinese jump rope.
SALT OR OATMEAL BOX
Cut in half for a bridge or toy truck tunnel. Or cut part way for a doll cradle. May also be used to create a mailbox or toy drumTHIS AND THAT
- Berry baskets and clothes hanger scale
- String collected spools together to form a spool snake or use corks.
- Roll back and forth a clean plastic jar with a tightly sealed lid and filled with colorful marbles
- Collect several empty water, soda, or kefir containers or cardboard tubes to line up for indoor bowling.
- Paper airplanes from folded paper or cut out of thin cardboard glider style
- Bean bags. Bean bag frogs.
- Connect paper cup walkie talkies with yarn. Pull taunt to hear other end.
- Stick horse- Use a stuffed sock to make the horse’s head. Attach to an old broomstick to ride
- Turn a toy on wheels into a pull toy with a piece of yarn.
- Sculpt a small truck or other vehicle or a wagon from clay. Make holes in object to accommodate wheels and let harden. Paint and add wheels. These may be salvaged from other toy vehicles that are broken.
- Make a pulley.
- Balloon propelled on a string.
- Catapult
- Parachute action figure (plastic bag and string)
- Pinwheel
- Bows and arrows
- Slingshot
- Tin can stilts
- Walnut sailboats - Fill half an empty shell with candle wax to hold toothpick mast with flag. May also paint these with acrylic paints.
- Styrofoam sailboats
- Bubble blower- save these or experiment in making some with wire.
- Empty soap bottle squirt gun
- Snow globe- Use baby food or other small jar and sculpey to make a temple scene. Add glycerin to water and glitter flakes to make “snow” fall softer.
- Use the cut off top of a milk jug for a child's "megaphone".
- Make stand up figures by cutting them out along with a stand from an old pair of children's playing cards.
FIRST SEWING
- Sewing cards for little ones can be made from cardboard or plastic lids. Use a hot nail to make sewing holes in plastic lids.
- Sew on burlap with yarn needles and colorful yarns or Aida with blunt tapestry needles and embroidery floss.
- This mouse was made from the fleecey side of scraps from an old sweatshirt. Pattern is from the Klutz book, "Simple Sewing".
FIRST MUSIC
There are many simple instruments for kids to play with. Here's one example.
Also a rainstick or maracas are easy to make with a cardboard tube.
- That most worth making is a Krsna doll and associates along w/paraphernalia such as jewelry and clothing, garlands made from collected faux flowers, playdough offerings and dishes, woven bedding, cardboard furniture...Dolls can be made from cloth with stuffing.
- Smaller dolls such as worry dolls can be made and dressed as gopis, etc. Instead of a button, the head and chest may be made from a small piece of panty hose over some stuffing and then fastened to the wire body with the embroidery thread. Another variation is here, but the head could be a bead rather than paper.
- Paperdolls can be made with a wide variety of clothes and so on.
- Puppets- Use papier mache over a small balloon for heads. When dry, remove the balloon and add cloth or felt bodies. Also sock puppets, stick puppets, and finger puppets (from old gloves) may be made.
- Jumping jack on a stick has loose bendable arms, hands and legs cut from thin cardboard and hooked together to dance on a stick which is nestled in between a doubled bodily center. Twirl the stick to make him jump.
- To make a pop-out-of-the-box puppet for little ones, place a long, sturdy wooden dowel into a smooth ball of soda clay and let dry. This is the doll's head. Hot glue the dowel securely into the dry head afterwards. Next, sew a colorful felt shirt for the top part of the body, with arms and hands raised upward. Sew a ribbon through the neckline and gather it to fit around the dowel where the neck should be, right below the soda clay head. Tie a bow securely. The bottom half of the box puppet is an empty cardboard salt container cut in half. Cover the outside with felt and punch a hole in the bottom. Finally, connect the top part of the cut box to the bottom part of the puppet’s shirt with hot glue while fitting the dowel through the hole punched at the bottom of the box. You can now push the puppet down into the box area to hide him, and during your next visit with a child, push with the dowel to make the puppet pop out again.
Here are some ideas inspired by Familyfun.com:
- Stove- Cut an herbal tea box in half. Cut an oven door in one of the halves. Cover entire box with aluminum foil. Stretch a bit of foil higher than the top of box to be the location for brass fastener “knobs” to turn on and off. Also draw, on top of the aluminum covered box, stove burner coils with a permanent marker.
- Refrigerator- Use an herbal tea box. The lid becomes the door. Cut near the middle if you wish to create a separate freezer compartment. Cover entire “fridge” and “doors” with foil. Draw on “handles” with permanent marker.
- Sink- Use a butter carton that has no writing inside and turn inside out. tape together in such a way to resemble a counter with a extended lip on the top back. Cut a hold wide enough on the top part of the “counter” to fit a metal lid from a baking soda jar. Use brass fasteners for hot and cold “handles” and a cut piece of bendable drinking straw hot glued in place for a “faucet”. With a permanent marker, draw counter door below the sink. These may be cut to open and close.
- Sofa- cut one end from a clean Styrofoam tray for the seat. Next, cut two legs from a cardboard tube and hot-glue them to the bottom of the seat. Turn the sofa upright and drape on a cloth cover or glue on pieces of scrap foam for cushioning..
- Arm Chair- cut the bottom of a plastic kefir quart container in such a way as to have a seat, back and sides for a chair. Use foam cushioning as in the sofa.
- Table- Save a plastic lid without writing on it to hot glue on top of an overturned styrofoam cup with pieces cut out of it to leave legs.
- TV- Save scrap wood and select a block to paint like a TV set
- Computer and desk- Like the TV, use blocks of wood to paint a keyboard on a “desk” and another smaller piece of wood paint like a monitor and another paint like the computer itself.
- Altar- Paint a piece of wood. Glue pictures of the deities (obtained from a Krishna conscious gifts and book catalog or BTG sales pages ) on the dollhouse wall where the altar block will be located. Also can glue pictures of guru and Krsna on walls for miniature paintings.
- Curtains- Use straws or slim wooden dowels for curtain rods and drape fabric over to stitch or glue. Hang on doll house walls with very small nails or pins.
- Washer and Dryer- Like the kitchen sink, turn a butter box inside out, leaving a lip in back on top to draw washer and dryer knobs with a permanent marker and to create a washer on one side and dryer on the other.
- Kitchen counter w/drawer and cabinets- Draw drawers and cabinets on another inverted butter carton similar to the washer and dryer. The cabinets may be cut to open and close.
- Use bottle caps and toothpaste caps for dishes and cups.
