You photograph your child/grandchild’s toy around the house, “doing” different activities. You can create a photo book and add some text. They will love it!
Meet Lyle.
I bought Lyle at the Carnegie Museum when grandson Charlie visited about 8 years ago. Charlie gave him his name Lyle.
Charlie is 11 now.
I did it for granddaughter Prema’s (now 11) stuffed ballerina dragon, too but that’s another story
Shana S. Cohen designed this Marble Fidget Square.
There are tons of fidgets out in the world but this one doesn’t make any noise and can fit easily in your hand or a pocket. (Click link for her pattern which is free to download. ) I read about her on Ravelry and she’s an architect! She designed this with her son in mind. I’m sending one to my grandson.
The first square I knit, I followed her directions to the letter, using the smooth waste yarn at cast-on but then I used a Turkish Cast-On for subsequent squares.
What a fun pattern.
“A fidget toy is typically a small object used for pleasant but purposeless activity with the hands.
Some users believe these toys help them tolerate anxiety, frustration, agitation, boredom, and excitement.[1] They are also commonly used by those with sensory difficulties.” Wikipedia
Found this Roller Toaster in Charlie’s car bin this afternoon and thought it was fun. We were building a block tower and an adjacent parking lot.
Turns out there’s a Fast Foodie Series of Hot Wheels Vehicles.
In 2020 it was $4.95. Listed at $19.95 today. Yikes! But on eBay a pre-owned one is $2.
I do love toast.
You’ve seen the Rocking Horses in the City if you’ve followed me for a few years. I haven’t seen any new rocking horses to add to this repost. I can tell you there’s more discarded furniture than there are rocking horses.
Here’s a Gallery of rocking horses seen around Pittsburgh, from previous blogposts.
This photo was taken in NYC 2011 but in the mid fifties this teeny elephant assisted my sister in making me stop crying. She’d be in charge (babysitting) and I’d be sad my parents went out. She would make this elephant appear and then she’d make it fly away and disappear. I’m not sure how many times she repeated this act but I remember believing it was magic.
https://youtube.com/shorts/NDQuVNSj5Bc?feature=share
See the popple transform in the short video
Stress Reliever Pop It toys are everywhere.
There are many brands. All shapes, colors and sizes. I learned sales really took off during Pandemic times. I’m sure many adults like pushing the bubbles, too.
To me, the pushing the silicone bubbles isn’t quite as satisfying as popping actual bubble wrap (in my opinion) but definitely quieter.
Kids don’t seem to mind the silicone version at all. In fact, it’s a total craze! They love them.
Here’s a January 2019 photo. Grandson Charlie visiting at my house. He’s wearing a fleece footed sleeper that was a cozy favorite. Doesn’t take long for kids to outgrow their clothes, though.
In December 2020 my daughter sent the kitty footed sleeper to me with a request- could I make something special from it?
So I made doll pajamas, with the sleeve cuffs being the pants ankle cuffs now.
After I sewed the pjs, there was a lot of the sleeper leftover but I couldn’t see anything in my mind to make from it. The scraps hung around for 3 weeks. Then I got an idea.
Yesterday I created Zippy the snake with the remainder. Stuffed a couple of knee socks with fiberfill and put them into the column I created to look like a snake. Now the snake can lose his skin with zero mess.
On to the post office tomorrow to get these mailed to Charlie. I’m hoping he likes the transformation.
